Tourism-led Commodification of Place and Rural Transformation Development: A Case Study of Xixinan Village, Huangshan, China

Abstract

Rural commodification with rural transformation development is a potential research agenda for rural geography. Based on semi-structured interviews in five times fieldwork in Xixinan Village, Huangshan, China, this article examines how the township government as an actor with entrepreneurialism promotes the commodification of place in rural areas and its impact on rural transformation development. It was found that the township government has drawn economic returns from different subjects of tourism entrepreneurs, tourists, and lifestyle immigrants by the efforts of commodifying real estate, creative tourism experience, and nature. Rural transformation development is accompanied by rural commodification, showing rural gentrification, expansion of employment opportunities for women, and the readjustment of the social structure of the family in the demographic structure. Rural tourism and rural creative industries have developed, complementing the single agricultural structure, constituting a mutual intersection and integration among these three industries. Regarding social and cultural values, rural commodification promoted the awareness of place in protecting ancient buildings and indigenous culture, but it also brought a sense of deprivation for community and contested rurality among different groups. The development state of rural transformation is constantly changing, and the new challenges arising from it to the rural revitalization of China, in this case, are also identified. The contribution of this article is to expand the analytical dimension of the commodification of place in rural areas and examine the state entrepreneurism associated with it. It also contributes to improving the understanding of the current development state of rural transformation in China.

The potential of Jakarta-Surabaya high-speed rail in developing tourism: Learning from Japan

“…In addition, the development process does need cooperation from all parties, such as travel agencies, the tourism ministry, and especially from the relevant local governments. Chen & Kong (2021) concludes that the government should learn how to enable local communities to gain a more proactive role and a leading position and gain more benefits in the commodification process. Even thoughts and ideas about tourism commodity places have been expressed widely but are rarely analysed critically.…”

Sustainable Agricultural Development Models of the Ecologically Vulnerable Karst Areas in Southeast Yunnan from the Perspective of Human–Earth Areal System

“…It should thoroughly combine the regional differences in the topography and landscape of karst areas to develop stereoscopic agriculture. Depending on the characteristic landscape of karst areas and ethnic minority culture, it should create a landscape with idyllic tourism features and promote the development of agricultural eco-tourism [38][39][40]. In addition, the government should introduce advanced agricultural technologies to improve crop production [22,41], and social capital, such as companies and enterprises, to sell agricultural products [42].…”

“…In the extremely vulnerable zone, ecological typeoriented development models restrict the natural environment from large-scale human disturbance and firmly safeguard the ecological benefits. For example, tourism could drive local employment and bring more income than agriculture and animal husbandry [38,40]. Under the conditions of proper strategy formulation, the tourism resources planted by Babao rice can be fully exploited.…”

Pola Pengelolaan Pasar Kaget dalam Meningkatkan Kehidupan Sosial Ekonomi Masyarakat

“…Tapi persoalan pengelolaan yang ada di pasar kaget sesungguhnya ibarat benang kusut yang sukar untuk diurai, mengapa, darimana, bagaimana, untuk siapa, dan masih banyak lagi hal yang perlu dipertanyakan. Sayangnya, pihak-pihak yang terkait dengan urusan pasar kaget tidak berusaha menyelesaikan secara maksimal, justru mencari keuntungan dalam silang sengkarut masalah pasar, baik keuntungan finansial maupun keuntungan politis (Chen & Kong, 2021;Garg et al, 2020).…”