China is currently actively developing in various areas of the economy, one of which is tourism. The state pays special attention to the maintenance of cultural tourism, which is carried out through the attraction of tourist assets to cultural heritage sites. Growth in this direction helps to ensure the creation of sustainable tourism industry, as well as support the local culture. China is currently implementing many projects in various regions of the country that integrate objects of tangible and intangible culture. A special place in this process is occupied by the local community and residents of rural areas, who are actively involved in the preservation of heritage. Several examples of how modern China is working to develop interconnection between culture and tourism will illustrate the importance of sustainable tourism. The research question of this work: “How does China involve the local population in the preservation of cultural heritage and the development of sustainable tourism?” Integration of the local population plays a key role in this process, allowing the preservation of intangible culture, as well as improving the quality of life in rural areas.
The cultural heritage is inseparable from the people of the country, which is especially important for China. Shahzalal (2016) emphasizes that interaction with local communities in the preservation and transfer of cultural property plays a key role in the development of cultural tourism. For example, the Anhui Yellow Mountain New Countryside Demonstration Project, implemented from 2013 to 2020, allowed 68 Chinese villages to be integrated into sustainable development (Integrating rural economic development, 2021). The rural population was involved in preserving intangible and material cultural heritage and utilizing it as a tourism asset. This process allowed to attract funds to the development of rural areas and significantly improve the living standards of the community through the improvement of infrastructure and expended financial opportunities.
Tourism is one of the most promising areas of sustainable economic development for many modern countries. In particular, “the Chinese government is conscious about the important role that tourism can play in reaching the goals for sustainable development in the next future” (Giorgi et al., 2020, p. 19). Cultural heritage and its preservation play a key role in the development of tourism in modern China. These activities involve not only promoting cultural identity but also strengthening local communities and improving their quality of life. Giorgi et al. (2020) also emphasize that various objects of cultural heritage strengthen the connection between people and the environment, positively affecting their well-being. Thus, the activity to preserve cultural sites in both urban and rural areas of China is of great importance not only for economic but also for social development.
Cultural tourism in connection with the preservation of the country’s cultural heritage plays a crucial part. In particular, tourism to historical sites allows attracting funds for further sustainable development and raising awareness of the population about conservation measures (Liu & Shu, 2020). At present, China is aware of the interconnection between these factors and is committed to preserving cultural heritage and developing a tourist flow in this area. One example of heritage conservation and cultural tourism development is “waterfront towns are in the south of the Yangtze River and near Taihu Lake” (Liu & Shu, 2020, p. 18). This project includes the conservation of four historic waterfront towns on the Yandzy River, which began in 1986 (Liu & Shu, 2020, p. 21). One of the focuses for the spread of cultural tourism in this area is assisting local residents, in particular Tongli and Xitang (Liu & Shu, 2020). This measure is key to preserving not only the appearance but also the way of life of objects of cultural heritage.
Sustainable development presupposes the preservation of not only material but also intangible culture. Local people and communities are part of the cultural heritage and are actively involved in preserving the image and lifestyle of cultural sites. This aspect, as illustrated by the example of waterfront towns, is one of the key aspects in reaching sustainable economic development through tourism. Currently, a tourism industry based on the preservation of local culture is growing rapidly in Lijiang as well (Song et al., 2020). Naxi ethnic community are the creators of a unique hieroglyphic script, better known as Dongba scrip. However, this type of writing is less and less popular among the local residents, which prefer to study the traditional Mandarin dialect (Song et al., 2020). This trend leads to the commercialization of the region, which negatively affects the establishment of cultural tourism and heritage sites preservation.
Materializing culture and using it as a way to attract tourists is an issue that overwhelms local communities and threatens the preservation of heritage. In particular, cultural site renovation programs in China often involve evicting local residents in order to create a pure tourist attraction. This activity takes place in the country in connection with the “World Heritage authorization process” (Su, 2018, p. 5). In particular, about 90% of the local population was relocated from the cultural site of Lijiang Old Town due to the tourist overflow (Su, 2018, p. 5). This fact leads to the rupture of communities and the violation of the integrity of culture. This is of great importance as the participation and attitude of the local community play a key role in the growth of Chinese sustainable cultural tourism and heritage conservation.
The local population in some places in China is used as a tool for the conservation and transfer of culture to create tourist interest. In 2005, Lijiang began hosting the Impression Lijiang, which integrates the local landscape and traditional dances to create tourism interest (Song et al., 2020, p. 7). This show involves the inhabitants of local villages, which is the main source of income for them. Additionally, this activity to preserve the cultural heritage and support the local community allows to attract funds to rural areas and contribute to their renovation. The Impression Lijiang “created a commercial environment that inspired rural innovation in the surrounding areas” (Song et al., 2020, p. 7). The performance had a significant impact not only on incomes but also on the diversification in rural areas, which had a positive effect on the living standards of the local population. Thus, cultural heritage preservation activities in Lijiang are interconnected not only with tourism but also with the quality of life of communities in China.
The Impression Lijiang requires a high level of cooperation from the local population to create a great performance. This aspect greatly contributes to the creation of sustainable cultural tourism, as it “raises awareness of local stakeholders in cultural preservation” (Song et al., 2020, p. 9). Communities can build their local tourism-driven economy, which leads to ongoing activities to preserve cultural heritage to support economic development. Thus, the example of Lijiang shows that China is aware of the importance of intangible culture and uses it as a resource for growth. At the same time, the local population realizes the importance of the environment as a source of well-being, which creates an interconnection between the preservation of cultural heritage sites and the quality of living.
China is also actively developing in the field of reconstruction of the architecture of cultural heritage sites in order to preserve their authenticity. An example of this activity is the project the Ancient City of Pingyao, which is now both a cultural and commercial touristic center (Su, 2018). While this project was intended to relocate the local population outside of the cultural heritage site, it also provided them with many new opportunities. In particular, the local community was able to “revitalize the local economy and increase the employment rate” (Weng et al., 2019, p. 1). However, despite the expanded economic opportunities, such a move took prevented them from participating in the cultural and social life of the Ancient City of Pingyao (Su, 2018). Such external authorization also actualizes material culture and leads to the commercialization of China’s heritage sites as tourist attractions.
Moreover, many representatives of the local community are forced to perform low-paid jobs and cannot directly participate in the development of the region. Thus, this example shows that the exclusively decorative use of the environment negatively affects not only the preservation of cultural heritage but also the quality of living. Sustainable tourism, in this case, cannot be created since the local economy has no paths for development. This factor also leads to the inability of the community to fully participate in the preservation of cultural sites. Thus, the exclusion of interaction with local residents potentially leads to a deterioration in the pace of development of sustainable cultural tourism. In this regard, China is making significant steps to develop the rural community and attract tourism assets.
The development of sustainable tourism in the modern world is based on cultural tourism, which in turn requires the preservation of heritage. China’s tangible and intangible cultural sites are attracting more and more tourists, which has a positive effect on the local population. In particular, the involvement of communities in the development of tourism presupposes the development of the rural economy and the renovation of rural areas. Additionally, these activities expand the economic opportunities of local residents, as well as raise their awareness in the field of cultural heritage preservation. China is actively involved in working with local people to create sustainable tourism, which also develops the local economy.
References
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