Tourism and Cultural Landscapes in Southern China’s Highlands

Cultural landscapes are combined work of man and nature. In 1992, the World Heritage Convention adopted the cultural landscape in the World Heritage List. In Asia, the ongoing urbanization and rural-urban migration have threatened the continuing cultural landscapes as people leave their homes. Touri...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Zhe Wang, Nelson Graburn
Format: Article
Language:deu
Published: Association Via@
Series:Via@
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/viatourism/5491
_version_ 1797310089874374656
author Zhe Wang
Nelson Graburn
author_facet Zhe Wang
Nelson Graburn
author_sort Zhe Wang
collection DOAJ
description Cultural landscapes are combined work of man and nature. In 1992, the World Heritage Convention adopted the cultural landscape in the World Heritage List. In Asia, the ongoing urbanization and rural-urban migration have threatened the continuing cultural landscapes as people leave their homes. Tourism has brought new challenges and opportunities to these areas, while its impacts on the cultural landscape are inadequately researched. This paper aims to fill the gap through case studies of two subtropical rice terraced field cultural landscapes in China’s highlands. A stakeholder approach is applied in understanding the attitudes and practices of different agents towards terraced fields and traditional villages. Mixed method research, including researching secondary materials, in-depth interviews, participant observation, and questionnaire surveys were conducted on local households and other stakeholders. The continuing urbanization process threatens the cultivation traditions by displacing agricultural livelihoods, rural-urban migration, and enabling young generations to abandon work on the farmlands. Tourism may slow down the loss of terraced fields by providing alternative opportunities and attracting people to return from the cities, while the commodification in tourism businesses also led to dramatic changes to the village landscapes. The continuing cultural landscapes are created collaboratively by people and nature, and by the collaborative practice of people. Effective management policies on cultural landscapes must put their creators and their livelihoods at the center rather than the physical manifestations. Tourism and conservation policies should evaluate the interests of all stakeholders and their behavioral consequences on cultural landscapes.
first_indexed 2024-03-08T01:38:50Z
format Article
id doaj.art-d35eaf3f7bf74bb0ada6ef90a6b400cd
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2259-924X
language deu
last_indexed 2024-03-08T01:38:50Z
publisher Association Via@
record_format Article
series Via@
spelling doaj.art-d35eaf3f7bf74bb0ada6ef90a6b400cd2024-02-14T13:30:37ZdeuAssociation Via@Via@2259-924X1710.4000/viatourism.5491Tourism and Cultural Landscapes in Southern China’s HighlandsZhe WangNelson GraburnCultural landscapes are combined work of man and nature. In 1992, the World Heritage Convention adopted the cultural landscape in the World Heritage List. In Asia, the ongoing urbanization and rural-urban migration have threatened the continuing cultural landscapes as people leave their homes. Tourism has brought new challenges and opportunities to these areas, while its impacts on the cultural landscape are inadequately researched. This paper aims to fill the gap through case studies of two subtropical rice terraced field cultural landscapes in China’s highlands. A stakeholder approach is applied in understanding the attitudes and practices of different agents towards terraced fields and traditional villages. Mixed method research, including researching secondary materials, in-depth interviews, participant observation, and questionnaire surveys were conducted on local households and other stakeholders. The continuing urbanization process threatens the cultivation traditions by displacing agricultural livelihoods, rural-urban migration, and enabling young generations to abandon work on the farmlands. Tourism may slow down the loss of terraced fields by providing alternative opportunities and attracting people to return from the cities, while the commodification in tourism businesses also led to dramatic changes to the village landscapes. The continuing cultural landscapes are created collaboratively by people and nature, and by the collaborative practice of people. Effective management policies on cultural landscapes must put their creators and their livelihoods at the center rather than the physical manifestations. Tourism and conservation policies should evaluate the interests of all stakeholders and their behavioral consequences on cultural landscapes.https://journals.openedition.org/viatourism/5491tourismChinacultural landscapelivelihoodethnic communities
spellingShingle Zhe Wang
Nelson Graburn
Tourism and Cultural Landscapes in Southern China’s Highlands
Via@
tourism
China
cultural landscape
livelihood
ethnic communities
title Tourism and Cultural Landscapes in Southern China’s Highlands
title_full Tourism and Cultural Landscapes in Southern China’s Highlands
title_fullStr Tourism and Cultural Landscapes in Southern China’s Highlands
title_full_unstemmed Tourism and Cultural Landscapes in Southern China’s Highlands
title_short Tourism and Cultural Landscapes in Southern China’s Highlands
title_sort tourism and cultural landscapes in southern china s highlands
topic tourism
China
cultural landscape
livelihood
ethnic communities
url https://journals.openedition.org/viatourism/5491
work_keys_str_mv AT zhewang tourismandculturallandscapesinsouthernchinashighlands
AT nelsongraburn tourismandculturallandscapesinsouthernchinashighlands