2007 Annual International CHRIE Conference & Exposition
528
LITERATURE
Cultural Thinning
The collective of globalization and modernization theories suggests that various economic, information,
and population flows have profound influence on the ways in which cultures are represented (Hughes, 1995).
Modernity and exogenous global forces have inevitably impacted Chinese cultural identity when tourism acts as a
significant vehicle for modernization. With the acceleration of globalization and modernization, dramatic changes
have been noted in China’s cultural ecology: a large number of precious objects and materials of historical and
cultural values are destroyed, deserted or lost in the commercialized development and standardized operation of
tourist attractions. Arbitrary misuse and excessive exploitation of cultural heritage occur from time to time.
Tensions are consequently generated between the government’s determination to stimulate the country’s
economic growth and its attempts to maintain the authenticity of Chinese culture in tourism development. Tourism
in China was considered as the most active element for economic development of the country and the most readily
available profit-making device. The intrinsic values associated with the immense richness of China’s history and
culture are in danger of being ignored at the expense of the extrinsic value of the income derived from tourism.
Tourism development resulted in overload and misplacement as manifested by the artificialized, commercialized
and urbanized cultural heritage attractions. This caused serious destruction of the cultural eco-systems in the
destinations and substantial devaluation of their aesthetic and cultural values. Signs of modern industrialized
manufacturing were shown across the country at historic heritage sites. Standardization, which is equivalent to
westernization, is employed by tourism services, such as hotels and destinations when they provide cookie-cutting
products across the country.
A close examination reveals that many of the restorations of buildings, statues, and other artifacts at
historical sites in China has been carried out with contemporary materials such as reinforced concrete, steel bolts
and plastic; disguised to look like ancient timber, hand-fired bricks or stone carvings. A certain “museumization” of
the ethnic minorities was also noted in the idealized presentations of their culture for tourist consumption. In many
instances, as listed in the following, heritage in China has been commoditized to the point where a balance with
historical and socio-cultural veracity has been lost:
1) In 2002, the main hall of the Taoism temple “Fu Zhen Guan” (built in 14th -15th century A.D.) in Mount
Wudang, Hubei Province, was turned into a three star hotel.
2) A modern sightseeing elevator was installed in the cultural scenic region Zhang Jia Jie, Hunan Province.
Two more elevators were built after the developers realized and devoured quick economic benefits of the increased
travel volume.
3) Without due regard to the cultural background of attractions, the local tourism departments in the
culturally rich West Hunan region equipped
diaojiaolou
, a wood structure for living with natural ventilation, with
air-conditioners to accommodate the modern convenience demand of the market. In the same light, the local
governments paved the dirt roads to the local destinations over with cement.
4) The splendid “living” cultural Mecca of Village Zhou in Jiangsu Province was soon deserted by travel
agencies because the “commercial atmosphere is overwhelming”.
5) In Nanxun County, Zhejiang Province, which was originally considered as a potential World Heritage
nominee, many “Western atmosphere” night clubs were built to showcase the developers’ and the local
governments’ “open” mindset to the modern world.
However, for many Chinese, the act of visiting the famous attractions translates itself into an appreciation
of their culture. According to MacCannell’s (1976), the consumption of a tourist attraction invests it with meaning
and a perception of cultural authenticity. The staging of festivals and the manipulating of cultural attractions to serve
economic interests without regard to their cultural integrity have resulted in the loss of heritage quality and
educational value. The most critical issue of tourism development, therefore, is the comprehension, appreciation and
implementation of the authenticity of cultural heritage sites (du Cros et al., 2005). Tourism policies should not only
act in economic interests but also guide the integral cultural development of China’s tourism.
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