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Cultural Representation and Chinese Gardens Abroad

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Cultural Representation and Chinese Gardens Abroad Cultural representation and Chinese gardens abroad: An exploratory study of Dunedin Chinese Garden, New Zealand Jing Cui A dissertation submitted to Auckland University of Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of International Tourism Management (MITM) 2013 School of Hospitality and Tourism Supervisor: Dr. Jane Legget Table of contents List of figures......................................................................................................................... IV List of tables ............................................................................................................................ V List of Abbreviations.............................................................................................................. VI Attestation of Authorship ...................................................................................................... VII Acknowledgement ............................................................................................................... VIII Abstract ................................................................................................................................. IX 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Research rationale and objective ............................................................................... 3 1.2. Definitions ................................................................................................................ 5 1.3. Overview of dissertation ........................................................................................... 6 2. Literature review and theoretical consideration ................................................................. 7 2.1. Cultural representation and self-orientalism .............................................................. 7 2.2. Cultural heritage and authenticity .............................................................................11 2.3. The phenomenon of the sister-city relationship .........................................................15 2.3.1. Sister-city relationships between New Zealand and China.................................19 2.4. Chinese gardens abroad ...........................................................................................21 3. Contextual background ....................................................................................................28 3.1. Chinese history and heritage in Central Otago ..........................................................28 3.2. Tourism in Dunedin .................................................................................................31 3.3. The background of the Dunedin Chinese Garden ......................................................34 3.3.1. The historic background to the establishment of the Dunedin Chinese Garden ..35 3.3.2. Organizations involved with the building and management of Dunedin Chinese Garden……………………………………………………………………………………..37 I 3.3.3. Visitation to the Dunedin Chinese Garden ........................................................39 3.4. Chapter summary .....................................................................................................41 4. Methodology ...................................................................................................................42 4.1. Selection of research approach .................................................................................42 4.2. Exploratory qualitative study ...................................................................................43 4.3. Interview design ......................................................................................................45 4.4. Research ethics ........................................................................................................47 4.5. Qualitative data analysis ..........................................................................................48 4.6. Limitations of the dissertation ..................................................................................50 5. Research findings: Themes emerging from the research ...................................................51 5.1. Perceived authenticity: heritage and present-centeredness ........................................51 5.2. Cultural representation: self-orientalism and ethnic identity......................................60 5.3. Touristic attraction: financial issues .........................................................................64 5.4. International relationship: sister-city relationship with Shanghai ..............................67 5.5. City image and planning: the Warehouse Heritage Precinct ......................................71 5.6. Chapter summary .....................................................................................................74 6. Discussion and implications ............................................................................................75 6.1. Perceptions of authenticity .......................................................................................75 6.2. The dimensions of the DCG as a representation of Chinese culture ...........................76 6.3. Challenges relating to the operation of the DCG .......................................................78 6.4. Sister-city relationships ............................................................................................79 6.5. Enhancing Dunedin’s heritage image .......................................................................80 6.6. Wider benefits provided through the DCG ...............................................................81 6.7. Suggestions for enhancing visitor experiences ..........................................................82 7. Conclusions .....................................................................................................................83 8. References.......................................................................................................................88 Appendices .............................................................................................................................98 II Appendix 1: Invitation to Participate in Research.................................................................98 Appendix 2: Participant Information Sheet ........................................................................ 100 Appendix 3: Consent Form ................................................................................................ 103 Appendix 4: Indicative Questions for Interviews ............................................................... 104 Appendix 5: The brochure of Dunedin Chinese Garden ..................................................... 106 Appendix 6: The sister-garden agreement between the Dunedin Chinese Garden and Yu Garden in Shanghai ........................................................................................................... 108 Appendix 7: Examples of Chinese garden built abroad ...................................................... 109 Appendix 8: Gallery of the Dunedin Chinese Garden ......................................................... 111 Appendix 9: List of relevant websites ................................................................................ 112 III List of figures Figure 1 the Circuit of Culture ...................................................................................... 8 Figure 2 The map of Dunedin City Centre ................................................................... 33 Figure 3 Key events in the history of Dunedin Chinese Garden ................................... 37 Figure 4 The annual visitor number of the Dunedin Chinese Garden from 2008 to 2012 ................................................................................................................................... 40 Figure 5 The layout map of the Dunedin Chinese Garden. .......................................... 52 Figure 6 Site Plan of Dunedin Chinese Garden............................................................ 53 Figure 7 An excerpt from Strategic Directions for the City Centre and Warehouse District ........................................................................................................................ 72 IV List of tables Table 1 New Zealand’s sister city relationships with China, in alphabetical order of New Zealand city ................................................................................................................ 20 Table 2 The Chinese gardens in New Zealand, in order of year of establishment ......... 25 Table 3 Profile of informants and their affiliated organizations ................................... 38 Table 4 Stakeholder informants, their affiliations and interview method...................... 46 Table 5 Example of interview content analysis ............................................................ 49 Table 6 The traditional design principles of the Dunedin Chinese Garden ................... 55 Table 7 Population of Chinese ethnicity in New Zealand in 2006 ................................ 62 V List of Abbreviations APEC Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CPTHT Chinese Poll Tax Heritage Trust DCC Dunedin City Council DCG Dunedin Chinese Garden DSA Dunedin Shanghai Association NZCA New Zealand Chinese Association NZCFS New Zealand China Friendship Society OSCA Otago Southland Chinese Association SCNZ Sister Cities
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