Cultural Tourism the Chinese Way: Negotiations for Bai Ethnic Minority Livelihoods in Dali, Yunnan
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Cultural Tourism the Chinese Way: Negotiations for Bai Ethnic Minority Livelihoods in Dali, Yunnan Yawei ZHAO Department of Geography McGill University, Montreal Submitted December 2015 A thesis submitted to McGill University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts © Yawei Zhao 2015 Abstract Tourism, which the Chinese state advocates as a vehicle for modernization and poverty alleviation, has been established in Dali Prefecture, Yunnan Province, since the mid-1980s. Building upon scholarly literature on cultural tourism and sustainable livelihoods, this thesis examines the growth and structure of the cultural tourism sector in Dali and its impacts on Bai culture and livelihoods over three generations. I completed fieldwork during May–August 2014 in Dali City, the prefecture’s main tourist destination, employing five qualitative research methods: participant observation, unstructured interviews, semi-structured interviews, oral histories, and Photovoice. My results point to certain negative impacts of cultural tourism growth on the local economy, environment, and society. Concurrently, local Bai people respond to specific local tourism decisions with everyday forms of resistance. Furthermore, the staging and commoditization of certain aspects of Bai culture for tourism purposes have ended up warping what are considered traditional practices in several cases. By considering the influences of tourism growth on local Bai livelihoods through generational and individual lenses, this thesis unravels the complex interactions between cultural tourism, Bai culture, and Bai livelihoods, highlighting both the positive and negative outcomes of tourism growth on Bai culture and livelihoods. I Résumé Le gouvernement chinois préconise le développement touristique comme un vecteur de modernisation sociale et un outil de lutte à la pauvreté dans la Préfecture de Dali depuis le milieu des années 1980. Ce mémoire vise à examiner la croissance du développement du tourisme culturel dans la Préfecture de Dali, et ses impacts sur la culture et les modes et moyens de subsistance locaux, tels que perçus par trois générations de populations Bai. La recherche met l’accent sur les littératures dédiées au tourisme culturel et aux modes et moyens de subsistance durables. Les études de terrain ont été effectuées dans la ville de Dali, principal pôle touristique de la préfecture du même nom, du début mai à la mi-aout 2014. Cinq méthodes qualitatives ont été utilisées, à savoir : l’observation participative, les entretiens non-directifs et semi-directifs, les histoires orales et la méthode Photovoice. Les données empiriques recueillies démontrent les effets sociaux néfastes du développement touristique, de même que ses impacts sur l’économie et l’environnement. Le mémoire documente les stratégies de résistance que les populations Bai déploient quotidiennement en réponse aux décisions des acteurs du secteur touristique local. La recherche examine aussi comment certains aspects de la culture Bai sont performés et commodifiés par et pour le secteur touristique, et les conséquences de ces processus sur la culture Bai. Le mémoire cerne les impacts nuancés du développement touristique sur les modes et moyens de subsistance des populations locales Bai, en préconisant l’examen intergénérationnel et les analyses de cas individuels. Se faisant, ce mémoire illumine les interactions complexes entre le tourisme culturel, la culture et les modes et moyens de subsistance Bai, et documente tant les retombées positives que négatives de l’essor touristique pour les populations locales Bai. II Acknowledgements Writing this thesis has been one of the biggest academic challenges I have ever had to face. Without the support of the following people, I would not have been able to complete this thesis. It is to them that I owe my deepest gratitude. First of all, I would like to sincerely thank my supervisor, Sarah Turner, for her guidance, patience, encouragement, and most importantly, her constructive criticism that inspires and motivates me to improve my work. I would also like to thank my committee member, Jean Michaud, for providing an anthropologist’s perspective on this research. Thank you to Natalie Oswin and Sarah Moser for reviewing my thesis and providing insightful comments. Thank you as well to the Minorities in the Southeast Asian Massif Research Lab for providing an excellent atmosphere for presenting and discussing my research progress. I would like to extend my thanks to my colleagues for supporting me academically and emotionally. Thank you to Candice Cornet, Clara Champalle, Jean-Francois Rousseau, Li Yajuan, Xu Yiqiang, and Zhang Jialong for sharing your research experiences in China and inspiring my own research. Thank you to Victoria Kyeyune for providing useful tips for coding. Thank you to Noelani Eidse and Dylan Putzel for the fun English chats, and thank you to Thomas Kettig, Takeshi Kaji, Melody Lynch, and others who have taken their time editing this thesis. A special thank you to Jean-Francois Rousseau for translating my abstract. My sincere thanks also goes to all those individuals who supported me during fieldwork: my host supervisor, Shen Haimei, who shared her insights on Yunnan’s ethnic cultures; my interpreters for the Bai language, Peng and Xiang, who helped me navigate local villages; my friends who either participated in my research or referred me to potential research participants; and all of the participants who lent their time and knowledge to my research. I would also like to acknowledge the financial support I received from the Department of Geography, Mitacs, and Sarah Turner. Last but not least, I wish to thank my family and friends outside McGill University and academia. Thank you to my parents for always believing in me and supporting my academic endeavours. Thank you to Liu Mengyang for preparing two great maps, and Fu Yiqun for overviewing the citations. And thank you to those who encouraged me with their best wishes. Final thanks to one and all who have directly or indirectly lent their hand in my two-year adventure. Your participation has made it wonderful and memorable. III Table of Content Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................ I Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................... III Table of Content ....................................................................................................................................... IV Chapter 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Research Aim and Questions ................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Where is Dali Prefecture? ..................................................................................................................... 3 1.3 Briefly Introducing the Bai People ....................................................................................................... 4 1.4 Thesis Outline ......................................................................................................................................... 5 Chapter 2 Conceptual Framework ............................................................................................................ 7 2.1 Cultural Tourism ................................................................................................................................... 8 2.1.1 Discussing ‘culture’ ...................................................................................................................... 9 2.1.2 Debates surrounding authenticity ............................................................................................... 10 2.1.3 Cultural commoditization ........................................................................................................... 12 2.1.4 Tourism-caused acculturation ..................................................................................................... 13 2.1.5 Concerns over cultural tourism ................................................................................................... 13 2.1.6 A summary of concepts .............................................................................................................. 14 2.2 Sustainable Livelihoods ....................................................................................................................... 14 2.2.1 Livelihood and sustainable livelihoods framework .................................................................... 15 2.2.2 Capital analysis ........................................................................................................................... 17 2.2.3 Determinants and livelihood diversification ............................................................................... 19 2.2.4 Resistance ................................................................................................................................... 21 2.2.5 Livelihood trajectories and pathways ......................................................................................... 23 2.2.6 A summary of concepts .............................................................................................................. 23 2.3