Rural Tourism in Globalizing Beijing: Reproduction of the Mountainous Suburbs Into a New Space of Leisure Consumption
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sustainability Article Rural Tourism in Globalizing Beijing: Reproduction of the Mountainous Suburbs into a New Space of Leisure Consumption Ran Liu 1 and Tai-Chee Wong 2,* 1 College of Resource Environment and Tourism, Capital Normal University, No. 105 West 3rd Ring Road North, Beijing 100048, China; [email protected] 2 Southern University College, Skudai 81300, Johor, Malaysia * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +60-19-716-9739 Received: 16 February 2019; Accepted: 8 March 2019; Published: 21 March 2019 Abstract: Rural tourism is increasingly becoming an important complementary service sector of major Chinese cities operating at their immediate adjacent suburban or rural zones. By promoting a green economy, such zones of rural–urban interface/interactions attract more and more public investments, business investors, and leisure seekers. Taking the Yanqi Nightless Valley of Huairou District, and the Ganyugou Village and Xibailianyu Village of Miyun District of Beijing as case studies, this paper investigates the private entrepreneurship, the local peasants’ business drive, and the role of the local governments in integrating the mountainous “backwater” into Beijing’s globalizing economy. Their joint efforts in reconstructing and branding rural tourism resorts, and the ways in which the rural socioeconomic setting was transformed into a post-productive, consumption-dominated, and creative-cum-quality service center is analyzed. The paper analyzes the success and failure of Beijing’s rural tourism business operations, and links their marketing with the capital city’s ambition to brand itself into a globalizing city. Results show that success is highly dependent on physical connectivity. Those seated at the “semi-periphery” with highways or other access corridors are capable of attracting large city clientele. Remote sites, on the contrary, can hardly benefit from the trickle-down process. Hence, a more integrative framework in favor of a more balanced development is finally addressed. Keywords: rural tourism; valley economy; peasants’ entrepreneurship; leisure space; suburban Beijing 1. Introduction Since the past two decades, the rural areas of Beijing have witnessed a profound transformation from a farming society to a manufacturing-cum-service-led economy. In 1996, Beijing’s primary industry still recorded a high 24.2% of its total rural gross domestic product (GDP); however, in 2010, this fell fast to a low 5.5%. Conversely, its tertiary sector made a drastic leap in contribution from 29.2% to 49.3% in the rural GDP during the same period [1]. One of the key contributors in the service industry was attributable to the planned “Ecological Reserve Development Areas”, designated in the ecologically fragile but aesthetic mountain areas in the Beijing suburbs (see Figure1). These areas are mainly located within Yanqing, Huairou, Miyun, Mentougou, and Pinggu Districts, whereby the Beijing municipal government prudently has tried out, since the 1990s, a strategy to clear up the pollutive sectors there and replace them with green industries highly characterized by sustainable tourism [2,3]. Sustainability 2019, 11, 1719; doi:10.3390/su11061719 www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability Sustainability 2019, 11, 1719 2 of 20 Sustainability 2019, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 21 Figure 1. Beijing municipality and its function zones. Remarkably, during the period 2011–2012, the tourismtourism industry in the rural districts of Huairou and Miyun accounted for more than 20% of their GDP growth, and 62.5% of the GDP growth in Yanqing District [4]. [4]. Sources Sources of of revenues revenues were were deri derivedved not not only only from from ticket ticket sales sales for forentrance entrance to the to suburbanthe suburban scenic scenic spots spots and and historic historic resorts, resorts, but but also also from from another another major major source, source, popularly popularly called nongjiale ““nongjiale”” (delights(delights in in farm farm guesthouses), guesthouses), run run by local by local peasants peasants offering offering catering catering and lodging and services.lodging services.Since the boom of popular tourism in China, “rural tourism” became a nation-wide popular phenomenonSince the notboom only of inpopular Beijing’s tourism suburbs, in China, but also “rural in sometourism” other became big cities a nation-wide like Shanghai popular and phenomenonChengdu [5,6 ].not With only rising in affluenceBeijing’s andsuburbs, busier but routine also workingin some schedules,other big Beijingcities like residents Shanghai find and that Chengduthe natural [5,6]. ambience With risi andng aesthetic affluence views and inbusier their routine neighboring working mountainous schedules, areas, Beijing rural residents way of find life, thatand farmthe natural guesthouses ambience provide and themaesthetic with views nostalgic in their sentiments neighboring of familial mountainous intimacy andareas, relaxing rural way leisure of life,times. and Their farm demand guesthouses prompted provide local them peasants with tonostalgic organize sentiments or to reorganize of familial the hospitalityintimacy and packages relaxing to leisureattract thetimes. potentially Their demand very large prompted source oflocal city peasants guests. to organize or to reorganize the hospitality packagesIn meeting to attract challenges the potentially of this very new large market, source Beijing’s of city ruralguests. tourism is faced with the need for a seriesIn meeting of reforms challenges and changes of this in the new economic, market, environmental,Beijing’s rural andtourism social isdimensions. faced with the In the need study for ofa seriestourism of developmentreforms and changes in Beijing’s in the rural economic, sector, one envi ofronmental, the most illuminating and social featuresdimensions. is the In articulation the study of tourismpower and development interests ofin localBeijing’s peasants rural sector, whose one self-motivated of the most illuminating efforts have features changed is the their articulation own fate. ofThey power have and done interests it following of local grassroots-level peasants whose institutional self-motivated innovations efforts have in terms changed of asset their operations own fate. Theyand the have socio-spatial done it following (re)production grassroots-level of the economic institutional opportunities innovations [7]. in In terms this paper,of asset the operations peasants’ andentrepreneurial the socio-spatial spirit (re)production as witnessed in of the the study economic of rural opportunities tourism, and [7]. their In active this paper, participation the peasants’ in this entrepreneurialmodernized sector spirit serving as witnessed an urban in clientele the study are of vividly rural tourism, discussed. and The their social active and participation spatial dynamics in this of modernizedthe tourism activitiessector serving are also an highlighted.urban clientele are vividly discussed. The social and spatial dynamics of theIndeed, tourism the activities once “enclosed are also highlighted. and inward-looking” peasants have transformed themselves into operatorsIndeed, of athe modern once business“enclosed open and to inward-looking” the outside world. peasants In our analysis have transformed of the process, themselves three research into operatorsquestions areof a investigated modern business here: (a) open why doesto the the outsid Beijinge world. municipal In our government analysis promoteof the process, rural tourism three researchand what questions is its key are role; investigated (b) how has here: rural (a) tourism why does contributed the Beijing toward municipal narrowing government the rural–urban promote ruraldichotomy tourism in Beijing;and what and is (c)its whykey arerole; there (b) how success has and rural failure tourism experiences contribute ofd the toward respective narrowing “superior” the rural–urbanand “inferior” dichotomy tourism sites? in Beijing; and (c) why are there success and failure experiences of the respective “superior” and “inferior” tourism sites? This paper begins with a brief review on the initiatives of triangular forces that make rural tourism work in the Chinese context: private entrepreneurship, peasants as actors, and local Sustainability 2019, 11, 1719 3 of 20 Sustainability 2019, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEW 3 of 21 This paper begins with a brief review on the initiatives of triangular forces that make rural tourism workauthorities in the as Chinese project prime-movers. context: private This entrepreneurship, is followed by an peasants introduction as actors, of the and rapid local boom authorities of Beijing’s as projectrural tourism, prime-movers. focusing This on isthree followed developmental by an introduction paths that of the we rapid discovered boom of in Beijing’s our municipal-wide rural tourism, focusinginvestigations: on three (a) developmental the spontaneous paths market-led that we discovered growth found in our mainly municipal-wide at the resourceful investigations: sites such (a) the as spontaneousYanqi Valley; market-led(b) the bottom-up growth foundinstitutional mainly innova at thetions resourceful undertaken sites as such an asalternative Yanqi Valley; measure (b) the in bottom-upseveral inferior institutional sites; and innovations (c) the major undertaken local governments’ as an alternative strategy measure to stimulate in several tourism inferior development sites; and (c)by thecapitalizing major local on governments’local advantages