doi: 10.14456/jms.2018.4 The Use of Social Capital in Organizing the Frog Festival of Baying Village in the Context of Cultural Tourism Development1 Houdian Yaa and Jaggapan Cadchumsangb* abFaculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Khon Kaen University Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand *Corresponding author. Email: [email protected], [email protected] Abstract This article deals with the use of social capital in organizing the Frog Festival in a Zhuang ethnic village in China amidst the expansion of cultural tourism. The data used were drawn from qualitative research in Baying Village, Donglan District, Hechi City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China. Key informant interviews as well as participant and non-participant observations were the main data collection techniques employed in the field research. The study found that there are three forms of social capital-namely, networks, norms, and trust-employed in the organization of the Frog Festival, which has become a part of China’s cultural tourism development. Social capital in the form of networks includes bonding networks among relatives, bridging networks between Baying residents and Zhuang outside the village, and linking networks between Baying villagers and the state as well as agencies from outside. Of the three forms of network, bonding is the most important because it connects not only those who have genealogical relationships, but also Zhuang dwellers from nearby villages to actively take part in organizing the festival. The research also indicates key roles of the other two categories of social capital-norms and trust-used in the organization of the Frog Festival which have allowed for its success in Baying and generated strong social networks. Keywords: Zhuang, Frog Festival, social capital, cultural tourism 1 This article is a part of a master’s thesis entitled, “Social Capital in the Frog Festival of the Zhuang in Baying Village amidst the Expansion of Cultural Tourism,” Mekong Studies Program, Department of Area Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Khon Kaen University. The thesis was funded by the Center for Research on Plurality in the Mekong Region (CERP), Khon Kaen University. Journal of Mekong Societies Vol.14 No.1 January-April 2018 pp. 63-83 64 Journal of Mekong Societies บทคัดย่อ บทความนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาการใช้ทุนทางสังคมในการจัดงานเทศกาลกบในหมู่บ้าน ปาอิงภายใต้กระแสการท่องเที่ยวเชิงวัฒนธรรม ข้อมูลที่ใช้ในบทความนี้ได้มาจากการวิจัย เชิงคุณภาพซึ่งมีวิธีการเก็บรวบรวมข้อมูลที่ประกอบด้วยการทบทวนวรรณกรรมและการเก็บ ข้อมูลภาคสนามที่หมู่บ้านปาอิง อ�าเภอตุงหลาน เมืองเหอฉือ เขตปกครองตนเองกว่างซีจ้วง สาธารณรัฐประชาชนจีน วิธีการที่ใช้เก็บรวบรวมข้อมูลภาคสนาม ได้แก่ การสัมภาษณ์ ผู้ให้ข้อมูลหลักอย่างเป็นทางการและไม่เป็นทางการ รวมทั้งการสังเกตอย่างมีส่วนร่วม และไม่มีส่วนร่วม ผลการวิจัยชี้ว่า ทุนทางสังคมที่ถูกน�ามาใช้ในการจัดงานเทศกาลกบใน หมู่บ้านปาอิงมี 3 รูปแบบ ได้แก่ เครือข่าย บรรทัดฐาน และความไว้วางใจ นั้นถูกน�ามา ใช้จัดงานเทศกาลกบซึ่งได้กลายเป็นส่วนหนึ่งของการพัฒนาการท่องเที่ยวเชิงวัฒนธรรม โดยรัฐ ทุนทางสังคมในรูปแบบเครือข่ายซึ่งมีทั้งที่เป็นแบบการร้อยรัดกลุ่มเครือญาติ การประสานระหว่างคนในและนอกหมู่บ้าน และการเชื่อมโยงระหว่างชาวบ้านกับภาครัฐ นั้นพบว่า เครือข่ายแบบการร้อยรัดมีความส�าคัญมากที่สุดเพราะไม่เพียงเป็นการยึดโยง ผู้ที่มีความสัมพันธ์ทางสายเลือดในหมู่บ้านปาอิงเท่านั้น แต่ยังรวมเอาผู้คนจากหมู่บ้าน ใกล้เคียงที่มีส�านึกของ “ความเป็นจ้วง” ให้เข้ามามีส่วนร่วมในการจัดงานเทศกาลกบ อย่างแข็งขัน นอกจากนี้ยังพบว่า ทุนทางสังคมอีก 2 ประเภทคือ บรรทัดฐานและความ ไว้วางใจก็มีบทบาทส�าคัญในการจัดเทศกาลกบจนน�ามาซึ่งความส�าเร็จในการจัดงานและ เครือข่ายทางสังคมที่เข้มแข็ง ค�ำส�ำคัญ: จ้วง เทศกาลกบ ทุนทางสังคม การท่องเที่ยวเชิงวัฒนธรรม Introduction The People’s Republic of China (PRC) — widely known as China — is inhabited by a wide range of ethnic groups. Among the population of diverse ethnic backgrounds, the Han is the predominant group while the Zhuang represents China’s largest ethnic minority. According to the 6th National Population Census of PRC, conducted in 2010, the number of people officially registered as Zhuang was 16,926,381 (China National Bureau of Statistics, 2011). In the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, which is the Zhuang main area of settlement, the population of the Zhuang was 14.21 million in 2000. This number comprises 87.81 percent Vol.14 No.1 January-April 2018 The Use of Social Capital in Organizing the Frog Festival of Baying Village in the Context of Cultural Tourism Development 65 of all people of Zhuang origin in China. In the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, most Zhuang are found in the cities of Nanning, Chongzuo, Baise, Hechi, Liuzhou, Laibin, and Guigang (Government of the People’s Republic of China, 2015). The Hongshui River Basin has been occupied by the Zhuang since ancient times. As the main artery of the area, the Hongshui River has nourished Zhuang communities and shaped their cultural ways for centuries. This ecological context has allowed for the creation of a unique cultivation. Despite the fertile soil in the area, the most important factor affecting agricultural productivity is rain, which has been highly valued over time. Through past experiences, the Zhuang have observed a connection between rain and frogs. That is to say, frogs always make sounds before and after the rain and the Zhuang believe that rainfall is caused by the sound made by frogs. The Zhuang, therefore, have traditionally regarded frogs as supernatural beings that have power over rain and they have invented a ritual of making offerings during dry spells or droughts to the frog god, who could provide them with bountiful rains in return (Qin, 1999). This ritual occupies a special place in Zhuang culture, and it has developed from a small village tradition in the past to a famous community festival today. Most frog worship ceremonies and frog festivals2 are found in districts such as Donglan, Tian’e, Nandan, all of which are situated in the Hongshui River Basin (Liao, 2014a: 3). The frog festival is called by various names in the different localities. While the Zhuang in Bayin village in Donglan District — call it Ya gui [ja6kwe3]3, those in Nadong-a village in Tian’e District — call it Gan gui [kam2kwe3]4, Mo gui [mok7kwe3]5 or Sen gui [cam2kwe3]6 (Liao, 2014a: 3). In Chinese academia, the frog festival is known as Maguai 2 During the festival, the local people not only take part in several frog-related ceremonies, which are organized during the daytime on different days according to the lunar calendar, but they also actively participate in nighttime activities such as singing contests, parades and traditional performances. 3 Ya gui comprises two words: ya and gui. Ya means elderly mother while gui means frog. Thus, Ya gui refers to the daughter of Thunder God, who controls rainfall. 4 Gan gui means to bury a frog. 5 Mo gui also means to bury a frog. 6 Sen gui means to act like a frog. Vol.14 No.1 January-April 2018 66 Journal of Mekong Societies (frogs) or Wapo. This community activity has been passed down from generation to generation. Meanings embedded in the festival, in which a frog-worship ceremony plays a vital role as the central component, have encompassed exclusive ethno-cultural identities. Traditionally and ideally, this annual ceremony — regarded as a large funeral — requires participation of most, if not all, village or community residents. These people collectively perform the ceremony asking the frog god to grant them seasonal rain, growth of crops and productivity (Liao, 2014b: 24). Donglan District, lying in the northwestern region of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is a watershed area of the Hongshui River, which runs through the district in a north-to-south direction. This region has been populated by the Zhuang since former times. The Zhuang represent the major ethnic group whose population accounts for 86.3 percent of all people living in Donglan (Qin, 1999). Apart from being an important area of Zhuang, Donglan is well known for its frog festivals, which are found here more than in any other region. Historical evidence suggests that the frog festivals found in 167 villages in Donglan have been maintained from the distant past to the present (Tan, 2006). Tourism in China has developed in parallel with the history of the country for a long period of time and particularly since the declaration of the economic reforms implementing the Open Door Policy by the Deng Xiaoping government from 1978 onwards. This economic-oriented policy has allowed for China’s rapid economic growth and social development. As a consequence, tourism has become a crucial industry that brings a great deal of income to the country, and, for this reason, it has gained considerable attention from the Chinese government. Initially, local cultures were placed at the margin of state development. However, the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2003, has resulted in a trend to preserve intangible cultural heritage worldwide, and the Chinese government has embraced this trend and emphasized the importance of ICH. The reaction of the Chinese government towards the UNESCO policy on ICH can be exemplified through the declaration of ICH Vol.14 No.1 January-April 2018 The Use of Social Capital in Organizing the Frog Festival of Baying Village in the Context of Cultural Tourism Development 67 conservation policy in 2006. The policy was presented in the “sixteen letter sentence.” “保护为主, 抢救第一, 合理利用, 继承发展” (Baohuweizhu