Local in tourist industries : taking Taizhou as a case study

Abstract

Local community is often seen as an important part in the practice of tourism. Previous research on tourism usually regards local residents as impact receivers, who are subordinated in tourist industries. However, with the new trend of tourism today in which local people are taking an increasingly crucial part in not only interacting with tourists from elsewhere, but also making use of their own heritage in their current life, there sees a necessity of studying local residents as users in local tourism. Based in Taizhou which is a third-tier city in the Yangtze River Delta, this research uses anthropological method including participant observation and in-depth interviews to investigate local people’s consumption of ‘zaocha’ which is a local traditional foodway at a tourist site Laojie. By applying Boym’s (2001) theory of reflective nostalgia, this thesis aims to examine how the local people make sense of their nostalgic experience of ‘zaocha’ at Laojie to the modern scenarios of China and their current life. Firstly, the background of Taizhou and its key social changes since the Foundation of People’s Republic of China are given. Secondly, this thesis explains the significance of ‘zaocha’ at Laojie for the local community. Last but not least, the author tries to examine how the local residents made use of their cultural heritage ‘zaocha’ in their life. This thesis finds that Taizhou residents not merely see ‘zaocha’ at ‘Laojie’ as a restorative nostalgia built by the government, they consume it in a reflective way and make sense of it in their present situation. This research takes an initial step in studying local community as users of tourist resources and aims to inspire further research in exploring local’s role in tourism.