Regional Development and the Reinvention of Local Culture in China: The Case of Tunbao Heritage

在世界上许多地方，人们已经把他们的遗产作为经济发展计划的核心，重点是旅游业。“屯宝”指的是14世纪驻扎在帝国西南边境的30万明朝驻军定居者的后代。在相对孤立的环境中生活了大约6个世纪后，这些村民现在被视为明朝早期文化的“活化石”，尽管如此，村民们自己却把这个矛盾的标签当成了一种文化声望的标志。本研究项目将评估中国西南部贵州省屯宝文化遗产旅游的发展。该项目将评估文化发展战略与地方对这种战略的反应以及在地方规模的旅游发展中对这种战略的结合之间的关系。这项为期两年的合作人类学案例研究将汇集一个多民族、跨学科的研究团队，并将向中国学者和研究生介绍人文地理学的创新理论和方法。该项目特别寻求解决三个一般性问题：(1)如何在区域发展战略中利用当地文化作为资源？(2)区域发展文化战略与地方文化再造的关系是什么？(3)当地人在重塑当地文化的过程中扮演了什么角色？与这种重塑相关的意义是什么？我使用的研究方法包括对地方和省级政府官员的访谈，这些官员在制定区域发展战略、对外贸易和金融联系以及文化发展和保护方面最直接负责；屯包文化再造的当代变迁综合盘点村的调查;延长开放式面试；参与观察村落文化景观、视觉文化实践和表演。该项目将为中国人文地理学的理论研究做出贡献。它将为西方“地方营销”和文化变迁的理念和经验提供一个中国视角，并为中国农村遗产旅游的可持续发展提供一个模式。该项目将整合研究和教育，同时寻求造福整个社会。该项目将帮助培养四名中国研究生，用创新的领域方法和理论方法来理解文化变迁和经济发展。该项目还寻求为中国学者与当地政府官员和旅游业人员之间的对话提供一个基础。

In many parts of the world, people have turned to their heritage as a centerpiece of economic development programs focusing on tourism. "Tunbao" refers to the culture of some 300,000 descendants of Ming Dynasty garrison settlers stationed on the empire's southwestern frontier during the 14th century. Having lived in relative isolation for some six centuries, these villagers are now regarded as "living fossils" of early Ming culture, an ambivalent label that villagers themselves have nevertheless appropriated and turned into a mark of cultural prestige. This research project will evaluate the development of Tunbao-based heritage tourism in southwest China's Guizhou province. The project will assess the relationship between cultural strategies of development and local reactions to and incorporations of such strategies in the local-scale pursuit of tourism development. This two-year collaborative ethnographic case study will bring together a multi-ethnic and interdisciplinary research team, and it will introduces innovative theories and methodologies in human geography to Chinese scholars and graduate students. The project specifically seeks to address three general questions: (1) How is local culture used as a resource in regional development strategies? (2) What is the relationship between cultural strategies of regional development and the reinvention of local culture? (3) What role do locals play in the reinvention of local culture and what meanings are associated with such reinvention? Research methods to me used include interviews with local and provincial government officials at units most directly responsible for formulating regional development strategies, external trade and financial ties, and cultural development and preservation; a comprehensive inventory of contemporary changes in tunbao cultural reinvention; village surveys; extended open-ended interviews; and participant-observation of village cultural landscapes, visual cultural practices, and performances.The project will contribute to broader theoretical work in the human geography of China. It will contribute a Chinese perspective toward western ideas and experiences of "place marketing" and cultural change as well as provide a model for sustainable heritage tourism development in rural China. The project will integrate research and education while seeking to benefit society at large. The project will help train four Chinese graduate students in innovative field methods and theoretical approaches to understanding cultural change and economic development. The project also seeks to provide a basis for a dialogue between Chinese scholars and local government officials and tourism industry personnel.