Leisure and Tourism in the Changing China

Abstract

Recognizing the need of more research on the meanings of leisure and tourism in diverse social and cultural contexts, this paper aims to situate the concepts of leisure and tourism in the specific social, cultural, and historical conditions of mainland China. Drawing insights from existing literature, the paper first discusses the impacts of two indigenous philosophies, Confucianism and Taoism, on Chinese approaches to leisure and travel. It appears that under the influence of Confucianism, leisure is undervalued due to the general orientation toward work, learning, and family in society. Another indigenous philosophy, Taoism, considers leisure'as a state of mind and encourages individuals to cultivate a love for nature and a longing for a peaceful leisure life. As a consequence of the tremendous social and economic transformations the country has undergone in recent years, a new leisure culture appears to be burgeoning in contemporary Chinese society. The leisure culture is grounded in people's everyday life with mixed and complex realities. It involves a dynamic exchanging process between the global and the local, and promises exciting new life experiences with much wider assortments of leisure and recreation opportunities. At the same time however, the society experiences new pressures of the global market economy and global popular culture, and leisure is used to mitigate the negatives effects of lingering anxiety and uncertainty about the radical social transformations. It can be argued that cultural patterns and social structures have greatly influenced the development of Chinese leisure and tourism—how they have been lived, felt, and made sense of by Chinese people.