Ethnic Town Research Articles

Historic conservation in Tibetan region amidst rapid urbanization: a case study of Dukezong Old Town

ABSTRACTRapid economic growth in China has resulted in the revitalization of historic Chinese ethnic towns, impacting their spatial and renowned integrity. This study focuses on Dukezong Old Town (Domkhar Rdzong), a traditional Tibetan settlement in the southernmost Tibetan cultural region, to examine its historical revolutions under modern urban renewal. The study begins by highlighting the historic significance of the “Rdzong” to establish the core essence of Dukezong as a Tibetan traditional Rdzong-Shan settlement. Furthermore, spatial-dynamic analysis was conducted to demonstrate how the urban construction process has contributed to the diminishing presence of “Rdzong.” The findings indicate that urban renewal efforts in Dukezong have accelerated the deterioration of its historic urban form and diminished its original residential function. Drawing from Pre-existing Theory, strategies are proposed that involve preserving Rdzong’s traditional space without physical objects and sustaining Rdzong’s residential function to reinvigorate Dukezong’s distinctive cultural heritage. This study emphasizes the significance of recognizing a region’s historic significance, functions, and urban morphology in revitalizing historic towns inhabited by ethnic minorities. Moreover, it offers valuable insights into the relationship between urban preservation and renewal in other historic towns.

Contending fan engagement strategies in China's translocal economy: The case of Tibetan cyber star Ding Zhen

The Ding Zhen phenomenon saw a young Tibetan herder from Litang County of Sichuan Province gain a spotlight within China’s new-media celebrity industry, introducing a mode of translocal connectedness through a fan economy. The mode of connectedness features social engagement between Ding Zhen’s extra-local fans and a state-owned company in Litang with aims to profit from the influence of this cyber star to develop ethnic tourism, in line with the trend of using technological marketing solutions for poverty alleviation. Interacting with Litang’s media tactic, Ding Zhen’s fan communities on two Super Topics (超话) on Weibo compete to define proper fan behaviour and champion the rights and subject personhood of their idol beyond the limits of his localized identity. At the same time, the company aligns with the state’s stance on fan disciplining as a way of regulating fan friction and activism. The challenges faced by fans within the current media climate as they attempt to uphold fan subculture, as well as those faced by a highland ethnic town grappling with the complexities of unbalanced spatial development, serve as the underlying factors driving translocal cooperation and conflicts. In their intertwined situations, both extra-local fans and the local community seek empowerment, navigating their tensions towards a dynamic of accommodation.

“Virtual Ethnic Town Hall”: WeChat and Suburban Chinese Migrants’ Multidirectional Activism

Abstract The so-called rise of the Chinese American right, particularly suburban migrants from mainland China who have become vocal in local and national politics, has gained both public and scholarly attention in recent years. This article focuses on a suburban Chinese community in Greater Boston and examines its 2017 and 2018 debates on WeChat (the most popular social media platform among ethnic Chinese) concerning the controversial Asian American data disaggregation bill H.3361. Along with in-depth interviews with community members and activists, these WeChat discussions show four different and subtle positions on the bill, revealing that suburban Chinese migrants are not a monolithic group and those opposing the bill are not always conservatives. Although some observers describe WeChat as the “virtual Chinatown,” this article argues that it has been a “virtual ethnic town hall” where migrants can debate community issues, understand American society, and practice democracy. This article also provides a much-needed analysis of the sending country's impacts on migrants’ views of race, class, mobility, and sovereignty. It ends with migrants’ responses to more recent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing China-bashing and anti-Asian hate (including the proposed WeChat ban), highlighting the community's vociferousness and resilience in defending its rights and redefining its identity at a historical crossroads.

Research on Catalyst Effect of Home-stay Industry from the Perspective of Rural Revitalization

The proposal of rural revitalization strategy will lead the construction of ethnic townships to a higher quality and efficient path. Western Sichuan ethnic areas are rich in tourism resources, and tourism has gradually become its pillar industry. As its branch, the home industry is a practical path to drive villagers to achieve common prosperity, a powerful starting point to promote rural revitalization, and a catalyst carrier to promote the economic activation of ethnic towns and villages. In this paper, the applicability of catalyst theory in China's minority towns and villages is taken as the entry point, and the homestay industry in Xinduqiao Town is taken as the catalyst carrier. Through literature research, case analysis and field research, this paper explores the generation of catalyst effect and the influence of catalyst elements in the homestay industry, and puts forward suggestions for innovative development.

Spatial-temporal trade-offs of land multi-functionality and function zoning at finer township scale in the middle reaches of the Heihe River

Trade-off occurs when two or more land use functions compete with each other, and high degree of trade-off tends to impede the maximization of land resource utility. Identifying the pattern of trade-offs among multiple land functions is an essential way to achieve sustainable land management. However, effective governance depends heavily on the trade-off information at finer scales which is difficult to acquire due to the challenges in collecting social and economic data at these scales. To overcome this limitation, we developed a framework to reveal the spatio-temporal pattern of land multi-functionality in the middle reaches of the Heihe River in 2006 and 2016 at the township scale by assimilating datasets from multiple sources especially including remote sensing and Internet-based geospatial data. Then we examined the trade-offs and synergy among different land functions by correlation analysis and bivariate spatial autocorrelation analysis. Finally, we conducted land function zoning analysis using the k-means clustering method to get different zones for the purpose of land management. The results showed that land multi-functionality in the middle reaches of the Heihe River showed highly temporal and spatial variations, which was characterized by the strongest economic and social functions around town centers, the strongest environmental functions at the mountainous areas, and the prominent social functions in the ethnic towns. The quantified value of land multi-functionality increased rapidly by 35.0% from 2006 to 2016 with economic, social and environmental function increasing by 61.4%, 47.8% and 6.4% respectively. The trade-offs and synergies among land functions were complex. The synergy between economic function and social function was at a high level and stable, while the trade-off between environmental function and economic function was high but slightly weakened. We identified three hotspots of trade-offs and synergies among multiple land functions, which corresponded to low-intensity development, high-intensity development, and restrictive development for restoration and protection. Based on the trade-offs and synergies among land functions, we classified the study area into four zones, which were useful for land management. Our research highlights the use of Internet-based geospatial and remote sensing data to get fine-scale information about land multi-functionality, and provides scientific guidelines for sustainable land use.

An Integrated Development Model of TIE for Ethnic Towns in China: The Case of Pengshui

Ethnic towns in China are always special and important. Their rich natural and cultural resources and relatively poor conditions make their development different. This research constructs an integrated development model of town-industry-education (TIE) for ethnic towns in China. The case of Pengshui is presented to illustrate the details of this model. Chiyou Jiuli town, ethnic tourism industry, and Chongqing Vocational Institute of Tourism formed an integration of TIE in their development. Some closely related elements form the basis of their integration and some similar driving forces motivate the formation of their integration. Through the operating platform of Jiuli Ordered Class, their integration could benefit all the participants and contribute to local economic and social development. This model helps to make use of local resources and improve local development levels. Considering the rapid development of society, further studies are needed to apply this model to more regions and include various institutions.

에스닉타운의 관광적 재현에 관한 현상학적 연구

Ethnic towns, geographic areas with a high ethnic concentration, serve as tourist attractions because they include unique landscapes, ethnic food, and interesting products. At the same time, a variety of scholarly attention to ethnic townshas been paid because ethnic towns are excellent places where hybridization of multiple cultures is routinely observed. Therefore, employing the concept of tourism representation, the current study examined Incheon Chinatown, the biggest ethnic town of South Korea. From the perspective of phenomenology, 18 merchants who owned shops or worked in Incheon Chinatown were interviewed with a focus on how Chinese cultural identity was being represented by the merchants to attract tourists. The results are as follows. First, the merchants tended to use objective evidence that showed the close relationship between their products and China. Second, to intentionally construct an exotic environment, the merchants tended to emphasize cultural differences through their tourism representation of Chinese cultural identity. Third, the merchants’ tourism representation of Chinese cultural identity tended to reflect the uniqueness and contemporary reality of Incheon Chinatown, not the real China. Based on the results, theoretical, practical, and policy implications are provided.

에스닉타운의 관광자원화를 위한 국외 사례연구

에스닉타운의 관광자원화를 위한 국외 사례연구

Increasing the Value of a Shopping Street in an Ethnic Town:

Increasing the Value of a Shopping Street in an Ethnic Town:

Ethnic Towns as Tourism Resources : Concepts and Implications

국내거주 외국인의 급격한 증가로 인해 대도시들을 중심으로 에스닉타운(외국인밀집지역)이 빠르게 늘어나고 있다. 동일한 민족 또는 국가 등 유사한 문화적 배경을 가진 이주민들이 집적해있는 자생적 커뮤니티 공간으로 정의할 수 있는 에스닉타운은 이주민들의 생활공간일 뿐만 아니라 각 문화의 독특한 매력을 보여주는 이국적인 공간으로서 도시의 다문화적 가치를 높이고 있다. 에스닉타운의 역사가 길지 않은 국내와는 달리 서구에서는 에스닉타운은 각 도시를 대표하는 관광매력물로 인정받고 있으며 학술적으로도 많은 논의가 이루어지고 있다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 에스닉타운의 개념과 국내 에스닉타운의 현황에 대해 살펴보고 서구에서 이루어진 에스닉타운 관련 선행연구들을 분석하고자 하였다. 특히 에스닉타운을 관광연구의 관점에서 접근하기 위해 필요한 대표적인 이론적 틀로서 진정성이론, Urry의 시선이론, Relph의 장소이론, 관광재현 등을 제시하고 각각의 이론적 틀 안에서 에스닉타운이 어떻게 이해될 수 있는지를 논의하고자 하였다. 이론적 논의를 바탕으로 본 연구에서는 관광자원으로서 에스닉타운은 매력적인 관광공간, 쾌적한 여가공간, 편안한 일상공간으로서 학술적, 정책적으로 이해되는 것이 필요하다고 제안한다.

The Value of Ethnic Towns and Their Possibilities as a New Identity of Culture Platforms - A Study on Ikuno Koreatown in Osaka

본 연구는 도시의 문화자원으로써 에스닉타운의 문화적 특성이 어떠한 형태를 지향하고 모색되어야 하는지에 대한 논의를 ‘문화플랫폼’의 개념으로 전개하였다. 에스닉타운은 이주자가 밀집하는 폐쇄적이고 고립적인 공간이 아니라, ‘내부적 문화 다양성’이 구체화되는 공간이다. 문화적 혼종이 새로운 지역의 정체성으로 부각될 수밖에 없는 오늘날 에스닉타운은 이주민과 정주민이 함께 공생하기 위한 새로운 가치와 전략을 필요로 한다. 즉, 해당 지역의 다양하고 복합적인 특성에 걸 맞는 접근과 이해의 틀과 시스템이 필요하다. 이러한 의미에서 ‘지속적으로 다양한 문화수용을 통하여 풍성한 문화적 토대를 형성하는 장SUP場/SUP인 동시에 문화 간 상호교류를 통한 문화의 화학반응으로 새로운 가치관과 문화를 창조하는 장SUP場/SUP’이라는 문화플랫폼의 개념은 에스닉타운의 공간 개발은 물론 에스닉타운 공간의 가치를 발견하고 에스닉타운에 대한 새로운 의미부여와 재구성 등 다변화되는 현대사회에 적합한 개념이라 할 수 있다. 에스닉타운의 문화플랫폼화는 물적, 인적, 관습적, 인식적 차이와 경계를 가로지르는 개방적인 토대 위에서 에스닉타운이 가진 지역의 매력을 발견하고 개발할 수 있는 새로운 시스템으로서 그 기능과 역할을 수행할 수 있을 것이다. 따라서 문화플랫폼은 에스닉타운이 도시의 문화자원으로 나아가 창조도시의 한 구성요소로 작동하게 하는 하나의 모델로서 유효한 의미를 지닌다고 할 수 있다.

「『凝集する』エスニック・タウン」と「『拡散・埋没する』エスニック・タウン」：在日ブラジル人の事例にみるエスニック・タウンの成立・発展の地域的差異

「『凝集する』エスニック・タウン」と「『拡散・埋没する』エスニック・タウン」：在日ブラジル人の事例にみるエスニック・タウンの成立・発展の地域的差異

エスニシティを再生産する場所―エスニック・タウン―

エスニシティを再生産する場所―エスニック・タウン―

The Variations of Spatial and Socioeconomic Formation in an Ethnic Town

The Variations of Spatial and Socioeconomic Formation in an Ethnic Town

エスニック·タウンの生成·発展モデルと米国日本人街における検証

エスニック·タウンの生成·発展モデルと米国日本人街における検証

Recent Changes in Business and Areal Differentiation in the International District, Seattle, Washington

This paper is an attempt to examine the recent changes in businesses in the International District (ID), a complex Asian ethnic enclave in Seattle, Washington, and to consider the characteristics and trends of this area focusing on its internal areal differentiation.According to our field surveys of the ID at four different times (Aug., 1991; July, 1997; Sept., 2001; Aug., 2003), the following tendencies of ethnic business can be pointed out; 1) Chinese businesses have had full variety of businesses both in the retail and service sectors which have been mainly located in the historical core area of the ID and their number has been increasing through the survey period. 2) The number of Japanese businesses has been decreasing, but a small cluster of those has remained within the core area of the former Japantown. 3) There has been a striking growth of Vietnamese businesses in the northeast corner of the ID and this area had developed into a sizable ethnic business cluster by 2001.It is noteworthy that we can see three different areas within the ID, each of which has a particular different developmental stage of ethnic town. The Chinatown is now considered to be an ethnic business town operating as an economic and cultural focus for a spatially dispersed ethnic community, the present Japantown can be seen as a residual core of the former large ethnic town, and the Vietnam Town has been developed from the early stage to the more mature stage of an ethnic town through the survey period. However, it should be also noted that a large new business space has been created in the southwest fringe of the ID by a non-community-based redevelopment project.

Settlement Processes of the Japanese and the Changing Structure of Their Ethnic Territory in Seattle

In the studies on ethnic immigrant groups in urban areas, the patterns of ethnic residential segregation have been central to geographical concerns, and many other important aspects such as the dynamic formation processes of ethnic territories and their changing structures relating to development of ethnic businesses and social organizations have tended to be overlooked by geographers. This paper is an attempt to understand the settlement processes of an ethnic group and the changing structure of its ethnic territory in an urban area, taking the example of Japanese immigrants and their descendants in Seattle, a city on the West Coast of the United States.In this paper, three aspects of the spatial processes of the ethnic group are considered: 1) population distribution, 2) spatial development of ethnic businesses, and 3) ethnic organizations and their facilities. To describe these changing aspects, the development history of the Seattle Japanese can be divided into five major stages; I (-1907), II (1907-1930), III (1930-1942), IV (1945-1955), and V (1955-).The main information for this study is based on the documents which the author collected during his research visits to Seattle from 1989 to 1993. From among many items, the Japanese-American directories of the years of 1916, 1928, 1936, 1949, 1967, 1973, 1983, and 1991 were examined to analyze the changing composition and distributional patterns of Japanese-owned or -managed businesses as well as their ethnic organizations and institutions. As for the changing population distribution of the Japanese, several existing studies by Miyamoto, Schmid et al., Leonetti, and Abe were helpful.In the first stage (-1907), the Japanese in Seattle, most of whom were young or middle aged single male labor migrants, lived mainly in the so-called‘skid road’area, the south fringe of downtown. A small number of pioneering business people ran restaurants, grocery stores, or hotels, mainly for local white laborers in the same area. However, few community facilities had been established by the end of this period and Japanese society had remained as a labor migrant society rather than changing to an ethnic community.In the second stage (1907-1930), the Japanese community in Seattle changed its character gradually over time with marriage and the coming of children as well as the establishment of social leadership and organizations, and became a true local ethnic community. Most of the Japanese in this period lived in a limited area on the south-west slope of the First Hill, and their community facilities such as churches, schools, and headquarters of various political, social, or economic organizations were located within this area. By the relatively early years of this stage, the Japanese began to run various kinds of businesses such as hotels, restaurants, groceries, barbershops, bathhouses, etc., and these commercial and business facilities were mainly concentrated in a small area of the western part of their residential core area. In this stage, a typical ethnic town of Japanese, the so-called Nihonjin-machi, or Japantown, appeared through the concentrations of their residences, business facilities, and social facilities into a small limited area in the urban region.In the third stage (1930-1942), new arrivals of Japanese immigrants ceased practically under the so-called Anti-Japanese Immigration Act which was passed in 1924, and the Japanese community suffered from the hostile atmosphere against Japanese of the host society. However, the proportion of the second-generation Japanese who were born in the United States was increasing rapidly and Japanese society reached a new mature stage owing to that generation growing up. The residential distribution of Japanese had generally retained the cluster pattern which was formed in the former stage, but some changes took place

A Study on Chinese Way of Life in Yokohama's Chinatown

There are approximately 2, 000 Chinese people living in Yokohama's Chinatown, including those who are naturalized Japanese citizens. The Chinatown was estabished in a foreign settlement in Yokohama after the port was opened in 1859 (Fig. 3). An earthquake which occurred in the Kanto Province in 1923 and the war damage in 1945 destroyed the Chinatown completely. However, the Chinese settlers recovered from these disasters, and reconstructed their Chinatown quickly. The tourism for the Chinatown was being promoted rapidly around 1970, and that made the Chinatown one of the most important tourists' attractions in Yokohama.The aim of this thesis is to show how the Chinese people in Japan have adapted themselves to Japanese society. In order to attain this goal, I analyzed Yokohama's Chinatown, the biggest Chinatown in Japan, from economic, social, and cultural points of view.The Chinese settlers launched into business fields in which competition with the Japanese was not so severe. Before World War II, they were distinguished in the Santogyo: Chinese restaurant business, hair-dressing business, and tailoring business. They made the best use of their traditional skills in their professions (Fig. 6). Right after World War II, the Chinatown became a street market. Some Chinese made fortunes under the special circumstances of being a victorious nation's citizens, whereas the Japanese were defeated nation's citizens. After the Korean War, the number of bars and restaurants owned by Chinese people increased in the Chinatown. These days, however, shops which sell Chinese products, folkcrafts, and confectioneries are increasing with the development of tourism. As of 1976, there are 199 Chinese owned shops in Yokohama's Chinatown, and 95 of them are Chinese restaurants (Table 3. Fig. 7). The Chinese settlers made a great use of their cultural backgrounds by making an under commercialized ethnic town in Yokohama. This is one of the most distinctive forms of their accommodation to Japanese society.In the society of a Chinatown, relationships among blood relatives and people who had had the same geographical background were maintained closely, in order to help each other overcome disadvantages in a foreign society. Yokohama's Chinatown has consisted of people mostly from Canton province (Fig. 9). Although there are still various organizations of people who are from the same province or who have the same professions, the degree of their dependence on these organizations is decreasing.Yokohama's Chinatown was a base of Chinese immigration and dispersion to the various areas after entering Japan until World War II. Therefore, the place was then predominated by Chinese culture and its traditions. However, due to the end of new immigration after World War II and an increase of their Japanese-born offsprings their traditional culture has suffered a great change. An example is language, where Japanese is more commonly spoken than Chinese in a Chinese family. The Chinese culture and traditions are being reduced to a shell in the Chinatown, whereas the place looks more and more exotic outwardly because of tourism.