Page 53 - JCAU-7-1

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Tourist perception of calligraphic landscape

representations of destinations and facilitating the and residents’ perceptions and identifications with these
connection between tourists and travel locations. The landscapes (Xiao et al., 2012). Previous investigations have
concept of a tourism landscape has emerged within the comprehensively examined the functions and values of
framework of tourism development, focusing on how calligraphic landscapes from diverse perspectives, thereby
landscapes, activities, and developments are shaped to establishing a robust theoretical foundation for future
cater to tourism objectives while emphasizing the processes studies.
through which landscapes are created (Terkenli, 2021). With the rise of new media, tourists increasingly
In the context of tourism, placemaking encompasses share travelogues, reviews, blogs, and more through
urban design, image construction, and the symbolic online platforms, offering insights into their real
representation of values (Mansilla & Milano, 2022). experiences and needs. Xiaohongshu (literal meaning,
Cultural landscapes are utilized to establish urban cultural “Little Red Book”), a social media platform driven by
spaces that fulfill public demands for culture. Heritage user-generated content (UGC) platform, is widely used
serves as an emblematic symbol of tourist destinations and by young travelers in China and is particularly popular
a significant attraction as a local tourism resource (Lei, among young users (Fan & Zhang, 2022; Qin et al., 2024).
2022). As of November 2021, Xiaohongshu has more than
Chinese calligraphy employs written characters to 200 million monthly active users, including 43 million
convey specific content and, as an art form, embodies information sharers, and 72% of its users were born after
cultural and historical values. Consequently, calligraphy the 1990s. These factors make Xiaohongshu a significant
is regarded as the cornerstone of traditional Chinese consumer decision-making platform for many young
culture due to its profound cultural significance, esthetic users (Fan & Zhang, 2022; Qin et al., 2024). Therefore,
value, and role in shaping social identity (Zhang et al., the selection of Xiaohongshu as a representative social
2008). As a shared cultural heritage, Chinese calligraphy media platform is well-suited for analyzing a sample of
is prevalent across China and other East Asian countries, the young population.
particularly in renowned tourist destinations, historic Specifically, “city check-in” posts on social media
districts, and urban commercial areas. In recognition of combine graphics and text to convey individual perceptions
its importance, UNESCO designated Chinese calligraphy of things, including emotional evaluations and location tags.
as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009 These posts offer diverse perspectives on a city’s imagery
(UNESCO, 2009). and reflect tourists’ views on its culture, economy, history,
In the context of cultural tourism, the cultural elements, and other factors (Fan & Zhang, 2022; Liang & Li, 2020).
landscapes, heritage sites, heritage types, and regional “Check-in” data not only reflects the pure material space
historical lineages associated with calligraphic landscapes but also encapsulates a kind of ideological characterization
constitute key attributes for evaluating tourism appeal of spatial and temporal behavior, integrating elements
(Zhang et al., 2008). As a distinctive emblem of cultural of urban cultural life with non-material attributes. To a
landscapes, calligraphic landscapes play a significant certain extent, the use of “check-in” data from social media
role in representing and conveying specific meanings to helps address the shortcomings of traditional cultural
tourists. Consequently, they are pivotal in shaping tourists’ landscape research, which often focuses on the perceptual
perceptions of landscapes (Tang et al., 2016). By perceiving awareness of material forms while neglecting cultural
and recognizing alterations in calligraphic landscapes, and ideological dimensions. The current study aims to
tourists can form diverse impressions and establish unique extract tourists’ perceptions of the symbolic meanings of
identities for tourist destinations, resulting in distinct calligraphic landscapes using data from online platforms
tourist experiences. through text analysis. By analyzing the connotations of

Extensive research has been conducted on calligraphic calligraphic landscapes, this study seeks to summarize
landscapes as distinctive cultural landscapes with Chinese their symbolic meanings.
characteristics and as significant tourism resources. The feasibility of the methodology has been
These studies encompass various aspects, such as the demonstrated by previous research analyzing tourists’
perceptual characteristics of calligraphic landscapes at perceptions, emotions, and behaviors through user-
tourist attractions (Zhang et al., 2012), tourists’ attitudes generated data (Gursoy et al., 2022; Xu et al., 2023;
toward these landscapes, their perceptions of originality, Zhou et al., 2023). In this article, we aim to extract the
experiences, and constraints (Li et al., 2014; Qi et al., perceived characteristics of calligraphic landscapes among
2013; Zhang et al., 2012), tourists’ perceptual images of specific user groups by analyzing the subjective narrative
calligraphic landscapes (Ke et al., 2010; Yin et al., 2011), perspective of tourists using data from online platforms.

Volume 7 Issue 1 (2025) 2 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.3825