Page 54 - JCAU-7-1

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Tourist perception of calligraphic landscape

In addition, the study seeks to summarize the symbolic with urban spaces (Fu et al., 2020; Tong & Tang, 2013).
meanings of calligraphic landscapes by analyzing their Therefore, cultural landscapes often become material
connotations. carriers that constructs and perpetuate place meanings
and identities, serving not only as landscapes with local
2. Calligraphic landscape symbolic significance but also as bearers of community
Zhang (2003) has defined the calligraphic landscape memories and emotions (Sun & Zhou, 2015).
as a portion of geographic space with certain visual In the context of tourism, visitors perceive heritage
characteristics and a particular sense of place, shaped by symbols (such as architecture, text, and customs) through
an assembly of calligraphic works that serve as landscape their external forms and physical carriers, facilitating
elements. interaction with cultural heritage sites (El-Sharif, 2023;
Zou et al., 2023). The meaning of tourism landscapes
2.1. Perception of calligraphic landscapes
is perceived, represented, and narrated within diverse
Calligraphic landscapes are part of geographical space. discursive frameworks. Tourists interpret various tourist
The perception of calligraphic landscapes can be divided attractions by referencing different symbolic spaces, such
into six dimensions based on public geographical as artistic, national, and religious contexts (Edensor,
perception: time perception, geographical environment, 2008; Ku, 2011). Perceiving the symbolic meaning
calligraphic characteristics, forms of calligraphic of cultural heritage involves mentally constructing
carriers, value, and psychology (Zhang et al., 2012). From an understanding of structures, entities, and spatial
a functional perspective, calligraphic landscapes can relationships. It is essential to consider tourists’ subjective
be categorized into economic benefits, environmental experiences within the objective environment and to
esthetics, place identification, landscape authenticity, integrate cultural significance, historical memory, and
and behavioral orientation (Xiao et al., 2012). current value of cultural landscapes in a comprehensive
Calligraphic landscapes positively influence tourism by evaluation. As representatives of cultural landscapes,
shaping intentions through esthetic experiences, place calligraphic landscapes embody the relationship between
identity, and behavioral orientation (Yin et al., 2011). tourists’ understanding, perception, and appreciation of
As a tourism symbol, calligraphic landscapes exert calligraphy culture and the impact of these activities on
symbolic effects on tourists at three levels: calligraphy the landscape.
appreciation, cultural symbolism, and esthetic guidance.
These symbolic effects correspond to behavioral effects 2.3. User-generated content and cultural tourism
at three levels: external behavior, cultural environment perception
perception, and landscape esthetics (Tang et al., 2016). User-generated content refers to media created by the
Under the influence of symbolic effects, tourists develop public, primarily distributed through the Internet (Xu
a sense of place within calligraphic landscapes. The et al., 2023). Social media has transformed travelers from
typological diversity, as well as the historical, cultural, passive information recipients to active content creators,
and artistic value of calligraphic landscape heritage, are fostering communication, interaction, and relationship-
key to addressing the lack of cultural functions of the building with destinations, tourism managers, and fellow
landscape (Yan & Zhang, 2019). travelers (Choe et al., 2017; Sigala & Gretzel, 2017).

2.2. Symbolic meaning of cultural landscapes Researchers recognize UGC platforms as crucial for
defining and exploring tourism experiences and heritage
A landscape is not just a physical space; it also reflects perceptions (Gursoy et al., 2022). Analyzing tourists’ social
people’s ideologies and serves as a meaningful experience
for individuals (Li, 2013). In cultural geography, values media posts is key to understanding and exploring these
and their associated symbolic meanings are central to experiences. Previous studies have used UGC to investigate
the cultural connotations of landscapes, and interpreting heritage tourism experiences, heritage spatial perceptions,
these meanings requires the use of symbols (Jones, 2003; destination images (Lee & Park, 2023; Xu et al., 2023),
Wu & Dai, 2023). Both tangible cultural landscapes (e.g., and symbolic representations of tourism imagery (Cai &
memorials, historical residences, historic streets, museums, Song, 2019).
old factories, historical temples, historic hotels, specialty Text analysis methods for UGC usually include
shops) and intangible cultural elements (e.g., place names, multi-word frequency analysis, sentiment analysis, topic
festivals, music, cuisine, folk crafts, calligraphy, literature), modeling, social network analysis, and semantic network
are rich in symbolism. These symbolic landscapes analysis. Text clustering and network visualization enhance
significantly contribute to the diverse meanings associated the intuitive interpretation of the data.

Volume 7 Issue 1 (2025) 3 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.3825