Page 82 - JCAU-7-3

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Anthropological observation of Lizhuang

suggest that protecting and shaping local distinctiveness The Moonfield scenic area underwent intensive
in historical towns plays a crucial role in fostering place development in 2020. This recently developed commercial
attachment among tourists. Hu & Bai (2015) analyzed the scenic area features several newly constructed attractions,
dimensions of place identity among tourists in Barkhor such as the Lizhuang Cultural Anti-War Museum.
Street, Lhasa, China, identifying perceptual space, living Lizhuang was selected as the research site for two
space, and subjective space as its core components. Sun & main reasons. First, as a historical town in the early stages
Zhou (2015) explored the heritage site of Kaiping Diaolou of tourism development, its transformation remains
in Jiangmen, Guangdong, China, and discovered that place ongoing. Unlike in more mature tourist destinations, the
identity manifests differently across local, national, and voices of local residents have not yet been overshadowed
cross-regional spaces, emerging through interactions and by promotional narratives from tourists and government
integrations among multiple subjects. agencies. This allows for a more authentic observation of
In addition, scholars have explored the role of local perspectives during its transition from a rural area
relocalization in historical town tourism. Research on to a tourist town. Second, despite ongoing development,
Lijiang historical town’s Yishang Community indicates Lizhuang is not yet one of China’s major historical town
that slow tourism development fosters a complex interplay tourist destinations, making it an ideal setting to observe
between relocalization and delocalization within the the dynamic negotiations and communication between
cultural landscape. Relocalization of ethnic culture is local residents and official institutions throughout the
reflected in architecture, clothing, and ethnic identity, tourism development process. In addition, Lizhuang’s
whereas delocalization is manifested in the loss of ethnic proximity to the author’s hometown enhances research
languages. Conversely, in the Xinhua Community of feasibility. The author’s familiarity with the local dialect
Lijiang historical town, rapid tourism development has and existing family connections provide high accessibility,
been a major driving force behind the delocalization of facilitating both the fieldwork period and potential
ethnic culture (Sun, 2015). This process is characterized follow-up visits.
by excessive commercialization and the loss of cultural 2.2. Research data collection and analysis methods
heritage due to resident relocation. Furthermore, tourism
shops and similar establishments exhibit characteristics This study utilizes virtual ethnography, with the virtual
of relocalization in their architectural exteriors, while environment as the primary research context. Data were
their internal structures reflect delocalization through collected from internet platforms and interactive tools to
increasing homogenization and loss of cultural explore social and cultural phenomena online (Caliandro,
authenticity. 2018). Over 8,700 posts about “Lizhuang historical town”
were identified on Xiaohongshu (小红书; a Chinese social
2. Methods media platform), along with numerous vlogs on Weibo

2.1. Research site (微博; a Chinese microblogging platform). The textual
and visual content from these platforms provided a rich
Lizhuang historical town is situated on the southern bank dataset for analyzing tourist evaluations and impressions
of the Yangzi river, approximately 19 km east of Yibin City, (Table 1). Based on this analysis of travel posts, specific
Sichuan, China. It was established in the 6 year of the interview questions were developed (Table 2).
th
Datong era (535 – 546) during the Southern Liang dynasty
In-depth interviews were conducted with selected
(502 – 557). During China’s War of Resistance against Japan participants through recommendations from the key
(1937 – 1945), Lizhuang became a hub for various research informant GW10 and the author’s social network.
and academic institutions, including Tongji University, the
Academia Sinica, and The Society for Research in Chinese Participants were sourced from offline fieldwork in
Lizhuang (e.g., LZ11, LZ13) and referrals from GW10, a
Architecture (Feng et al., 2023).
staff member of the Lizhuang Historical Town Scenic Area
The core area of Lizhuang and the Moonfield (月亮田; Management Committee. Due to similar ages, GW10 and
Yueliangtian) scenic area are delineated by Tongji Avenue, the author share a prior acquaintance, which facilitated
which marks the entrance of the scenic area (Figure 1). The the research process. In addition to formal interviews,
core area comprises the historic town of Lizhuang, which GW10 also participated in fieldwork activities in Lizhuang,
retains several historical alleys paved with bluestone and sharing stories about her interactions with local people and
well-preserved temples, such as Xizi Lane and The Hall of events. These interactions often led to the identification
Patriarch (祖师殿; Zushidian). These structures form the of potential interviewees (e.g., LZ01, LZ06). In addition,
cultural foundation and heritage of Lizhuang. participants were recruited through online engagement

Volume 7 Issue 3 (2025) 3 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.4876