Page 89 - JCAU-7-3

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Anthropological observation of Lizhuang

diminishes Lizhuang’s local significance and its emotional “The Moonfield side has been newly renovated –
connection with local residents. Without critical reflection do not you think it’s too commercialized? Tourists
on the long-term consequences of imitating Wuzhen’s who want to understand the culture of Lizhuang
architectural style, Lizhuang’s historical and cultural need to visit the core area because that’s where all
symbols may gradually fade – or disappear entirely. the historical alleys are.” (LZ02)
4.2. Inauthentic attitudes The inauthenticity attitude is essentially an expression
of placelessness – marked by a lack of concern for the
The placelessness of the Moonfield scenic area, deep symbolic meanings of place and an inability to
characterized by a combination of generic and imitative appreciate its unique identity. In the Moonfield scenic
landscapes, stems from several factors: advancement in area, visitors engage in the consumption of visually
information technology, increased mobility in tourism, appealing but culturally shallow commodities. As Urry
and the spread of imitation across the entire historical (1995) argues, tourism is fundamentally a process
town’s tourism sector. However, what demands great of consuming places. Destinations attract tourists
scrutiny is the underlying attitude behind placelessness precisely because of their unique cultural meanings,
– an inauthentic perspective that seeks to treat people which distinguish them from other locations; thus, the
and places equally and uniformly, disregarding their meaning of place is an important part of what travelers
distinctiveness. This inauthentic attitude is particularly seek to experience.
evident in the construction of the Moonfield scenic area.
However, the Moonfield scenic area’s neglect of place
“As tourists, the Moonfield scenic area doesn’t feel significance risks creating a dislocation in the way tourists
right. It does not match our childhood memories consume local culture, ultimately triggering irreversible
of Lizhuang. The buildings resemble Jiangnan cultural degradation. For example, the Moonfield scenic
towns in Zhejiang, but Lizhuang is by the Yangzi area features a photography studio renting historical
river, not like those water towns.” (YK14) Chinese costumes, a type of business commonly found
As Relph (1976) argues, the places we build and in other historical towns across China. This mass-
experience often lack depth, shaped by simplistic causality. produced commercial esthetic, designed for wide-scale
Qian (2013) further explains that place-making is largely consumption, not only shapes the mode of cultural
driven by capital accumulation and the cyclical nature production but also reinforces cultural homogenization,
of investment. Maximizing economic benefits through exacerbating the uniformity of tourist stores in China’s
the commodification of locality is the primary objective historical towns. The construction of the Moon Field
of capital intervention in place-making practices. This scenic area also reflects another inauthentic attitude –
rationale may explain why Lizhuang’s Moonfield scenic kitsch. In this context, superficial and trivialized aspects
area adopted a “Wuzhen-style” model – simply because of place are magnified, while genuinely meaningful
the economic success of Wuzhen’s tourism made it an cultural elements are overlooked. The Committee
attractive template. demonstrated a kitschy attitude by deliberately excluding
the “Three White” – a distinctive cultural representation
The landscape of the Moonfield scenic area is the of Lizhuang – from the Moonfield scenic area, instead
product of corporate-driven commercialization. While introducing commercial businesses in an unorganized
the Committee has attempted to regulate the esthetic manner.
consistency of stores and the broader scenic environment, “As a management committee, we do not want to
commercial gain remains the dominant priority in tourism bring the traditional “Three White” stores to the
development, overriding local cultural significance.
Moonfield scenic area. We hope that Moonfield
“The main goal of Moonfield scenic area is will position itself as an upscale destination.”
to provide a venue for tourism consumption, (GW08)
mainly for profit. I have to admit, what is worth Tourism, more than any other industry, serves as a
learning from Wuzhen is its mature commercial prime expression of inauthentic attitudes toward place.
development and profitability.” (GW09)
In the tourism sector, perceptions of authenticity are
From the perspective of placelessness, local residents often influenced by broader societal narratives rather
of Lizhuang often describe the Moonfield scenic area with than genuine cultural connections. The marketing
negative expressions such as “heavily commercialized.” By materials for the Moonfield scenic area frequently
doing so, they assert the depth of their own sense of place borrow descriptions from other historical towns, using
in contrast to the superficiality of the Moonfield scenic area. phrases such as “Jiangnan Water Town” – a misleading

Volume 7 Issue 3 (2025) 10 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.4876