Exploring the interaction ritual mechanism in red tourism: the case of Longhua martyrs cemetery

Under the framework of microsociology, red tourism can be regarded as a special form of natural ritual. Drawing on the theory of interaction ritual chains, this study employs both online ethnography and field observation to collect primary data, taking the Longhua Martyrs Cemetery as a case site to systematically summarize the interaction ritual mechanism of red tourism. The interaction ritual in red tourism consists of four components: ritual preparation, ritual process, ritual outcomes, and ritual continuation. Ritual preparation provides the objective conditions for tourists to become potential insiders of the interaction ritual. The ritual process involves tourists co-presence with others, sacred objects, and the deceased. Through various forms of gathering, tourists experience short-term emotional sharing. The ritual outcomes constitute the immediate feedback of interaction rituals, including four dimensions: emotional energy, group solidarity, symbols representing the group, and moral sense. Ritual continuation refers to the long-term feedback after the red tourism experience. The entire process of the interaction ritual reflects the continuity of chains of encounters across different temporal and spatial dimensions. From the perspective of natural ritual, this study pays close attention to tourists interactions and cognitive changes throughout the red tourism experience, expands the forms of gathering in the interaction ritual chain, and deepens the understanding of the dynamics of emotional experience in red tourism.