Local perceptions on the impact of tourism development on Bai culture in Dali old town of Dali Bai autonomous prefecture, Yunnan, China

This is a study to explore the perception of local individuals on the impact of tourism development on Bai culture in Dali Old Town that is situated in the Dali Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. The objectives of the research are to 1) analyze government tourism promotion and examine main tourism attractions in Dali, Yunnan, China, 2) discuss the major 'traditional' Bai culture in Dali Old Town, and analyze the impact from recent development of tourism, and 3) investigate attitudes/perceptions of local individuals in the Dali Old Town, towards the above-mentioned impact. The study was conducted by interviewing local people in Dali Old Town in June 2005. 40 persons were interviewed in Dali Old Town in June 2005, half of them of Bai ethnicity, and the other half of Han background (the majority Chinese), with different professions such as manager, government staff, nurse, lawyer, public prosecutor, self-employed, farmer, student, housewife, businessman, worker, teacher etc. Dali is the only Bai autonomous prefecture in China and has over one million Bai inhabitants. Following the national and provincial trend of promoting tourism for economic development, since 1982, tourism in Dali has been emphasized as a dominant economic 'generator' by the government. Apart from its natural and historical attractions, good location and pleasant weather, social heritages and a unique Bai culture, and their customs, knowledge, art, habits, and many other aspects of a life style have also been utilized to promote tourism development. Due to its relatively early development in Dali, tourism has had great positive influence such as a better known image of the Dali region, Bai people and the culture, and economic growth at the macro level. Bai cultural revival and promotion has been encouraged. At the same time negative impacts, such as uneven development and the reconstruction of Bai culture partly in unauthentic ways, also appear alongside the positive. Academic arguments on the influence and impact of tourism development are ambivalent, especially when such discussion is focused on a location with an ethnic minority population. According to much research, tourism usually has positive influence on local economic development but largely negative impacts on ethnic culture and their social identities. Interviews with local people, including some Bai ethnicity, indicate that these have quite positive attitudes regarding tourism development in Dali, and are specifically indifferent to the possible loss of indigenous culture. Such indifference, argued in the thesis, is largely attributed to the individual's inclination towards economic gains. This research suggests that academic research and government policy should adopt a more balanced approach to address gaps between academic and grass roots perceptions.