Evaluating the symbiosis status of tourist towns: The case of Guizhou Province, China

This study examines the symbiosis status of tourist towns by analyzing the dynamism between two subsystems of tourist town development: the town subsystem and the tourism subsystem. Drawing on the Lotka-Volterra model, we first developed a model for evaluating the status of harmonious symbiosis development for tourist towns, and then formulated a set of indicators to measure the key components in the model. An empirical study applying the model was conducted focusing on 18 tourist towns in Guizhou Province, China. Recommendations were proposed for more harmonious development of the tourist towns. This is among the first tourism studies that adopt the symbiosis systems approach and our proposed model provides fresh insights into tourist town development

Water Resources Management Models for Policy Assessment

This book is a compilation of original research articles that apply a variety of techniques to identify and evaluate water resource management policies. These papers cover a wide range of topics and methodologies applied across the world, from a local to a continental scope. They illustrate open challenges in water resource management, such as the quantitative assessment of policy impacts, trade-off analyses, understanding the water–energy–food–environment nexus, collaborative model development, stakeholder engagement, formalizing social interactions, or improving the theoretical understanding of complex adaptive systems. Therefore, this book is a representation of research areas that have emerged from the origins of water resource systems analysis, seeking to improve the way in which water policy is formulated and implemented

Looking for a disappearing voice : place making, place-belongingness, and Naxi language vitality in Lijiang Ancient Town : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

This thesis aims to examine the vitality of Naxi language in Lijiang Ancient Town (LAT) after the town was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997 and has since experienced rapid growth in tourism and significant social, cultural, and economic changes. To do this I explore the visibility of Naxi language in the Linguistic Landscape (LL) of LAT, the intersection between place-making efforts by government agencies and UNESCO and feelings of place-belongingness among the Naxi ethnic community, and perceptions of value towards the Naxi language among a range of stakeholders in the town. The thesis is orientated by epistemological constructivism, and I utilise a case study approach with a mix of qualitative and quantitative data. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were undertaken via the LL data to identify the public visibility of Naxi language within LAT. Thirty-five semi-structured interviews were conducted with a range of actors but predominately with Naxi people in order to explore their feelings, attitudes and relationship to LAT and the Naxi language. Through a series of field site visits, I also collected empirical data from observations within the town to supplement the LL analysis and interview data. Secondary textual analysis on laws and regulations was also employed to understand the place making initiatives and development trajectory of LAT through various governing bodies: China central and local government as well as UNESCO. The findings highlight that there are a number of contradictions and tensions that exist between place-making efforts by government agencies and UNESCO, and feelings of place-belongingness among the Naxi ethnic community. These contradictions and tensions are evident in the dominant tourism economy in the town and the impacts of excessive commercialisation, environmental degradation, out-migration of the Naxi population, marginalisation of the Naxi culture, interrupted social ties and declining language use. The study also reveals how in line with regulatory requirements and the promotion of LAT as a traditional Naxi homeland, the Naxi language is displayed within the LL. However, this is largely a decorative role. While it provides a visual reminder of the Naxi history and culture in LAT, it is a weak demonstration of Naxi identity and unlikely to genuinely contribute to the vitality of Naxi language. Furthermore, the value of the Naxi language and its usage in commerce and daily lives of the Naxi community relies on people’s subjective attitudes and feelings towards the language. These attitudes and feelings within the Naxi community have shifted in recent decades with the pervasion of Han culture and the predominance of Mandarin Chinese. They undermine perceptions of the positive value of the Naxi language and lead to an apathetic attitude to language learning. Place-making efforts by governing bodies and the growth of mass tourism have led to the production of an ‘inauthentic’ representation of Naxi language and culture within LAT and have interrupted the intergenerational transmission of Naxi language contributing to its state of endangerment. Naxi is a Disappearing Voice. Key words: Language vitality, place making, place-belongingness, Linguistic Landscape, Lijiang Ancient Town, World Heritage site, touris

Old Ways for New Days

This Open Access book provides a critical reflection into how indigenous cultures are attempting to adapt to climate change. Through detailed first-hand accounts, the book describes the unique challenges facing indigenous peoples in the context of climate change adaptation, governance, communication strategies, and institutional pressures. The book shows how current climate change terminologies and communication strategies often perpetuate the marginalisation of indigenous peoples and suggests that new approaches that prioritise Indigenous voices, agency and survival are required. The book first introduces readers to Indigenous peoples and their struggles related to climate change, describing the impacts of climate change on their everyday lives and the adaptation strategies currently undertaken to address them. These strategies are then detailed through case studies which focus on how Indigenous knowledge and practices have been used to respond to and cope with climate change in a variety of environments, including urban settings. The book discusses specific governance challenges facing Indigenous peoples, and presents new methods for engagement that will bridge existing communication gaps to ensure Indigenous peoples are central to the implementation of climate change adaptation measures. This book is intended for an audience of Indigenous peoples, adaptation practitioners, academics, students, policy makers and government workers. ; Documents for the first time how some of the world's oldest living indigenous cultures are attempting to adapt to climate change Summarizes key issues facing indigenous peoples in the context of adaptation to climate change impacts Offers critical reflection on specific governance challenges faced by indigenous people

Old Ways for New Days

This Open Access book provides a critical reflection into how indigenous cultures are attempting to adapt to climate change. Through detailed first-hand accounts, the book describes the unique challenges facing indigenous peoples in the context of climate change adaptation, governance, communication strategies, and institutional pressures. The book shows how current climate change terminologies and communication strategies often perpetuate the marginalisation of indigenous peoples and suggests that new approaches that prioritise Indigenous voices, agency and survival are required. The book first introduces readers to Indigenous peoples and their struggles related to climate change, describing the impacts of climate change on their everyday lives and the adaptation strategies currently undertaken to address them. These strategies are then detailed through case studies which focus on how Indigenous knowledge and practices have been used to respond to and cope with climate change in a variety of environments, including urban settings. The book discusses specific governance challenges facing Indigenous peoples, and presents new methods for engagement that will bridge existing communication gaps to ensure Indigenous peoples are central to the implementation of climate change adaptation measures. This book is intended for an audience of Indigenous peoples, adaptation practitioners, academics, students, policy makers and government workers. ; Documents for the first time how some of the world's oldest living indigenous cultures are attempting to adapt to climate change Summarizes key issues facing indigenous peoples in the context of adaptation to climate change impacts Offers critical reflection on specific governance challenges faced by indigenous people

Ford Foundation - 2004 Annual Report

Contains mission statement, president's message, program information, grants list, financial statements, list of board members and staff

A Comparative Study Based on Provincial Performance

This thesis attempts to transfer the spotlight upon the political issue about democratization in China to something else that has not been spared enough attention yet. Here it refers to the transformation of governance mode. The rather rapid industrialization and urbanization in the process of modernization in China does not aggravate the swelling of bureaucratic system to the extent that largely increases financial burden, internal disorder, and inefficiency. The maintenance of a stable and controllable government on both national and local level benefits from the transformation of governance mode from command mode to network mode

Frontier Tibet

Frontier Tibet addresses a historical sequence that sealed the future of the Sino-Tibetan borderlands. It considers how starting in the late nineteenth century imperial formations and emerging nation-states developed competing schemes of integration and debated about where the border between China and Tibet should be. It also ponders the ways in which this border is internalised today, creating within the People's Republic of China a space that retains some characteristics of a historical frontier. The region of eastern Tibet called Kham, the focus of this volume, is a productive lens through which processes of place-making and frontier dynamics can be analysed. Using historical records and ethnography, the authors challenge purely externalist approaches to convey a sense of Kham's own centrality and the agency of the actors involved. They contribute to a history from below that is relevant to the history of China and Tibet, and of comparative value for borderland studies