Learn Chinese online - Excessive tourism spoils historic charm

Opinion / Li Xing

Excessive tourism spoils historic charm
By Li Xing (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-07-27 06:19

Chinese teenagers first learn about Lu Xun through his narrative of the
days he spent in his family garden and his traditional schooling.

In his own evocative way, the great modern Chinese literary master
transports today's teenage bookworms back to his "wonderland," where they
find themselves amongst green vegetables, tall Chinese honey locust trees
and purple-red mulberries.

While listening to the "musical accompaniment" provided by a "chorus" of
crickets, they watch the young Lu Xun pluck knotweed and taste
sweet-and-sour raspberries.

Lu Xun also leads his young readers into the home of his teacher, where
the "upright, honest and knowledgeable" man in town opened a special
school to educate youngsters in the Chinese classics .

While at the school, Lu Xun and his pals sometimes played in the
courtyard, picking plum flowers or looking for cicadas.

These vivid reminiscences have drawn many people to Shaoxing, to see Lu
Xun's "wonderland" home and school.

Lu Xun's old residence, fortunately for local tourist officials, is
located in the heart of the city. Naturally, it has been turned into a
tourist attraction, where travellers have to elbow their way around, and
where they hear some teenage students recite Lu Xun's descriptive prose.

In fact, local officials have drawn up a series of package tours to
attract visitors. According to the local government website, during last
year's May Day "Golden Week" holiday, Lu Xun's old residence attracted
some 5.83 million tourists, earning some 1 million yuan (US$127,000) in
entrance fees alone.

The packaged tours often keep the tourists in Shaoxing for an average of
two days, with connected tours including not only the residence, but also
a few sites in the city's suburbs, such as Donghu Lake, and Lanting Park
(Orchid Pavilion Garden).

Unfortunately, not a few travellers will be disappointed, especially if
they want to go there and muse over how the nature and freedom Lu Xun
enjoyed in his childhood nurtured the great literary master of modern
China, who exposed the ugliness and cruelty of Old China.

The old river town has grown into a bustling modern metropolis with
crisscrossing roads. Only a small section of the river now remains, and
allows only one narrowboat to sail at a time.

Hotels and apartment buildings now tower over the whitewashed walls and
dark eaves of Lu Xun's old residence and the adjacent Lu Xun Museum.

What is worse, the street in front of the residence has become a
peddlers' heaven. On their way to the "Three-Flavour Study," tourists are
forced to listen to salespersons hustling various local produces from
silk garments to rice wine, while eatery-owners peddle local snacks such
as aniseed-flavoured broad beans or stinky fried tofu.

I understand the eagerness with which the local officials have worked to
develop local tourism. However, in their pursuit for more tourist income,
they forget to maintain the quiet charm of historical sites, such as Lu
Xun's old residence.

And excessive number of travellers, plus stir-fries from restaurants
right outside, will only do damage to the old residence.

Let's only hope that the local officials will have second thoughts before
it is too late to sort out the situation and transform their current
tourism management.

Email: lixing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/27/2006 page4)

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