An Exploration of Tourism Activities among Various Ethnic Literati in Southwest China during the Ming and Qing Dynasties: Historical

Perspectives on Forging a Strong Sense of Community for the Chinese Nation

JOURNAL OF ETHNOLOGY， VOL. 15， NO.02， 107-113， 2024 （CN51-1731/C， in Chinese）

DOI：10.3969/j.issn.1674-9391.2024.02.012

Abstract：

Since ancient times， accounts show that the southwestern region of China has been the most abundant area in ethnic diversity， and also the most flourishing area in ethnic minority culture and literature. During the Ming and Qing dynasties， this region witnessed a significant rise in the number of ethnic minority literati， who played a crucial role in shaping the literary landscape of the multi-ethnic communities in this area. Through a review of their literary corpus， this article finds that irrespective of the large number of Hui and Bai intelligentsia or the small number of Naxi and Gelao literati， a substantial portion of their works are poems related to tourism. Moreover， a common thread among these scholars was their experience in traveling， whether living in the countryside or undertaken for purposes of official duties or study. Results also suggest their tourism activities played a positive role in fostering cultural exchange and integration among the diverse ethnicities inhabiting southwestern China during the Ming and Qing eras.At present， the study of ancient literati tourism activities mainly focuses on Han intellectuals during the middle and late Ming dynasty， with comparatively scant attention devoted to ethnic minority literati tourism activities， especially their integrated tourism endeavors. Therefore， taking the integrated tourism activities of multiethnic literati in the southwest of China during the Ming and Qing dynasties as an entry point， this paper attempts to look into the historical dimension of if and how these ancient multiethnic literati contributed to the forging of a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation.

This paper concludes that the frequent engagement of multiethnic literati in tourism undertakings in southwest China during the Ming and Qing periods stemmed from a relatively stable social environment and other subjective and objective conditions that satisfactorily addressed their tourism needs. Research indeed shows that there were various forms of tourism pursuits undertaken by literati during these eras， including academic exchange tours， temple visits， and taking part in traditional festivals. In addition， these tourism pastimes exhibited unique features： First， their tourism routes were linear or planar; second， the tourism mentality of ethnic minority intellectuals was complex and diverse due to their diverse reasons for travel; third， every literatus obtained something from participating in tourism.

In sum， from the previous it can be argued that China，s unified multiethnic state system provided a crucial platform for the literati from diverse ethnic backgrounds to engage in cultural tourism activities in the southwestern region during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Meanwhile， these cultural tourism pursuits held immense social significance and served important cultural functions， exemplifying what Weber termed “meaningful social action.” Such action， moreover， was imbued with corresponding social significance and cultural function： It enriched the spiritual world of "the literati from different ethnic groups， brought them all together， promoted unity among diverse ethnic groups， and conceivably formed a collective consciousness of Chinese national community.

Key Words：

multiethnic literati; integration; tourism activities; the consciousness of Chinese national community