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)