A Study On The Change And Mechanism Of Zhouzhuang Residential Social Space Under The Background Of Tourism Development

There are lots of distinctive ancient towns retained on the land in our country, their characteristic of "recovering original simplicity" meets the inner demands of tourists from the city, and becomes a type of tourism destination that are attracted by large numbers of tourists. Tourism is a complicated social phenomenon involving economic, social cultural and environment on tourism destination. Tourism promotes the huge social development to the ancient town, attracts more and more people to visit, live and work, but at the same time, it has to face many problems, such as urbanization, stagelization, commercialization and modernization. The evolution of residential space shows a more complex pattern, and the social space is becoming more and more fragmented. Social and cultural impact of tourism studies since the 1970 s, has achieved great development, but it can not be ignored that under the background of tourism, the mechanism of evolution of social space on tourism destination is still insufficient.This study selects Zhouzhuang a representative Jiangnan water town as a case, using the research and analysis of human geography, sociology, anthropology, analyses the residential social space of the regional that deeply influenced by the tourism in Zhouzhuang--ancient town region. Based on this, this study firstly reviews and combs the related studies at home and abroad. In the research of the process of residential social space, many studies using the tangible material changes of the residential space as the axis, restore the evolution process. Many studies analysis the current feature of the residential social space from spacial attribute and social attribute of residents, and then integrate the two dimensions, construct the structural model of residential social space. Lastly, many studies deeply analysis the dynamic mechanism of the evolution of residential social space from multi-level and multi-agent.The basic conclusions of this research:(1) Under the background of tourism development, the evolution process of Zhouzhuang residential social space is divided into three stages: relative stationary phrase for 1986-1995, stable contagion phrase for 1995-2005 and rapid development phrase for 2006-2014. From 1986 to 1995, the local social structure is not complicated, the social space is basically a continuation of the previous stage of tourism development. New construction leads to appearing more residential agglomeration that distinguished by employment units, local residents are still the subject occupying the space, and have strong homogeneity. At the end of 1995 to 2005, the local social structure becomes diversely, foreign tourism practitioners increase gradually, it stimulates the Commercial reform of residential space and the demand for housing, the good living conditions makes wealthy residents moving out. The flows of the outer and inner the region is very frequent and the heterogeneous characteristic of local demographic structure is gradually strengthened. After 2006, with the upgrade of new types of residential communities and tourism commerce, Zhouzhuang’s social composition has become more complex, appears tourism migrants with non-economic purposes. Tourists with the stretch of staying time also put forward more requirements for housing. The residential social space presents a heterogeneous state with mixed living in the whole.(2) The characteristics of residential social space in Zhouzhuang: The modern residence spreads from internal to external of ancient township and contracts with traditional dwellings. The residential space along the streets in the historic township has transformed largely. Some of the native residents emigrate outside and foreign tourism practitioners replace local residents. Unit community and general commercial housing community is mixed, rural community becomes divided, mixed commercial and residential community distributes along the main roads of historic township including large numbers of foreign population. There emerges the community of pure migrant workers that linking with karmic connection and the community of elites who take care of the environment. The complex pattern of the residential social space in Zhouzhuang shows: The whole social space shows a mixed residential status between different classes of the population, the homogeneous social spatial structure based on the local indigenous residents begins to dissolve and transform to the city similarly.(3) There are lots of complex mechanisms to initiate Zhouzhuang’s evolution of residential social space. The change of system is the basis of forming the complex social space. The type of practice subjects becomes to complicate, including the benefit alliance manipulated by government, tourists, heterogeneous local permanent residents, etc. The different spacial subjects based on their respective positions and different needs exert varying degrees of influences on the residential social space in the town. The local government has become the "protector" and "developer". With the help of intellectuals it constructed an idealized Zhouzhuang, and made the residents flow in the region by using the co-acting force, which made the original stable social space structure broken. The government makes alliance with the developers, forms the local mainstream consciousness, and attracts elite into the town, results the local social structure further stratified. Tourists are the core of tourism activities, they lead the historic town to the highly tourism commercialization, the relocation of local residents and the digestion of traditional social network. Native residents split because of tourism, some of them engage in tourism business activities, some of them lost themselves in traditional neighborhood relations. Homogeneous residential social space becomes fragment. Foreign tourism practitioners pour in the town and replace local residents. Social structure becomes heterogeneous; some parts of the regions produce agglomeration because of price factors. The gated community leads to residential segregation between the elite and the local residents. Family migrants make weak influence on residential social space.This study chooses the evolution of residential space in social space as a starting point, from several aspects including the national policy, the benefit alliance manipulated by local government, tourists, especially the individual residents at the micro level, to reveal the formation mechanism of the evolution of social space under the background of tourism. The author attempts to enrich the related theories of tourism geography using such a new way of thinking. The small town is a special geographical unit between city and countryside. Research on the residential social space of small towns is the supplement and perfection of social space of city, and is a microscopic pole attempt of social space. The chosen case Zhouzhuang as a representative Jiangnan water town is a typical model of tourism development. So in practice, it can provide certain reference significance on the future comprehensive development, planning, the preservation of traditional local social networks of the traditional ancient town tourism destinations in China, the harmonious relationship between human beings and the land under the thinking model of new type of tourism urbanization.