Research On Adaptability Of Tourism-Based Social- Ecological Systems In Huizhou Ancient Villages

Tourism is the major source of economic income for Huizhou ancient villages, and it also is an important factor in disturbing the relationship between man and land. For the sustainable development in ancient villages, comprehensive analysis of the multiple impacts of tourism is of great value. The social-ecological systems (SESs) theory holds that human society and ecological environment is a dynamic and coupling whole. The adaptability research of the SESs theory is mainly based on the assumption of "human in nature", to analyze how a particular place achieves sustainable development effectively after interferences. Combined with a field research for three ancient villages, Hongcun, Chengkan and Lu Village, in different tourism development status in Huizhou area, this paper is mainly based on the theory of SESs and its adaptability research to discuss the multiple impacts of tourism development on the SESs of Huizhou ancient villages preliminarily, especially adaptations of ancient village residents and tourists to tourism development, in hope of benefiting the sustainable and healthy development of Huizhou ancient villages.This paper is divided into seven chapters. The first chapter mainly introduces research background, objectives and significance, main contents and the innovation points of the research. The second chapter is literature review, focusing on the relevant researches of the Huizhou ancient villages’tourism development, social-ecological systems, and its adaptation. The value of this study is defined through analysis the social-ecological systems and its adaptation in research of the tourism. The general character of social-ecological systems of Huizhou ancient village is analyzed in the third chapter. The forth chapter regards the tourism development as a disturbance factors, discussed the pressure of social-ecological systems of ancient villages caused by the development of tourism and the opportunity of relieving this pressure, then the thesis sets up the analysis structure which based on the adaptability of action subjects in Huizhou ancient villages and raising some hypotheses. The fifth chapter is the research plan, including the basic situation of field research area, the implementation of the research progress and so on. The consequence and explanation of the field research is displayed in the sixth chapter, which compared the adaptation of residents and visitors in three cases under the tourism developing. The last chapter is the conclusion and discussion.The research finds that Huizhou Ancient Village is an advanced man-made SESs. It faces the dilemma of a large population with relatively little land. In the past, villages mainly relied on external capital and supplies carried by Huizhou merchants, which represents the value of the human beings and the importance of adaptability for the sustainable development of Huizhou Ancient Village. Hence, the traditional culture in Huizhou ancient villages becomes the most characteristic content of the SESs and the important foundation of the tourism development. In the process of modernization, SESs in Huizhou Ancient Village faces the ecological pressure and diffusion of external culture. The development of tourism has a complex effect on the development of the SESs in Huizhou ancient villages, which not only increases the load of the SESs in ancient villages, but makes the traditional culture in ancient villages face impacts of external culture and the pressure of counterfeiting adapting to capital-driven demands of the other. On the other hand, development of tourism makes it possible for ancient villages to enhance the carrying capacity of ecological system by introductions of advanced technologies. If the residents in Huizhou Ancient Villages can find the unique charm of traditional culture with a more opened cultural comparative perspective, it could enhance the traditional culture identity and promote the sustainable development of the SESs in Huizhou ancient villages. Residents and tourists are the main actors in the system to reply the multiple effects of tourism development. Promoting the interaction and mutual participation between residents and tourists is vital for improving the adaptive ability of the SESs.The empirical studies indicate that residents in Hongcun village can adapt to disturbances of the development of tourism better, comparing with the residents in Lu and Chengkan Village, Tourism not only increases their economic benefit, but also increases their sense of place to enhance their confidence of the traditional culture and responsibility to protect the village, and to discipline their behaviors to promote the protection of its SESs. Moreover, the widely participation of residents also limits the tendency of the fraud of tourism and misunderstanding of traditional cultural. Nowadays, most visitors in Huizhou ancient villages have strong aspiration to preserve the ecological environment and traditional culture of ancient villages, but their understanding of traditional culture of ancient villages is still at a low level of ornamental stage, lacking of a rational thinking of traditional culture. Although many people focus on excessive commercialization of ancient villages, they overlook the severely negative impact caused by the fraud of culture. Therefore, to promote the adaptability of SESs in Huizhou ancient villages, the communication between visitors and residents should be strengthened, and the participation of residents and tourists should be promoted. By reinforce traditional cultural researches and publicities can overcome the problem of development of tourism in Huizhou ancient villages, which is the superficial reorganization of connotation of traditional culture and insufficient awareness of protection.