20 Nov Visiting a simpler time

The great migration of Chinese people from the countryside to cities is one of the most incredible things of the last 50 years. The growth of cities has transformed China in many ways. It is not surprising that Chinese people today look to their village roots with great nostalgia. Push back on urbanization has happened in other cultures. In England, the Romantic movement responded to industrialization and the fascination with cowboys and The West happened as the importance of cities grew in the US.   

In a recent study by Dr. Mark Meng, the impact of returning to rural destinations on well being of city folks in China. Satisfying the feelings for nostalgia and connecting people with their rural roots allows these travelers to reconnect with their cultural and spiritual “homes”. The benefits that these visits have on the wellbeing of city folks are a great argument for preserving the cultural heritage of rural China and enabling visitors to experience authentic village life.  While the study is based in China – there is much to be learned from it for many countries in our increasingly urban world.

Interested in reading Mark’s article? The first 50 readers can access a free copy here .

Meng Z, Cai LA, Day J, Tang C-H, Lu Y, Zhang H (2019) Authenticity and nostalgia – subjective well-being of Chinese rural-urban migrants Journal of Heritage Tourism:1-19 doi:10.1080/1743873X.2019.1567739