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Questions
Sidwell Student
Interviewee #1
Sidwell Student
Interviewee #2
Sidwell Student
Interviewee #3
Sidwell Student
Interviewee #4
Sidwell Student
Interviewee #5
Compilation
What outdoor places have
you visited in Yunnan?
I have visited the nearby wetland,
one of the streams in the
mountains, several nearby farms,
and Shibao Shan, the tongue of
Lake Erhai.
Weve been to various temples, a few rivers
including WanHua Xi (), all around the lake, a
holy Buddhist mountain by ShaXi, an organic farm
up on the mountain, a crop farm in the valley, a
vegetable farm by the lake, and a wetland.
The three pagodas, various
crop farms, a wetlands
system, an organic farm, a fish
farm, a mountain temple.
Weishan, the
reclaimed wetland,
shibao Shan, Tongue
of the Lake, variety of
farms, aquaculture
farms.
We recently took a trip to Shaxi
and went on a horseback ride
on an old Tea-Horse trade
route. We also studied
ecosystems at an organic farm,
a fish farm, a vegetable farm,
and a stream in the Cang Shan
mountains.
Wetlands, mountains, streams,
Shibao Shan (Holy Buddhist
mountain), farms, Tongue of the
Lake (Erhai Lake), temples, crop
farm, Three Pagodas, fish farm,
Shaxi, horseback riding.
Tell us about the three best
places you visited in
Yunnan.
The three best places Ive visited
are probably Shibao Shan, a holy
mountain that has been turned into
a well-preserved tourist site, the
wetland near Lake Erhai, and the
organic farm near the stream on
the mountain.
My three favorite places are the road around the
lake, the organic farm, and the very top of a sacred
Buddhist Mountain, Shizhongshan ().
Fish farm, wetlands, and three
pagodas.
Shibao Shan, the
Tongue of the Lake,
and the more modern
aquaculture site.
a. Shaxi horse trail
b. Mang Yong Xi, a stream in
Cang Shan
c. A wetland slightly north of
Xizhou
Shibao Shan (Buddhist Holy
Mountain) Erhai Lake wetlands,
organic farm, road around Erhai
Lake, Three Pagodas, fish farm,
Shaxi horse trail.
What made these places
special to you?
Although 2/3 of them are tourist
sites, environmentally, they are
very well preserved and were
empty of large groups of tourists.
The organic farm was beautiful
and their modes of agriculture
were fascinating to me.

The lakeside road is special to me because the
beautiful scenery next to the lake is an incredible
place to bike ride, and the peacefulness is such a
great feeling to get. Along this ride, you can also
see people working in the fields, and you can feel
more connected with your surroundings and with the
place that you are in. The organic farm is terrific
because the family that runs it is really taking the
initiative to do more sustainable farming. Its not
perfect, but its a refreshing change to see a farm
that doesnt overdose their fields with pesticides.
Thirdly, the mountain is incredibly special because
of journey and the reward. The hike up to our peak
was quite difficult, but arriving at our destination was
an achievement. The expansive view from the
mountain reminded me of the vast power of nature,
and how we have to do all we can to preserve this
type of habitat so that people dont forget that we
have to live on this world in tandem with nature.
Fish farm sells delicious fish;
three pagodas is a Dali
specialty; wetlands is very
picturesque and shows an
attempt to preserve the
environment.

They were ecologically
distinct. Shibao Shan
is a temple built into a
mountain of volcanic
rock with wild
monkeys, and the
Tongue of the Lake
and the alcuture farm
had disticnt species of
birds and fish
respectively.

a. Shaxi was great because the
natural features informed
peoples way of life now in the
mountains.
b. Mang Yong Xi- a stream in
Cang Shan that had many
macroinvertebrates and mass
erosion.
c. A wetland slightly north of
Xizhou was the site of a
reclamation project from paddy
field to wetland as a sanctuary
of biodiversity.

Ascetic appeal, could see ecologic
preservation strategies in action,
could see differences in ecologic
biomes, could see how place
informed cultural ways of being.
Did you see any
environmental impacts due
to tourism? If so, describe.
Shibao Shan had roads built on it,
as well as some additional
buildings that I would assume have
fragmented the natural flora/fauna
populations. Also, plenty of trash
was being thrown off the side of
the road/off the sides of buildings.

Along the road, there is quite a lot of trash either in
piles or just scattered. From talking with some old
local people, the amount of litter greatly increased
when the road was built. Its sad to see that sort of
poison seep into the water.

Not so much.

There was some
erosion and habitat
fragmentaion at
Shibao Shan.

a. In Shaxi, the Swiss
government has invested to
create a tourist center in the
town, but the horse trail and the
village at the top of it are some
of the few places in the country
relatively untouched by
development.
b. Mang Yong Xi had some
concrete channels at the
bottom and was surrounded by
dams.
c. The wetland requires a fee to
enter and has a small pagoda
in the middle to attract tourists
and create revenue to maintain
a staff.


Infrastructure, erosion, land
fragmentation, litter, development
displacing natural environment.
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What is the best way that
tourists can limit their
impact on these places?
Reduce the throwing of trash into
the landscape and instead save it
and throw it in a trashcan
(although theyre very hard to find
in Chinese tourist areas).

To be mindful of where they are and who they are
with. This place, especially the sacred locations
cant be viewed as just another pretty mountain
view that I get to tell my friends all about. I think the
best way tourists can limit their impacts are by
understanding the history and culture of the people
in the area they visit. That way they could even
make an effort to engage with local people and
become intrigued by life today in the place they visit.

Be respectful of the natural
environment.

Follow the "leave no
trace" policy (pick up
after themselves, etc.)
and be willing to stay
in energy efficient
accomodations if such
places are not up to
the troutists' usual
standards.

a. In Shaxi, it is best that
tourists stay away from the
traditional village and stay in
the developed area.
b. At Mang Yong Xi, people
should discourage dam
building.
c. At the wetland, people should
not fish illegally as many do and
should generally avoid bringing
too many people to the wetland.

- Litter management both in
regards to educating tourists and
providing receptacles.
- Education regarding history and
culture to increase awareness of the
deeper value of tourist areas.
- Manage where tourist
accommodations are located.
- Discourage dam building.
- Prevent illegal fishing and
excessive tourism to vulnerable
natural environments.
Have you seen any local or
government personnel
working to restore the
natural places that you
visited?
The wetland was a government
project to restore the natural
ecosystem of Lake Erhai as well
as to increase the amount of
nutrients present in the lake.

Yes, I worked in a group on an Ecotour of a local
wetland that is currently being restored. The river
was channelized, and the water actually only took
one hour to get from the start of the river all the way
down into Lake Er Hai. Then the government put in
funds to recreate this wetland, and now the water
flow is a lot slower (24 hours) which helps the plant
growth and biodiversity. With more plants, there is
less nitrogen and phosphorus being dumped into
the lake. This project started around 2005, though
the government opted out of the project at some
point, and now private companies have to continue
the program with money from tourism.
The wetlands itself is the
governments attempt to
preserve the environment.

We visited a wetland
that was turned into
rice patties during the
Great Leap Forward
and was only recently
converted back to its
natural state.

a. The wetland management
team is trying to reclaim as
many wetlands as possible.

The wetland restoration project was
initiated by the government but it
appears that it may be the private
sector that is now most involved with
this project.
Which built heritage or
crafted items (art,
costumes, buildings,
pottery, tools, etc.) interest
you the most?

Buildings, jewelry and clothing
interest me the most.

The great diversity of handicrafts in this area is
incredible. The tie-dye, silver work, embroidery,
carvings, and art are all exquisite. The amount of
dedicated work and patience that goes into these
forms of art is incredible.

No Answer

Both the Bai women's
clothing and
embroidery interest
me an equal amount.

a. My internship with paper
cutting.

Buildings, jewelry, clothing, tie-dye,
silver work, carvings, art,
embroidery, paper cutting.
Have you seen any impact
to Yunnan's built heritage
and artifacts due to tourism
in the communities you
visited? If so, describe.

Older buildings (such as the one
we live in) have been restored for
the purpose of tourism.
Handicrafts, such as tie-dye, have
come back into vogue due to
tourists fascination with their
aesthetic.

In a few villages weve visited, the old houses and
buildings have been restored and repainted to
vibrantly look like the old-style houses, without
having the subdued old feeling of a house about it.

A lot of the handicrafts
industries that thrive are a
result of the tourists desire for
those specific products.
Specifically, the tie-dye
industry.

The "traditional" Bai
clothing women wear
now and the traditional
Bai closthing women
wore before tourism in
Xizhou increased are
quite different. Bai
women actually model
their clothing afer what
was worn in the movie
"Five Golden Flowers".
a. A lot of the tie dye is catered
to tourists, making more
modern designs instead of
more traditional ones that they
sell in their shop. The
embroidery shop also teaches
tourists for free.

- Houses being restored
- Handicrafts resurgence
- Houses restored for tourists maybe
not as true housing
- Changes in traditional clothing
styles based on movie
- Changes in tie-dye motifs based on
tourist desires
- Free embroidery lessons
What do you think is the
best way for residents to
protect their built heritage
and artifacts for their future
generations?

The promotion of handicrafts for
tourist purposes, as well as
antiques, would be an effective
way to maintain a craft for
generations to come.

To build and live sustainably in a way that will
preserve their environment and handcrafts so that
they can remain for a very long time.

I think certain traditions fall out
of place naturally as the area
modernizes.

Teach everything they
know, not just what is
most profitable. For
example, if one type of
embroidery appeals to
tourists more than
another, one should
still teach their child all
the styles of
embroidery one
knows.

a. It is difficult to say whether or
not artisans should cater to
tourists because it generates
revenue for them but also
forces them to teach people
outside of their family the craft.
If residents want to protect their
craft for future generations,
unfortunately that requires
limiting other opportunities for
jobs or school far away and
teaching their children they
have a responsibility to pass on
the trade.

- Promotion of handicrafts & antiques
- build and live sustainably
- Modernization may reduce
handicraft occupations as a normal
part of the processes of evolving
civilization
- pass on all artisan knowledge not
just the most profitable
- ? Maintain the tradition of the
artisan as opposed to adapting to
tourist desires
- ? Maintaining traditional
occupations may limit current and
future opportunities in a changing
world.
What is the best way for
tourists to limit their impact
I dont think tourists necessarily
have a negative impact on built
Whenever a tourist group shows up, the local
people will fine tune everything to what they
Theres not much tourists can
do; the locals continue to
No Answer

a. Tourists should learn from
the crafts but not market them
- Value the traditional built
environment.
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on the built heritage and
artifacts?

heritage and artifacts. I think the
promotion of heritage tourism
would be effective in reducing the
presence of modern buildings in a
traditional village.

perceive is what tourists are looking for. Tourists
typically want authentic, even though thats a word
that cant fully be defined. Once tourists remove
from their mind that theyre only visiting a site rather
than an entire culture with a rich history, the impacts
could be lessened ideally due to the change in
mindset.

produce what the tourists are
likely to buy.

in their own way that changes
the tradition.

- Educate tourist to appreciate the
culture not just the building or craft
item itself.

- Markets and trends will dictate to
some degree what artisans will do
realize income from their skill sets.
Of the traditions and
customs shared with you,
which three have you found
most meaningful and why?

The continuation of New Years
family dinners because of its
perseverance through modern
times, the importance of
graveyards and gravestones in
order to preserve family unity, and
the several temple festivals weve
witnessed.

Being able to hear about the local religion from
people here is very touching because the belief
itself is very individualized, so its even greater when
people share their own stories. On New Years, we
all had the opportunity to go to our staffs houses for
the celebrations, and the warm welcome into their
home followed by a night of chatting, eating, and
watching the annual New Years show was really
exciting. A third really fun custom to learn about
were all of the handicrafts including when our
kitchen staff taught us how to make dumplings.

New Years Celebrations, food
preparation, and religious
practices. They all seem very
authentic and unaltered by
modernization.

Temple festivals,
family New Year's
celebrations, and
paper cutting have
been the most
important. Each of
these perserve a
different but equally
important part of Bai
people's lives; temple
festivals preserve the
local religion, New
Year's celebrations
preserve family
lifestyle and customs,
while paper cutting is
a key part of fuerals
and an important
occupation.

a. Funerals are very interesting
because there is a public
procession with paper cutting
designs that symbolize peace in
the afterlife. The process
demonstrates the communitys
dedication to ancestors.
b. Weddings are very casual
here and are mainly based on
giving guests a good meal. The
one we attended was held on a
basketball court in a community
center with small benches at
wooden tables.
c. The tradition of women
moving to their husbands
homes when they get married
deprives women of an identity
separate from those of their
husbands.

New Years Celebrations because
they are family style events.

Temple festivals, affected by the
personal and individualized belief
system.

Weddings and funerals demonstrate
the continuity of life and family
interconnectedness.

Traditional living arraignments after
marriage wives going to live with
husbands family was viewed as
deprives women of an identity
separate from those of their
husbands

In short, the personal had the most
meaning for these survey takers.
Have you observed actions
that threaten local
customs/traditions and put
them at risk of being lost or
changed? If so, describe.

Industrialization has put many
handicrafts at risk because factory-
made crafts are cheaper and more
widespread.

Urbanization has its pros and cons, but it is
definitely taking a toll on local customs and
traditions because younger people are leaving their
towns to seek better education and better paying
jobs in the city. With this move, it will become
difficult for the customs to carry on, since many are
passed down through family lineage.

Besides tourism and excessive
development, not really.

The availability of
education and the new
(and profitable) career
paths it offers theaten
many handicrats,
especially paper
cutting.

a. People moving away to cities
threatens passing down crafts
because there are more
employment opportunities.

Industrialization, Urbanization,
Education and Career Opportunities
in cities, Tourism, Excessive
Development, Crafting/Artisan
occupation impacted by all the above
when children move away for any of
the above reasons.
Have you seen popular
culture tourism clash with
traditional culture tourism in
the area? If so, describe.

No Answer

No Answer

Not particularly.

No

No

Non-responsive or no opinion or the
question was not conceptualized as
questioners intended.
Have you seen any
environmental impacts on
local businesses and
residents due to increased
cultural tourism? (littering,
traffic, cleaner water, better
roads, etc.) If so, describe.

Although Im not sure if this was
due to tourism, I know the main
highway connecting Xizhou to Dali
and Lijiang has had an
environmental impact. Also,
quarrying has led to significant
erosion in the nearby mountains.

Due to tourism, especially in ShuangLang, massive
development is taking place. Lots of new hotels and
buildings are being constructed, but the
development is too much too fast. It has taken
habitat away, and will create more competition
between business owners. ShuangLang is now a
tourist hotspot, particularly for Chinese tourists, but
once the fad goes out of style, the small fishing town
will be left with a lot of empty hotels. There have
been patterns of these hotspots sizzling then
fizzling, so the boom in tourism and sequential
boom in development harm the environment and
local economy in the long run.
There has been one place we visited, a silver town,
where the tourism had a positive impact on the
amount of trash and litter. Given the amount of new
trashcans implemented and, Im assuming, a
A good amount of litter and
dirty water.

There have been new
highways built to and
from popular
destinations. For
example, there is now
a direct route from Dali
to Shaxi. The
government is also
trying to clean up
Erhai Lake by
pumping more oxygen
into the water to
prevent algal blooms.

a. There is a fair amount of
trash on the main market road
and there is increased pollution
in Lake Erhai, but for the most
part the roads are still uneven
and there is no traffic.

Infrastructure impacts on
environment.
Excessive and not well-planned
development.
Litter and water pollution.
Aglal blooms in Erhai Lake
possible eutrophication.

Roadways not used at full capacity
now but probably will be as incomes
in the region increase. Roadways
are intermittent still between
locations but these will also increase
with income and development
expansion.
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garbage collection system, the streets were cleaner
than other locations.
What is the best way for
people in Yunnan to
promote and protect these
customs and traditions?

Im not sure if I can answer that
question because I cant speak for
the desires and beliefs of people
indigenous to Yunnan.

A way for them to protect the customs is finding
ways to continue them at a sustainable rate without
being exploited. The people working traditional jobs
have been through a long and tough history, and
their experiences make them wise beyond repair.
Therefore the people and the crafts that they have
continued for generations must be respected.
Protecting the traditions would ideally keep being
passed on from person to person, but with
urbanization that hope seems to be diminishing.

Keep doing what theyve
always done.

Kunming would be the
best place because it
is the provincial
captial.

a. They should continue to
practice them even as younger
generations are exposed to
popular culture and large cities.

Find ways to continue practicing
customs and sharing knowledge to
preserve cultural heritage.

Possibly government policies that
promote traditional ways of
production.

Pass on the culture to the young
even knowing that some will make
more modern choices in their own
lives.
What is the best way for
visitors to limit their impact
on local customs and
traditions?

If visitors garner an interest in local
customs and traditions, local
businesses will boom and the
crafts will be able to continue.

Visitors will most likely want to buy souvenirs and
local handicrafts which is great for business and will
keep the workers employed. However, local
customs and work cant be created into a huge
market directed at foreigners if the traditions are to
stay completely true to what they have been for a
long time. Change will natural occur in the traditions
based on who the client is.

Respectfully observe the
customs in place.

There is not a lot you
can do besides having
an interest in
traditional culture.

a. Visitors should not attempt to
introduce new, more efficient
ways of doing things.

Educate tourists on the customs and
traditions so that they have more
appreciation.

Government policies to incentivize
traditional ways of making artisan
crafts.
Have you seen evidence of
business or organizations
acting to prevent harmful
impacts on the cultural
heritage of the local
community? If so, describe.

The Linden Centre has worked to
preserve the cultural heritage of
Xizhou, encouraging their guests
to learn about and experience local
customs.

No Answer

Nope!

Yes, the government
has designated many
old houses in the area
as historically
significant sites, and
some artisans and
handicraftmen have
received certifications
and recognition from
the government as
well.

a. No.

Linden Center cultural education
model.

Government designation of historical
sites.

Artisan certification initiatives.