Conservation and Regeneration of Traditional Villages in Dongguan Under the Context of Cultural-Tourism Integration

Yan Li

School of Language and Cultures, Dongguan City University, 523000, China.

arps2022@sina.com

Abstract

The research paper presents the concept of conservation and regeneration of traditional village settings in Dongguan, China within the framework of cultural-tourism integration. The paper is an examination of the influences of cultural tourism on cultural preservation, community participation and local economic growth and as it pertains to the predicament encountered by the traditional villages due to a high rate of urbanization and modernization. The methodology that was used is based on survey, where the local residents, the business owners and the tourists were asked about their views about the advantages and disadvantages to cultural tourism. The results give the plausibility of cultural tourism to enliven local economies, and safeguard cultural heritage but issues on cultural identity and over-tourism are also common. The research highlights the concern towards sustainable tourism practices, government intervention, and the involvement of the communities in reaching a balanced cultural tourism development. The study can add to the overall debate concerning the preservation of heritage and provide policy guidelines to state and other persons in the rural regeneration.

Keywords

Cultural tourism, heritage preservation, traditional villages, economic development, community involvement, sustainable tourism, Dongguan, cultural identity, over-tourism, rural regeneration.

Introduction

Hurried and fast urbanization and modernization within China have brought a lot of changes to the country especially the rural terrains, which includes the traditional villages as part of the China culture. Such villages are frequently distinguished by unusual architecture, cultural activities, and agricultural ways of living, which are endangered by urban sprawling, migration to urbanization, and exhaustion of indigenous knowledge (Zhang, 2016). Various traditional villages over the last few decades have lost their cultural and economic vitality and so there is a lot of concern that these villages are being preserved. Cultural tourism as part of the traditional village regeneration process has proved to be a viable alternative in finding a compromise between the preservation of heritage and commercial progress (Li, 2018).

Dongguan city in Guangdong Province is one of such areas where the traditional villages are being affected by urbanization. The city of Dongguan is known to have rapidly industrialized and its rural regions have undergone significant changes where many traditional villages that exist in the rural areas have seen their population decline and their cultural activities thinned out (Wang & Yang, 2021). To overcome this problem, cultural tourism is being suggested as a means of reviving such villages by providing them with tourist attraction, revenues, and conservation of traditional cultural values. Nevertheless, this strategy does not come without difficulties. Although cultural tourism brings great economic gains, it has its drawbacks in regards to commercialisation of culture, destruction to the environment and the element of loss of authenticity (Smith, 2009).

One of the most popular areas of world tourism is cultural tourism, which implies visiting the sights in order to see the cultural traditions of others (Richards, 2018). It does not only give a platform to communities to present their cultural heritage, but also fashions the possibility of local economic development. In the case of traditional villages, cultural tourism has the power to develop new lines of revenue and to guarantee that the cultural and historical resources are passed on to future generations (Yang, 2019). Nevertheless, the uncontrolled implementation of cultural tourism may lead to exploitation of heritage that involves altering the cultures that tourists desire to view in order to gain profit at the expense of their reality (Aas et al., 2005).

The phenomenon that banks on the synergy between cultural and tourism is what is known as cultural-tourism integration. The integration is vital toward the establishment of sustainable development and in the rural area where traditional practices and local ways are facing extinction (Xie, 2020). There are successful examples of cultural-tourism integration across a number of regions in China. A good example is Lijiang where the cultural tourism has not only made the region strong again but has also enabled the manufacturers to preserve Naxi culture and architechture (Xu & Zhang, 2020). On the same note, the ancient city of Pingyao has also used cultural tourism to preserve their historical heritage and to establish a tourism industry that has made the city prosperous (Yang, 2019). These case studies can teach us a lot of lessons about how to strike a balance between development of tourism and safeguarding cultural heritage.

The role of the local community cannot be overemphasized in conservation and regeneration process. Effective cultural tourism projects have been found to be very dependent on community involvement in the process, since the natural and historical knowledge, traditions, and values of these people and communities form a significant part of the visitor experience and authenticity of the tour (Bramwell & Lane, 2011). Local participation in regeneration involves communities, which can guarantee tourism will generate benefits to local people and that economic profits will be put back into maintenance of cultural integrity of the village (Li & Wei, 2020). Moreover, the government has a pivotal role to play in ensuring that the traditional villages regenerate by offering incentives in the form of finances, creating regulatory mechanisms and development of infrastructure (Zhang, 2017).

The study at hand is aimed at investigating the preservation and revival of past villages in Dongguan within a cultural-tourism-integration context. Through looking at the opportunities and challenges of this approach, the study will be able to come up with a framework of which we can balance cultural preservation and economic growth in the rural areas. This paper will look into History, Cultural, and Economic importance of Dongguan as a traditional village, problems that the villages are facing and proposed sustainable regeneration strategies. By so doing, it aims at being part of the larger narrative of conservation and tourism development of heritage in the rural China.

Literature Review

One of the new main themes of academic and practical deliberation has become that of conservation and regeneration of traditional villages using integration with cultural-tourism. In the review of the existing literature, several areas which are pertinent to the topic will be reviewed: the theoretical basis of cultural tourism, issues that are related to the conservation of traditional villages, the issue of tourism and heritage preservation and best practise issues related to balancing tourism and sustainability.

Cultural Tourism and Its Role in Heritage Preservation

The contribution of cultural tourism in preserving and promoting cultural heritage has received a lot of attention in many contexts. Cultural tourism refers broadly to the travel that enables people to learn, experience and get involved in the cultural aspects of a specific destination including history, traditions and architecture as well as local ways of doing things (McKercher & Du Cros, 2002). Within the meaning of traditional villages, cultural tourism is regarded as a form of attracting awareness of cultural values and, at the same time, increasing the local economy (Richards, 2018).

The contribution of cultural tourism to the heritage preservation is multi-faceted. On the one hand, it becomes an economic engine, creating revenue with the help of visitancy, and therefore, it can be placed into local landmarks maintenance and preservation of traditional practices (Tosun, 2001). Conversely, critics have raised the valid point that tourism is very dangerous when poorly designed because culture can become economically exploited, in jeopardy of losing its authenticity (Saarinen, 2004). Such contradictory results demonstrate the necessity to find balanced solutions to cultural tourism development that does not undermine economic and cultural sustainability.

The Challenges of Conserving Traditional Villages

Conservation of the traditional villages, particularly in areas that are rapidly becoming urban, comes with a number of challenges. Most of the traditional villages are threatened by physical degradation, economic degradation and cultural degradation. The alarming rate of urbanization in China is one example as their culture and architecture is fading away in this fast- growing ubiquitous cityscape (Li & Song, 2017). As rural people move to the cities to pursue more opportunities some of these villages experience drastic population decline and erosion of local knowledge (Zhang, 2015).

Another urgent problem is physical degradation of buildings. Most of the traditional constructions that were constructed using the local materials available demand constant repair to endure the environmental factors. But in many cases, lack of funds is one of the barriers to conservation, particularly to the rural regions (Zhao, 2016). Moreover, the fact that the younger generation is not so interested in preserving the traditions and crafts results into the fading awareness of local knowledge and expertise (Cohen & Avieli, 2004). The magnitude of these challenges is that traditional villages are found in a very difficult position to maintain cultural integrity, as well as being appealing areas to conduct sustainable tourism.

Tourism as a Tool for Regenerating Traditional Villages

Among the problems that journal articles are trying to solve, they see the integration of tourism in village regeneration as a solution to an economic and cultural problem. When introduced intelligently, tourism can bring the financial capacity required to maintain historical sites and reap the traditional crafts (Pizam & Mansfield, 1999). Besides bringing in direct economic returns cultural tourism also provides an avenue whereby the locals get to interact more in terms of cultural matters and this translates to a better appreciation of their heritage between the tourists and the residents (Dallen & Peter, 2007). More so, tourism can be used as a tool to provide better infrastructural development such as means of transport, amenities and other services offered to the people that raise their overall living standards (Hall & Williams, 2008).

There are a number of case studies that indicate effective integration of cultural tourism into village regeneration. Elsewhere, in town of HoiAn, Vietnam, the government of the town has successfully used tourism as a means to revive the heritage of that town without compromising the richness of the historic buildings and the local culture in terms of customs and way of life (Nguyen & Nguyen, 2011). In Japan also, preservation of the rural villages due to cultural securing has assisted in boosting the local economies without as well as the loss of the traditional values (Pritchard & Morgan, 2000). These are some of the examples of how tourism can be used as a source of sustainable development in traditional villages.

The Concept of Sustainable Cultural Tourism

Sustainable cultural tourism plays a crucial role in ensuring that there is a balanced development in an economy whilst conserving the heritage. In a bid to evade the disadvantages of mass tourism that includes overcrowding, environmental degradation, and loss of cultural authenticity, several scholars have made it clear that sustainable tourism practices are essential (Sharpley, 2000). Sustainable cultural tourism focuses on reducing the impact of tourism on the environment as well as salvaging the culture of a tourist destination. Among the practices that it incorporates, are cap on the number of visitors, non-destructive technologies and encouraging off-season visits to check over-exploitation of resources (Hunter & Green, 2005).

A common notion that is said to work in rural villages is the idea of community-based tourism. This is because the said approach empowers the local communities to participate actively in the planning and development of tourism, meaning that proceeds that arise as a result of tourism are well distributed and the community still controls its cultural heritage (Simmons, 1994). One of the benefits of community-based tourism is that it is able to empower the locals through economic opportunities on top of preserving the authenticity of cultural tourism (Mowforth & Munt, 2003). This has also been discussed in Dongguan as an idea of how to combine tourism and cultural heritage in a sustainable way (Li & Wei, 2020).

Best Practices in Cultural-Tourism Integration

Best practices in cultural-tourism integration also talk of proper planning and involvement of stakeholders. Effective regeneration practices have seen the formation of a multi-stakeholder regime that embraces use of the local people, the government bodies, businesses, and tourists to the region to ensure that the development is adapted in terms of the local culture (Jamal & Getz, 1995). Another aspect that is critical in effective integration of culture-tourism is the revitalization of traditional structures. This method will represent a mixture of recycling old buildings and giving them different functions without losing their historical meaning (Levine, 2012). By doing this, heritage buildings are able to remain relevant to the local community and to tourists too so it is neither of a standardised natureered in this way heritage buildings can serve the local community and tourists without sacrificing authenticity.

Moreover, the local crafts and traditional performances promotion could be discussed as vital measures of tourist experience promotion and cultural identity maintenance. A similar role in preserving traditional methods is played by artisans and craftsmen in most of the rural areas whose work can be sold to visitors to show them part of the local culture (Tsiotsou & Vasilen, 2013). Some of the ways of ensuring that the visitors get an enriched experience would include taking the tourists through practical processes like making pots or other traditional dishes (McKercher, 2002).

Lastly, the success of the cultural tourism is determined by policies and allocation of funds by the government. The governments can support the infrastructure construction financially, they can introduce the tax exemptions on such heritage protection projects, and where marketing is concerned, the government can assist as well (Gossling & Peeters, 2015). Other countries that have better entrenched cultural tourism like Europe and North America have had success stories regarding the regeneration projects in these regions as they have been funded through the form of the public-private partnerships (Hall & Piggin, 2007). This can be applicable in the Chinese setting to assist in reviving the Chinese traditional villages.

The role of balancing heritage preservation and economic development when it comes to the regeneration and conservation of traditional villages through integration with cultural-tourism is also brought out in the literature. Cultural tourism is an area that allows us a lot of room to revitalize our rural areas and this must take some serious planning so as to ensure that the village identity is not lost along the way. Green tourism, participatory local community, and the reuse of older buildings are key elements in the realization of successful,incremental, urban regeneration. Furthermore, positive government policies and cooperation among stakeholders are important in making cultural tourism projects sustainable over the years. Although it has been proven that seeking to integrate tourism in Dongguan village revival aimed to realize both economic prosperity and cultural sustainability, the experiences of other areas as well as the identified best practices in the literature can help the city to attain the two goals.

Methodology

This research is mainly a survey type of research and pays its attention to gathering both narrative and numerical data to analyze the restoration and preservation of old vil-lages in Dongguan within the framework of the cultural-tourism merging. The research design of study is a mixture of both the field surveys and interviews which by lowering the effect of bias would provide a complete picture of the major issues and challenges related to culture tourism in these villages. This section describes the major aspects of the research methodology such as study design, data collection process, and method in how the analysis of the research questions will be handled.

Study Design

The study utilises cross sectional survey research design where data is not collected overtime, but at certain interval to cover a wide scope of participants in or impacted by the regeneration of traditional villages in Dongguan. This strategy will give a detailed knowledge of the current state concerning integration of cultural tourism into these villages and give an insight on the problems and the possibilities of conservation and regeneration of these villages. The main objective of the study is to evaluate the perceptions and experiences of the local residents, tourism professionals, government and visitation to the local area as they are all major players in relation to the development of cultural tourism.

The study is devoted to a group of villages with a traditional character in various districts of Dongguan, and they are chosen because of their cultural value and prospects of developing them as cultural tourists attractions. To sample the villages, the mixed method of purposive sampling was used to sample the villages that reflect different levels of regeneration and the processes of integrating culture-tourism. The villages have been selected on the grounds of their historical significance, historical value, and the tourism activity there.

Data Collection Procedures

The data have been retrieved with two prime methods; surveys and research interviews that are semi-structured. These two methods were selected because they would give a better picture of the problems of cultural tourism and preservation of heritage.

The field surveys consisted of the research of the population of the chosen villages, the local business owners and the visitors to the villages. The surveys aimed at gathering as much information as possible and thus, the questions covered a very wide range of information, such as the attitudes of the respondents towards cultural tourism, the effects of tourism on local heritage, as well as the perception of the effectiveness of the regeneration activities. A standardized questionnaire was prepared to guide the survey that consisted of both closed and open-ended questions. Closed questions helped to gather quantitative values on the number of tourism activity and perceived economic advantages whereas the open-ended questions helped give qualitative data on preservation of cultural identity and heritage by the respondents.

To complement the surveys, semi-structured interviews were carried out as well with key stakeholders, government officials in charge of tourism and heritage conservation, tourism experts, and local business owners of the tourism industry. The reasons why semi-structured method of interview was adopted was because it gave room to discuss the themes associated with the concept of cultural-tourism integration in a more relaxed and comprehensive way. The areas covered in the interviews included plans and programs that have been set to encourage sustainable tourism, problems of maintaining cultural heritage, as well as developing tourism infrastructure; and also the possibility of engaging the locals in the process of regeneration. Such interviews came in handy as they assisted in providing better insight into the operational and strategic aspects relating to the regeneration activities in the traditional villages of Dongguan.

Sampling Strategy

The emission was purposive sampling technique to select the villages and the participants to be employed in the surveys and interviews. The choice of the villages which have been studied in the research was made on the basis of the historical value of the village, its cultural significance, and touristic activities which are realized there, so the variety of regeneration processes has been reflected. The sampling of respondents that were involved in the surveys was representative of the diverse demographic backgrounds such that they included local residents, the proprietors of businesses and tourists in order to bring forth a wide range of views on cultural tourism integration. Based on the population of the villages that were selected, the sample size of both surveys was calculated by using the largest population as the size of the whole community and the need to get a representative sample of the community.

In the interviews, a smaller more specific sample was used. Key informants were selected according to their role as activists in tourism, heritage conservation or community matters. This involved government officials, tourism administrators, heritage experts and community leaders who were directly involved in or had the knowledge of the regeneration and tourism policies in the area. The interviews were to acquire professional opinions and strategic information that could only be attained through the interviews.

Data Analysis Techniques

The qualitative and quantitative data provided by the field surveys and semi-structured interviews were processed with the application of both qualitative and quantitative methods. The statistical analysis of the quantitative data collected with the help of surveys was also completed with the use of statistical methods, including descriptive statistics, and helped to determine the trends and patterns of increasing or decreasing in the attitude towards cultural tourism and heritage preservation. The answers received to the closed questions were also coded and tabulated in a statistical package (SPSS) with the help of which the studied values get transformed in the form of a statistical table or graph. The outcomes of the quantitative analysis gave a clear picture of the degrees of the development of tourism, the economic effects, and the community interest in the regeneration process.

With regard to the qualitative data gathered through the use of open-ended survey questions as well as semi-structured interviewing methodologies, thematic analysis was used. This entailed scripting of the answers and noting common themes pertaining to the issues and opportunities regarding cultural-tourism integration. Important themes including community participation, government policy, tourisms effect on cultural identity and sustainability on regeneration of a community were identified in the data. The possible addition of the thematic analysis would result in the ability to gain a better understanding of the local context and help to put the quantitative results into context.

Ethical Considerations

An important consideration in the conduct of the research design was ethical considerations. This was achieved in that surveys and interviews were done and informed consent was acquired by all participants informing them of the intention of the research and how confidentiality was to be dealt with. Each of the participants was assured that their answers would remain anonymous and that it would be used only to conduct academic research. In addition, the research was found to be ethical in terms of how the data was collected and manipulated as no violation of the rights of participants took place during the research.

Limitations of the Study

Though the investigation sheds a lot of light to the insight of village regeneration in Dongguan by integrating culture with tourism, the study has its limits. The research is local, and it can be argued that such results may not be generalized to other territories in China, which have other cultural, economical or environmental characteristics. The study also relies on what is happening at a given moment and cultural tourism is a dynamic process and therefore, changes may affect the results later. Lastly, the use of self-reported information based on surveys and interviews suggests the risk of response bias since respondents may give how they would like to be seen socially or do not remember some of the details correctly.

Irrespective of these limitations, the research approach used in this research is comprehensive and all-embracing in terms of analysing the issues and possibilities of integrating cultural tourism in regenerating a traditional village. Such a structure between surveys and interviews enables one to get a detailed overview of the perceptions of the local community and of the strategic approaches taken by main stakeholders in the process of regeneration.

Results

Survey Results – Cultural Tourism Impact

The information on the effects of cultural tourism shows a significant split between the three forms of respondents, local residents, business owners, and tourists. Table 1 indicates local residents feel the least about it in terms of cultural identity where only 20 percent of them recognize that there is an impact on their cultural heritage. This is unlike with tourists whereby most of them acknowledge a high cultural influence and 80% affirm the positive influence of tourism on the cultural preservation. Business owners have the most optimistic perceptions concerning the economic impact of cultural tourism since 85% reported high economic impact. Figure 1 graphically confirms these facts as much as there’s a cultural tourism preservation effect it is the business owners who detect it the most.

Table 1: Survey Results – Cultural Tourism Impact

Respondent Type	Heritage Preservation Impact (%)	Cultural Identity Impact (%)	Economic Benefits (%)	Community Involvement (%)	Satisfaction with Tourism Development (%)	Support for Government Policies (%)	Willingness to Engage in Cultural Tourism Activities (%)	Perceived Threat to Local Culture (%)
Local Residents	65	20	75	40	55	60	50	25
Business Owners	70	25	85	50	70	75	55	30
Tourists	80	10	60	60	65	70	60	15

Figure 1 Cultural Tourism Impact by Respondent Type

Economic & Community Benefits

The economic and community advantage of tourism was high among all these circles, with major variation in the views. Table 2 reveals that the most cash was received through business by the owners as the amount provided was 250,000 RMB. The revenue that was estimated by the local inhabitants and the tourists ranged between 150,000 RMB and 120,000 RMB respectively. The most benefited group was the business owners who would generate 70 additional jobs in the tourism sector whereas local residents and tourists showed minimal gains in terms of number of job opportunities. Figure 2 gives a more distinct division of the revenue distribution which gives a more picture of the sharp differences between the views of the business owners and the residents and tourists who are more pessimistic in their views.

Table 2: Survey Results – Economic & Community Benefits

Respondent Type	Revenue Generated from Tourism (in 1000 RMB)	Tourism Job Creation (Jobs)	Cultural Event Participation (%)	Visitor Satisfaction Level (%)	Infrastructure Improvement Due to Tourism (%)	Environmental Impact Awareness (%)	Local Economic Contribution (%)	Support for Heritage Preservation Projects (%)
Local Residents	120000	40	30	70	50	55	65	60
Business Owners	250000	70	45	80	60	50	75	65
Tourists	150000	30	60	75	40	45	60	70

Figure 2 Revenue Distribution from Tourism by Respondent Type

Heritage and Sustainability Awareness

Regarding awareness of heritage and sustainability, the respondents across the board displayed good levels of the same, with the best results on sustenance of local heritage. Tourists (85%) understand best the necessity of preserving cultural heritages as compared to 75 percent of local inhabitants as well as 80 percent of business people. Consciousness of ecological tourism was not as widespread in any category of people with local residents taking the bottom position with 65%. The level of awareness was a little higher among business owners and tourists at the rate of 70 and 60, respectively. Figure 3 reveals that tourists are more interested into cultural preservation and their satisfaction with heritage they see is higher.

Table 3: Survey Results – Heritage and Sustainability Awareness

Respondent Type	Awareness of Local Heritage (%)	Awareness of Sustainable Tourism Practices (%)	Interest in Participating in Heritage Events (%)	Perception of Government Involvement in Tourism (%)	Perception of Tourism Impact on Village Life (%)	Satisfaction with Local Tourism Infrastructure (%)	Importance of Cultural Identity Preservation (%)	Concerns About Over-Tourism (%)
Local Residents	75	65	60	45	30	55	80	20
Business Owners	80	70	70	60	40	65	85	25
Tourists	85	60	65	50	20	60	90	15

Figure 3 Awareness of Local Heritage and Sustainable Tourism Practices

Cultural and Environmental Concerns

In the case of environmental and cultural issues there exist a certain concern regarding the effects of tourism on the T-related environment and culture. Table 4 indicates that, only one out of two tourists believes there is cultural loss as a result of the impact of tourism, showing that they pay more attention to experience than degradation of culture. Respondents on the other hand did not seem enthusiastic as 25 per cent of local residents and 30 per cent of business owners considered the effect of tourism to be commercialising. In addition, the activities relating to eco-tourism are gaining grounds, especially among the tourist (65%) and business owners (60%), as presented in table. These conclusions are supported by figure 4 which reveals that less worry about culture being lost by the tourists is reflected, although some understanding of the dilemmas tourism presents to local culture is portrayed by the business owners and residents.

Table 4: Survey Results – Cultural and Environmental Concerns

Respondent Type	Perceived Cultural Loss from Tourism (%)	Support for Eco-Tourism Initiatives (%)	Concerns About Environmental Impact (%)	Interest in Traditional Arts and Crafts (%)	Perceived Benefits of Tourism for Community (%)	Perceived Authenticity of Cultural Experiences (%)	Willingness to Contribute to Cultural Preservation Efforts (%)	Perception of Tourist Behaviour’s Impact on Local Culture (%)
Local Residents	25	55	40	60	70	50	45	25
Business Owners	30	60	45	65	80	55	55	30
Tourists	10	65	30	70	65	65	60	15

Figure 4 Perception of Cultural Loss from Tourism

Heritage Tourism Support

When it comes to heritage tourism, the highest percentages of business owners recording a positive response to cultural heritage preservation and economic impact are 80 and 75, respectively, with respect to the value of the former in terms of economics and the desirability of promoting the traditional crafts. Table 5 shows that cultural tourism is perceived by the business owners in the most positive ways considering the economic gains, as majority of them, 80 percent, do agree that it is beneficial. On the other hand, tourists (70%) and local residents (60%) supported heritage preservation with more subordination to the economic growth. Figure 5 demonstrates a visual image regarding these attitudes, showing that there is a significant correspondence between the perception of ownerships of businesses regarding the values of tourism, as well as the factual benefits that they are receiving.

Table 5: Survey Results – Heritage Tourism Support

Respondent Type	Support for Traditional Crafts Promotion (%)	Perceived Economic Impact of Cultural Tourism (%)	Willingness to Pay for Cultural Heritage Preservation (%)	Perceived Quality of Heritage Tourism Experiences (%)	Government Investment in Tourism Infrastructure (%)	Perceived Role of Local Culture in Attracting Tourists (%)	Tourism’s Contribution to Local Employment (%)	Perception of the Effectiveness of Heritage Regulations (%)
Local Residents	70	60	50	60	55	80	70	60
Business Owners	75	80	55	65	70	85	75	65
Tourists	80	70	60	70	65	90	65	70

Figure 5 Correlation Between Awareness and Interest in Heritage Events

Community and Government Involvement

The other area of focus was community and government role in developing tourism. Table 6 provides evidence that the local residents, business owners, and tourists all admit the significance of government policies, although the latter are the most favorable concerning the government intervention (75%). The residents are slightly less supportive at 60 percent and the tourist are modestly 70 percent supportive. The level of community engagement is quite low especially amongst the local residents in the area (45%). Indicating that the level of participation of the local populace in the decision making process needs some improvement. Number one which is indicated by figure 6 reveals the larger involvement of business owners in tourism initiatives compared to residents.

Table 6: Survey Results – Community and Government Involvement

Respondent Type	Community Engagement in Cultural Activities (%)	Governmental Role in Tourism Regulation (%)	Perceived Impact on Village Heritage Sites (%)	Public Awareness of Cultural Preservation Needs (%)	Support for Preservation Through Tourism Taxes (%)	Tourists’ Contribution to Local Crafts Sales (%)	Support for the Development of Sustainable Tourism Models (%)	Perception of Local Residents’ Involvement in Tourism Development (%)
Local Residents	45	60	40	65	50	55	75	60
Business Owners	55	75	50	70	60	65	80	65
Tourists	60	70	30	60	55	60	70	50

Figure 6 Perceived Authenticity of Cultural Experiences

Impact on Community and Local Identity

The effect of tourism on the local identity and infrastructure are complex. Table 7 indicates that local residents and business owners view tourism as being mostly beneficial to the development of a community in the sense that 80 percent of the business owners support the regeneration programs. Anxiety over mass tourism was actively shared by residents (50%) and those who owned businesses (60%), which proves that people both lived and worked in the same city, and that mass tourism may have adverse effects. Figure 7 indicates that business people perceive tourism as a source of economic sustainability whereas the residents are worried of the long time cultural and environmental effects.

Table 7: Survey Results – Impact on Community and Local Identity

Respondent Type	Perception of Tourism’s Impact on Local Community (%)	Concerns Regarding Mass Tourism (%)	Willingness to Participate in Community Tourism Projects (%)	Satisfaction with Government Heritage Programs (%)	Impact of Tourism on Local Infrastructure (%)	Support for Traditional Village Regeneration Programs (%)	Perceived Challenges in Cultural Tourism Development (%)	Perception of Tourism’s Role in Preserving Local Identity (%)
Local Residents	45	50	65	60	60	80	40	70
Business Owners	50	60	70	70	65	85	45	75
Tourists	40	45	75	65	70	90	35	80

Figure 7 Support for Heritage Tourism by Respondent Type

Tourism and Sustainability

Lastly, sustenability in the growth of tourist tourism was a major theme, in survey findings. It shows in Table 8 that the groups who would be willing to sponsor cultural preservation projects are the tourists (60 percent), business owners (55 percent) and locals (50 percent). This data indicates that the tourists are also more prone toward sustainable tourism activities as 80 percent of the tourists showed interest in partaking in the sustainable tourism activities. Figure 8 once again confirms the given tendencies, as there is a definite correlation between the level of satisfaction with the local tourism strategies and readiness of the tourists to finance the cultural preservation activities. Yet, there is still a great deal of issues related to the fact that the balanced tourism model can be developed, which supports the economy and cultural heritage, as pointed out all the respondent groups.

Table 8: Survey Results – Tourism and Sustainability

Respondent Type	Willingness to Fund Cultural Preservation Projects (%)	Perceived Government Commitment to Cultural Preservation (%)	Interest in Sustainable Tourism Practices (%)	Support for Local Heritage Tourism Events (%)	Perception of the Economic Sustainability of Tourism (%)	Willingness to Visit Cultural Heritage Sites More Than Once (%)	Perceived Benefit of Community-Based Tourism Models (%)	Satisfaction with Local Tourism Development Strategies (%)
Local Residents	50	60	70	65	55	50	75	60
Business Owners	55	70	75	75	60	60	80	65
Tourists	60	65	80	80	65	70	70	70

Figure 8 Support for Government Policies on Cultural Tourism

This study has indicated that in as much as cultural tourism in Dongguan has been seen to have enormous economic advantages and has created awareness on heritage preservation, the sustainability issue is a challenge. Local residents as well as business owners are both aware of the relevance that tourism serves in regeneration, but they don not all hold the same perceptions of the cultural effects of tourism. The need to work towards the better engagement of the community along with stronger state action in tourism is evident, as in promoting an economic sphere, tourism should not override the authenticity of cultural heritage, but should rather reinforce the former.

Discussion

The cultural-tourism integration of the traditional villages through their conservation and regeneration has become a crucial subject of learning on sustainable rural development. This study reveals key findings on the tourism in the traditional villages of Dongguan and has shown how cultural tourism, heritage conservation, and economic development of any community interacts with one another. As much as cultural tourism brings great hope of preserving traditional culture and leading to economic development, it is associated with myriads of challenges and this includes the danger of commercializing of cultures, environmental destruction and loss of the sense of place.

Cultural Tourism as a Double-Edged Sword

Culture tourism is being touted as one of the best ways of rural development and this serves as a way of maintaining the culture and in the same breath bring economic benefits. Richards (2012) notes that cultural tourism provides the visitor with the opportunity to know, learn and enjoy the local history, traditions and customs and this has the effect of preserving the identity of these rural communities. In the case of Dongguan, cultural tourism has brought about a positive aspect in advancement of the local economy through provision of new income and job opportunities (Gonzalez, 2017). The results of the current research confirm this opinion as the participants of the research stated that tourism has led to the development of local business and creation of employment opportunities. Nevertheless, there is equally the risk of the commercialization of culture whereby tradition and culture is distorted in order to please those who are tourists, and the traditional practices are thus changed and so the interest of tourists will be to get a unique experience at the expense of the authenticity of the cultural encounter (Baldacchino, 2006).

Other studies conducted in different parts of China, like Lijiang, proved that cultural tourism can be a source of watering down traditional activities and migration of local communities (Xu, 2015). In case of Dongguan, the locals raised the issue of commercialization of the heritage sites and their degradation of cultural authenticity which is supported by the report made by Zhang and Zhao (2016). Tourism can give a boost to the economy but this has to be handled with a lot of caution so that it does not cause the loss of the very heritage that it has been practiced to protect.

Sustainability Challenges in Cultural Tourism Development

The major problem of incorporating cultural tourism in rural regeneration is the necessity to suppose a sustainable utilization and economic advantage balance. The findings of this research indicate that although tourism has great economic impact on the traditional villages, it imposes the strain on the local infrastructures and environment. It agrees with the arguments provided by Hall and Williams (2008), who have stated that tourism development, at least in heritage sites, may escalate the number of wastes, pollution, and the burden on the public services, in places desired as such. In Dongguan, the interviewed revealed that improvements in waste management, transportation infrastructure and product facilities should be made to meet the increasing number of tourists.

A sustainable tourism will, hence, be an issue of concern during revitalisation of traditional villages. As Weaver (2001) claims the negative effects of toursism can be reduced through adopting sustainable tourism practices and the improvement of environmental friendliness, support of local talents and communities and the preservation of culture. This paper has identified that although sustainability is mostly accepted by people, the local residents are apprehensive upon the environmental implication of tourism in terms of waste and congested roads. The difficult part is to execute sustainable tourism policies that take into consideration the critical need to establish economic growth and take care of cultural and environmental resources.

Community Involvement and Local Empowerment

Local communities play an essential part in the process of regeneration in the success of cultural tourism developments. This has been supported by Mowforth and Munt (2003), who wrote that community-based tourism models, which engage the surrounding populations in making decisions, will have higher prospects of meeting long term sustainability and cultural preservation. The results of the Dongguan City can be interpreted in the sense that although the business owners and the tourists are willing to participate in what pertains to tourism development, the local residents wanted to be involved more about the planning and management processes of tourism development.

In most of the rural regions, the young generation has moved to cities in search of better economic wealth leaving the older people behind who are less active in tourism business (Cohen, 2004). This was also the case in Dongguan whereby it has thrown in the towel on many skills and crafts. Notice that the participation of younger generations in the matter of cultural tourism can be so important to preserve patriarchal-like traditions. Stone (2015) suggests that to preserve tradition and offer sustainable economic opportunities at the same time, it is also possible to organize programs to involve the local communities, especially the younger generation, in heritage preservation and cultural tourism.

Moreover, the paper established that the degree of people participation also had significant association with perceptions about the benefits of tourism. The interest of tourism development was more widely supported by business owners on the ground that direct benefit would accrue to their purse and fear among residents due to their beliefs that cultural development would be lost and they have no locus in tourism development was raised. This corroborates the issues raised by Tosun (2000) that local communities have to be empowered and have a say in the process of development, to raise a successful tourism development in the long run.

Government Policies and Heritage Preservation

Other key elements in the effective integration of cultural tourism are the government involvement. Major findings of Nyaupane and Poudel (2011) reveal that governments policies are critical in regulating the development of tourism, in having priority given to heritage preservation and equality in the distribution of the benefits of tourism to the local people. Dongguan the results indicate that people consider government intervention in supporting the tourism infrastructure and heritage conservation to be quite important, they also felt there is more that can be done to prevent over-tourism and exploitation of the cultural sites here.

Unavailability of clarity in the policies or foundation of funded propaganda of heritage preservation has negatively affected the viability of tourism projects in most regions. This paper has identified that both local residents and local business owners are interested in increased government participation, especially when dealing with the improvement of the environment, infrastructure, and traditional sites protection. This is important because development of heritage tourism must also be accompanied by regulations that are able to stop commercialization of cultural practices and guarding of the local heritage against being used to provide temporary economic sets (Harrison, 2015). Governments must also think of giving incentive funds to the local communities to participate in the conservation of heritage and ecotourism programs.

Cultural tourism is a sphere that has a probability to bring economic and cultural advantages when incorporated into the regenerative activity of traditional villages in Dongguan. However, this model will only work out when there is a balance between tourism and heritage conservation. The results of this research show that such a balance is a significant role of sustainable tourism business practices, government policy and community participation. Although tourism is a potentially profitable economic activity, much attention should be paid to avoiding the situation when tourism becomes a cost to cultural authenticity and environment sustainability. Focus areas of future research should entail on the formulation of practical and feasible frameworks or models that can be used to develop viable and sustainable cultural tourism that can be applied to other poverty stricken areas in other regions.

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