Otherness, Self-regulation, and Government Identity Construction in Tourism: A Case Study of Turpan, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region

Abstract

One of the discourses on community development constructed by the government of China is a discourse concerning ‘tourism’ in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. In doing so, a sense of identity is employed as a strategic mechanism in which otherness could be incorporated into China's ethnic majority. This article focuses on Turpan prefecture, which is a cultural tourism hub of Xinjiang. The data are collected through direct observation (field research) and critical analysis of documentation. The findings show three interesting aspects. The first one is marketing otherness. it is found that most tourists, especially Han people, usually are attracted by a marketing strategy promoting destinations through otherness in which they will be exposed to some form of cultural otherness such as Uyghur traditional life, Loulan Beauty, and Muslim cuisine. The second one is the aspect of self-identification; the Uyghurs define themselves as “a part of China, but not Chinese” through the context of China's Muslims and their cultural power as being the original inhabitants of Xinjiang. The last one is about identity construction. At a local level, the identity is intentionally based on otherness to serve a tourism purpose. However, as to the national level, discursive construction of identity somehow draws on the national government’s discourse. For example, the Chinese government attempts to promote and merge the Han into Turpan by making use of Uyghur-Han historical relations, e.g., mentioning the ancient Silk Road and the well-known Chinese novel, Journey to the West, as a tool for cultural hybridization. By doing so, tourism could become a mechanism for upholding Han legitimacy and further valuing the history of Xinjiang as a part of the history of China.