GES 2050B / GRM 1003B
行萬里，識中國
Understanding China Through Travels
Second Term, 2008 – 2009
Instructor
Prof. XU, Jiang
FYB Rm. 228, Ext. 6475, Email: jiangxu@cuhk.edu.hk
Tutor
Mr. Wong Jefferson See
FYB Rm. 219, Ext. 6233, Email: jeff_wong@cuhk.edu.hk
Course Content and Schedule
(1) Course Description
China is not only the most populous country in the world but also an ancient civilization
endowed with plenty national wonders, spectacular landscapes and cultural heritage sites,
which are the historical records of China’s protracted tortuous development. The occurrence
and evolution of these features is a reflection of the unique geography of the country, its regional
variations as well as the people’s interaction with the environment. Many of these features have
become important tourist attractions, and yet their preservation is challenged by the rapid
economic development, growth of tourism and sometimes inadequate management. As
China’s role in the world becomes increasingly important, it accentuates the importance and
imperativeness for students to improve their understanding of China. After completing this
course, students are expected to have improved their understanding of China by examining
these features from the historical, geographical, cultural, ecological and economic
perspectives.
(2) Course Objectives
The ultimate objectives are:
 to improve students’ ability to think about China’s complex civilization and development
more comprehensively and critically;
 to enhance students’ intellectual knowledge about China from the historical;
geographical, cultural, ecological and economic perspectives; and
 to enable students to integrate what they have learned from this course into other China
related courses in their own discipline of study
(3) Topics and Schedule
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
Date
9 Jan
16 Jan
23 Jan
30 Jan
6 Feb
13 Feb
7
20 Feb
Topic
Introduction
Old Beijing, Great Olympics
Journey to the Northeast
Lunar New Year Vacation
Shanghai Bund and Its People
The Cultural Treasures in Southwest:
Symbols and Rituals
Tibet: Religion, Culture and Natural Beauty
Assessment
Essay topics announced
2
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
27 Feb
6 Mar
13 Mar
20 Mar
27 Mar
3 Apr
10 Apr
17 Apr
Unveiling Old Towns along Silk Road
Unusual Lingnan
China’s World heritage
Wild China
Contemporary China: Invisible Cities (1)
Contemporary China: Invisible Cities (2)
Easter
Course Evaluation and In-Class Quiz
45 min video included
45 min film review included
In-class quiz & Essay due
(4) Recommended Readings
The recommended readings for the course have two parts. Part One is recommended readings
for individual lectures. Part Two relates to researching the essay. These references may be
useful for students in gaining some background on tourism and culture in China for their essay.
Part One:
Major readings:

胡兆量等（2001）中國文化地理概述. 北京：北京大學出版社。(Chinese version
only)
Recommended readings for individual lectures
Introduction

李天綱（2008）“全球化真諦：文化多樣性的可持續發展”。 信報財經新聞，
2008 年 5 月 29 日，P47。(Chinese version only)
Old Beijing, Great Olympics
 Sit, Fung-shuen, Victor (1995), Beijing : the nature and planning of a Chinese capital
city, Chichester: Wiley.
Journey to the Northeast
 胡兆量等（2001）中國文化地理概述. 北京：北京大學出版社(第十章第三節)。
Shanghai Bund and It’s People

Brian Hook (ed.) (1998), Shanghai and the Yangtze Delta : A City Reborn, Hong Kong,
New York : Oxford University Press
The Cultural Treasures in Southwest: Symbols and Rituals

Stevan Harrell (2001), Ways of Being Ethnic in Southwest China, Seattle : University of
Washington Press
Tibet: Religion, Culture and Natural Beauty

Andrew Palmer (filmed and directed) (2005), Tibet, National Geographic Channels
International.
Unveiling Old Towns along Silk Road

NHK (Japan) and CCTV (China) (2000), The Silk Road [videorecording], New York:
Central Park Media.
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Unusual Lingnan

鄭培凱主編（2003）嶺南歷史與社會，香港 : 香港城市大學出版社。(Chinese
version only)
China’s World heritage

National Comission of the People's Republic of China (2008), Atlas of World Heritage:
China, New York: Better Link Press.
Wild China

Giles Badger et al. (2008), Wild China : Natural Wonders of The World's Most
Enigmatic Land, New Haven: Yale University Press.
Contemporary China: Invisible Cities

Zheng, Gongcheng et al. (2007), Rural-Urban Migrant Workers in China: Issue and
Social Protection, Beijing: People Press. (in Chinese).
Part Two:
Becker, J. (2004, Friday 2 April). Faking it: Chinese burn their bridges with the past. The
Independent, pp. 32-33.
Bonavia, J., Hayman, R. P., & Wong, H. M. (2004). The Yangzi River and the Three Gorges
(7th ed.). Hong Kong: Odyssey.
Campbell, J. (2005, 4 January). Away with the fairies. South China Morning Post, p. 7.
Deng Jinyang, Qiang Shi, & Walker, G. J. (2003). Assessment on and perception of visitors'
environmental impacts of nature tourism: a case study of Zhangjiajie
National Forest Park, China. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 11(6), 529-548.
Donaldson, J. A. (2007). Tourism, development and poverty in Guizhou and Yunnan. The
China Quarterly(190), 333-351.
Doorne, S., Ateljevic, I., & Bai, Z. (2003). Representing identities through tourism:
encounters of ethnic minorities in Dali, Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China.
The International Journal of Tourism Research, 5(1), 1.
du Cros, H., Bauer, T., Lo, C., & Rui Song. (2005). Cultural heritage assets in China as
sustainable tourism products: case studies of the hutongs and the Huanghua section of
the Great Wall. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 13(2), 171-194.
Erve, C. (2007). Travels in paradox: remapping tourism. American Anthropologist, 109(3),
572.
Ghimire, K., & Zhou Li. (2001). The economic role of national tourism in China. London ;
Sterling, VA: Earthscan Publications.
Gladney, D. C. (1994). Representing nationality in China: refiguring majority/minority
identities. The Journal of Asian Studies, 53(1), 92-123.
Hilsum, L. (2007). Tibet: death by consumerism. New Statesman, 136(4860), 24-26
Hu Wei, & Wall, G. (2005). Environmental management, environmental image and the
competitive tourist attraction. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 13(6), 617-635.
Kendall, T. (2004). Marco Polo, orientalism and the experience of China: Australian travel
accounts of Mao's republic. Asian Studies Review, 28(4), 373-389.
Lew, A. A. (2003). Tourism in China. New York: Haworth Hospitality Press. Lew, A. A.
(2007) China's growing wanderlust Far Eastern Economic Review, 170(8), 60-64
Li Yiping. (2002). The impact of tourism in China on local communities. Asian Studies
Review, 26(4), 471-486.
Li Yiping. (2004). Exploring community tourism in China: the case of Nanshan cultural
tourism zone. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 12(3), 175-193.
Lindberg, K., et al. (1997). Ecotourism in China: selected issues and challenges. In Pacific
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Rim tourism (pp. 128-143). Wallingford; UK: CAB International.
Litzinger, R. (2004). The mobilization of “nature”: perspectives from north-west Yunnan. The
China Quarterly, 178, 488-505.
Loucks, C. J., et al. (2001). Ecology: Giant pandas in a changing landscape. Science,
294(5546), 1465.
Ma, J. (2001). Red dust : a path through China. London: Chatto & Windus.
Naquin, S., & Yü Chün-fang. (1992). Pilgrims and sacred sites in China. Berkeley:
University of California Press.
National Geographic Society (U.S.). (1982). Journey into China. Washington: National
Geographic Society.
Neville-Hadley, Peter (2007) China’s preservation destruction Far Eastern Economic Review
(Hong Kong), Sept. 170(7), 77-80
Oakes, T. (1998). Tourism and modernity in China. London ; New York: Routledge.
Peter, N.H. (2007).China's preservation destruction. Far Eastern Economic Review, 170(7),
77.
Schauble, J. (2002, 12 January). Puffing across Inner Mongolia. The Age, p. 15.
Seth, V. (1983). From Heaven Lake : travels through Sinkiang and Tibet. London: Chatto &
Windus.
Sofield, T. H. B., & Li Fung Mei, S. (1998). Tourism development and cultural policies in
China. Annals of Tourism Research 25(2), 362-392
Strassberg, R. E. (1994). Inscribed landscapes: travel writing from imperial China. Berkeley:
Univ. of Calif. Press.
Tisdell, C.A., Chai J.C.H.(1997) China's economic growth and transition: macroeconomic,
regional, environmental and other dimensions. Brisbane, Qld., The Dept. of
Economics at the University of Qld.
Wang, Z., Tan, C.-B., Cheung, S. C. H., & Yang, H. (2001). Tourism, anthropology and
China. Bangkok: White Lotus Press.
Wozniak, Lara (2003) Shared heritage Far Eastern Economic Review (Hong Kong), 5 June,
166(22), 27
Wu, F. (2000) ‘Place promotion in Shanghai, PRC’, Cities, 17(5): 349-61.
Xie, F. P. (2003). The bamboo-beating dance in Hainan, China: authenticity and
commodification. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 11(1), 5-16.
Xie, P. F., & Wall, G. (2002). Visitors' perceptions of authenticity at cultural attractions in
Hainan, China. The International Journal of Tourism Research, 4(5), 353.
Zhu, E. (2007). Pursuits travel: on the silk road again. Wall Street Journal, p.1.
Learning Outcomes
After completing the course, students are expected to be able to understand:
 the basic processes (geography, history, environment, and politics) that operate in
China’s development and the geographic dimension of these processes;
 the inter-relationships among these processes at time and spatial scales; and
 “China’s civilization and development” beyond what is presented in the mass media.
Learning Activities
This course will be introduced as a series of lectures which will be held every Friday between
13:30 – 15:15 at ERB LT. The lectures will be supplemented by stories, images and videos to
arouse students’ interests in China. In addition to attending lectures and taking the quiz,
students will: research, plan and complete an essay; undertake in-class film reviews; and
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participate in group discussions. Students will be encouraged to use the lecture periods and
course Web-CT for information sharing and engaging in discussions.
Assessment
Both GES and GRM students will be assessed identically based on the following:
(1) Active participation and in-class videos review regular class/group/ discussions and
debates (30%).
(2) Essay (30%)
Students are required to select one of three topics for writing an essay (around 2,500 words in
English or 2,000 words in Chinese). A softcopy of the essay should be sent to CUHK
CUPIDE system on or before 20 April 2009. A hardcopy (together with the CUPIDE receipt)
will be due by 5:00 pm on 20 April 2009. One day of delay in submitting your essay will cost
10% reduction of your mark of the essay.


Stage 1 = Announce essay topics in week 3
Stage 2 = Submission
(3) In-class quiz (40%)
 There is one in-class quiz on 17 April 2009, carrying 40% of the total assessment. The
quiz takes about 50 minutes.
 The quiz questions are drawn from lectures and videos, covering the contents of the
entire course (lecture notes and readings). The quiz contains 20 multiple-choice
questions and one short-answer question. The quiz will be graded based on the best
answers to the questions.
 It is essential that you be graded only on your own answer. Cheating during the quiz will
lead to a mark of zero.
 No make-up or early quiz is available except under very special circumstances fully
beyond the control of the student. To apply for a make-up quiz, a written notice and
supportive documents should be provided.
Academic Honesty Guidelines
All work you submit for this course must be entirely the creation of you. Any text, images, or
ideas taken from another source must be properly cited using the parenthetical citation method
in your papers and presentations. Please check
http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/index.htm (Appendix A & B) for information
about how to cite the sources you consult. It is your responsibility to learn how to cite sources
correctly. If you have any questions, please ask the tutor. All cases of plagiarism and cheating
will be dealt with by the University.
Feedback for Course Evaluation
Two anonymous course evaluations (one in the fourth week and one in the last week) will be
conducted to get feedback about the course from students.
NOTE: THIS IS A TENTATIVE SYLLABUS AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE BY
THE INSTRUCTORS
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