Tourism and Civilization: People's Forum

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, July 03, 2003

Tourism and Civilization: People's Forum

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To go out for travel there must be two prerequisites: one being the disposable income in exception of the expenditure for supporting the basic livings of the family and another the time to spare after working. More than 70 years ago, Lu Xun had a famous saying that existence came before having enough food and clothes, and after that the development. The rising of tourism industry signals that China is now in pursuance of an overall development instead of only having enough food and clothes. It is because of the rapid development of material civilization that has not only rendered people more food to eat and clothes to wear, but also more leisure to enjoy themselves, thus cropping up the tourism industry.

The function of tourism industry must not be ascribed only to "expanding domestic needs and consumption". Travel can help increase people's knowledge, widen their field of vision and cultivate their demeanor and disposition. Although people can get to know what is happening in the world by reading and logging in net as ancient Chinese folk saying goes "a learnt person can know the news in the world without stepping out his door". However, travel is a thing that can't be replaced. It is only by travel that you can get to know a vivid picture and understand what a "long history and vast territory" really means. When enjoying the marvelous scenery and being proud of a long-standing history, we can get rid of all kinds of worries and vexations and have a broader mind. This is the inherent motivation by which people pay money to buy travel and fatigue. Travel itself is a kind of spiritual need and cultural pursuit. So, the uncivilized phenomena during travel are particularly incompatible.

Tourism is a kind of industry. Attention should be paid to economic returns in the development of tourism industry. However, departments managing the tourist attractions, tour groups and the employed of the industry including tour guides, should all abide by the relevant laws and rules so as to develop tourism and make money in a reasonable way. Meanwhile attention must be paid to the protection of resources, and to attracting tourists with first-rate services. The connatural scenic spots are unchangeable, but the atmosphere is created by human beings. A management conception, morality in profession and service criteria can help make a landscape even more beautiful. The unmoral behavior and the banal idea of money worshiping, such as earning money by fetishism, eroticism, short-term behavior and cheating tourists, will absolutely spoil the fun of them. They will suffer from these wrong doings instead of enjoying beautiful things when digging money out of their pockets. This explains that attention must not only be paid to the building up of material civilization but also to that of spiritual civilization. A scenic spot should also be an area with a lofty spiritual civilization. The requirement is in conformity with the important thought of the "Three Represents". In the light of such requirement, we can gain social returns and economic benefits as well.

Spiritual civilization must be held high in scenic areas in which tourists themselves should take up their responsibilities too. The quality of tourists differs greatly in civilized manners due to their different experiences in life and education backgrounds. The saying of "with the development of material civilization, the spiritual civilization will go up itself" hasn't so far been verified in the travel craze. Some uncivilized behaviors in society, remnants of feudal superstition, decadent ways of life and habits of defying trifles, will occur among some tourists now and then. We mustn't cherish a high hope that travel will help enhance the civilized manners of the people once and for all. However, a good environment can help correct the uncivilized ways of tourists and the black sheep will have to control themselves, for example, a person used to spitting will have to think twice before doing it when entering a very clean, star-scaled hotel. To go out for travel and get nurtured in the nature, we should purify our souls too. Usually, it is a rare chance to visit one place, and nobody should make a mess everywhere or s/he'll be reviled like a weasel leaving an awful stench behind it.

By PD Online Staff Liu Wei

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