ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the commodification of Lijiang’s heritage landscapes and the socio-spatial transformation of the town. Our intention is to provide an analysis of how heritage landscapes in Lijiang Ancient Town are commodified as tourism development progresses, and how the resulting socio-spatial transformations lead to a museumization of heritage. We argue that hegemony is strong because the commodified landscapes are not only the outcomes of policymakers’ visions of turning Lijiang Ancient Town into a thriving tourist attraction but also they have the consent of the majority of the locals who have been persuaded to embrace this same goal. As we will show in this chapter, commodification can bring about substantial economic returns to investors and satisfy tourist consumers. For in-migrant Han private enterprise (that runs many of the shops and guesthouses) and the indigenous Naxi, this state of affairs is acceptable and, in some cases, viewed as an inevitable outcome of modernization as Lijiang Ancient Town’s contact with the global economy becomes more entrenched. As Lijiang transforms, the hegemony of the state authorities at the national/provincial levels and private enterprise at the local level strengthens.1
