ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a retrospective overview of the geo-historical context of Lijiang’s heritage tourism. It elaborates China’s tourism developments during the transitional period from planned economy to market economy with a final focus on the historical site of Lijiang as a popular destination.1 The primary aim is to uncover how diverse geo-historical forces, interests, and sentiments are responsible for framing the current tourism politics in Lijiang. There are two important signposts to note.
