ABSTRACT
In this paper, the social network of female residents in Wulingyuan World Natural Heritage Site was studied through questionnaire survey and semi-structured interview. The quantitative data and qualitative analysis of female residents in Yuanjiajie Village, Longweiba Village and Maershan Village in Wulingyuan District were combined with sampling questionnaire and snowball interview. By analyzing the data of network scale, network centrality and network density, we found that the social network of female residents in different locations of Wulingyuan varies in scale, connection and structure. Results show that the ecotourism brings about gradually expanded social interaction scope and diversified social relations for female residents in Wulingyuan. The increasingly-enhanced heterogeneity of social networks makes the largest social network scale, both strong and weak ties, and the most stable network structure of female residents in Yuanjiajie Village, followed by those in Longweiba Village and Maershan Village.
