Semi-Acquaintance Society in Rural Community-Based Tourism: Case Study of Moon Village, China

Abstract

Tourism development provides a unique context for studying guanxi in acquaintance society in rural areas in China. Taking the case of Moon village from the perspective of guanxi, this study conducted a qualitative study to analyze the structural characteristics of the semi-acquaintance society in the tourism context. A buffer guanxi circle develops when strangers immerse themselves into an acquaintance-based society through social interaction, where affection and reasoning define the boundary, guanxi and the interests on which the social consensus is based, as well as the elite and collective actions vitalizing the community. These findings on how the semi-acquaintance society contributes to guanxi imply a co-governance structure for informal relations in governance in community-based rural tourism.