{"id":1655,"date":"2024-01-23T12:06:32","date_gmt":"2024-01-23T12:06:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spatialhistory.net\/cities\/?p=1655"},"modified":"2024-01-23T12:07:46","modified_gmt":"2024-01-23T12:07:46","slug":"the-chinese-tourism-service-limited-reinforced-chineseness-of-the-chinese-international-student-by-forming-exclusive-spatial-identity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spatialhistory.net\/cities\/2024\/01\/the-chinese-tourism-service-limited-reinforced-chineseness-of-the-chinese-international-student-by-forming-exclusive-spatial-identity\/","title":{"rendered":"The Chinese Tourism Service Limited reinforced Chineseness of the Chinese international students by forming exclusive spatial identity"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Excerpt 1. the exclusivity of passengers1<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

\"\"Excerpt 2. The instruction of the dress code2<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Yajun Mo, in his chapters, posits that the Chinese Tourism Service Limited (CTS) assumed the responsibility of managing and transporting Chinese international students to the United States in response to the demands of the nationalist government. CTS was tasked with various responsibilities, including finding accommodations, helping international students register for school, managing education funds, and sending report cards to their parents, all aimed at maintaining their ties with ethnic roots in China.3<\/a><\/sup>. This played a role in cultivating a nationalist sentiment among international students. However, according to the primary source discussed in this blog, it argues that CTS not only contributed to the construction of nationalist sentiment but also actively promoted the concept of Chineseness by establishing an exclusive spatial identity for Chinese international students. In creating this distinct identity, CTS differentiated Chinese students from foreigners during their journey to the US. Also, CTS provided instructions to international students on how to dress appropriately in the US.<\/p>\n

The primary source for this blog is an article published by CTS in 1927 in the magazine \u65c5\u884c\u96dc\u8a8c. The blog presents select critical excerpts from this article to illustrate the key argument.<\/p>\n

To promote the idea of Chineseness, CTS set Chinese international students apart from foreigners during their sea journey to the United States. As mentioned in Excerpt 1, CTS arranged an exclusive ship solely for the travel of Chinese international students, avoiding their mingling with other foreign passengers. That is, \u201c\u672c\u793e\u7279\u8207\u7f8e\u570b\u8f2a\u8239\u516c\u53f8\u5546\u5b9a \u2026 \u5de8\u8f2a\u4e00\u8258\u3002\u5b8c\u5168\u8f09\u4e2d\u570b\u7559\u7f8e\u5b78\u751f\u6771\u884c\u3002\u2026 \u800c\u8239\u516c\u53f8\u5373\u7a31\u6b64\u8239\u70ba\u201c\u4e2d\u570b\u7559\u5b78\u751f\u8239\u201d\u84cb\u9664\u4e2d\u570b\u5b78\u751f\u5916\u3002\u5e7e\u7121\u4ed6\u5ba2\u4e5f\u3002\u201d4<\/a><\/sup> Despite the international nature of the journey, operated by foreign entities, these international students acquired an exclusive spatial identity within the confines of the ship. On the one hand, they engaged with the global community by adopting Western transportation and benefited from international business to facilitate their travels abroad. On the other hand, their activities were restricted to their original social circle. While they could leverage foreign technologies, their interaction with the authentic foreign community was limited, given their exclusive status within the ship. What began as an international journey evolved into a trip without immediate contact with foreigners and with limited participation in foreign cultures.<\/p>\n

Concerning lifestyle instructions, CTS played a pivotal role in guiding the dress code for international students. In Excerpt 2, CTS emphasised the importance of bringing traditional Chinese-style clothing that could authentically showcase the Chinese identity within the foreign community, thereby creating exclusivity around the clothes of Chinese students. The authors note, \u201c\u65e5\u5e38\u6240\u8457\u4e4b\u8863\u7269\u4e09\u8972\u3002\u7070\u8272\u6216\u6df1\u8272\u5462\u7d68\u8005\u3002\u51e1\u4e8c\u8972\u3002\u9ed1\u6216\u6df1\u85cd\u967d\u555c\u8005\u4e00\u8972,\u201d5<\/a><\/sup> wherein CTS recommended specific colours for everyday wear, elevating these colours to symbols of Chinese-exclusive clothing. In this foreign space, the chosen colours became distinctive representations of exoticism. Notably, CTS highly recommended the inclusion of clothing made from Chinese silk, intended to \u201c\u4ee5\u63da\u6771\u65b9\u540d\u8cb4\u4e4b\u6587\u85dd,\u201d5<\/a><\/sup> solidifying the Chinese identity through the choice of materials. In this case, materials became symbolic representations of identity, establishing a standardised image of a Chinese in a foreign environment. From the prescribed colours to the emphasis on Chinese-produced materials, CTS reinforced the Chineseness of these students by instituting a set of lifestyle norms for Chinese international students in American society. While these students studied abroad, immersing themselves in foreign cultures and visiting iconic American sites such as Yellowstone National Park as noted by Mo in his chapter,6<\/a><\/sup> they were simultaneously restrained by the directives of their home country\u2019s agency\u2014CTS. CTS constructed an ideal image of being Chinese in a foreign space, blending the students\u2019 spatial identity with foreign influences and a distinctly Chinese traditional foundation.<\/p>\n

In essence, the foreign journey for Chinese international students was not merely an educational pursuit but also a reinforcement of Chineseness. CTS, through its involvement in their study abroad experience, not only provided students with benefits but also underscored their Chinese identity by establishing an exclusive space on the ship. Individually, CTS instructed the students\u2019 lifestyle in the United States, promoting a traditional Chinese dress code in style and material. While these international students benefitted from a foreign education, the journey fortified their identity within the community. Consequently, the tourism experience for Chinese international students carries profound implications for constructing Chineseness within overseas Chinese communities.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Primary Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n

Zhuang Jiuzhu \u5e84\u4e5d\u94f8, Xu Zhaofeng \u8bb8\u5146\u4e30, \u201cZengbie Youmei Xuesheng\u201d \u8d60\u522b\u6e38\u7f8e\u5b66\u751f, \u65c5\u884c\u96dc\u8a8c (1927): 86\u201396.<\/p>\n

Secondary Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mo, Yajun, Touring china: A history of travel culture, 1912-1949<\/em> (Ithaca, 2022).<\/p>\n

  1. Zhuang Jiuzhu \u5e84\u4e5d\u94f8, Xu Zhaofeng\u8bb8\u5146\u4e30 \u201cZenbie Youmei Xuesheng\u201d \u8d60\u522b\u6e38\u7f8e\u5b66\u751f, Luxing Zazhi<\/em> \u65c5\u884c\u96dc\u8a8c (1927): 87. [↩<\/a>]<\/span><\/li>
  2. Zhuang Jiuzhu and Xu Zhaofeng, \u2018Zenbie Youmei Xuesheng\u2019, p. 88. [↩<\/a>]<\/span><\/li>
  3. Yajun Mo, Touring China: A History of Travel Culture, 1912-1949<\/em> (Ithaca, 2022), p. 36. [↩<\/a>]<\/span><\/li>
  4. Zhuang Jiuzhu and Xu Zhaofeng, \u2018Zenbie Youmei Xuesheng\u2019, p. 87. [↩<\/a>]<\/span><\/li>
  5. Ibid.<\/em> [↩<\/a>]<\/span> [↩<\/a>]<\/span><\/li>
  6. Mo, Touring China<\/em>, p. 36. [↩<\/a>]<\/span><\/li><\/ol>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Excerpt 1. the exclusivity of passengers1 Excerpt 2. The instruction of the dress code2 Yajun Mo, in his chapters, posits that the Chinese Tourism Service Limited (CTS) assumed the responsibility of managing and transporting Chinese international students to the United States in response to the demands of the nationalist government. CTS was tasked with various […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1655","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-china"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spatialhistory.net\/cities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1655","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spatialhistory.net\/cities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spatialhistory.net\/cities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spatialhistory.net\/cities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spatialhistory.net\/cities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1655"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.spatialhistory.net\/cities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1655\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1659,"href":"https:\/\/www.spatialhistory.net\/cities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1655\/revisions\/1659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spatialhistory.net\/cities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1655"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spatialhistory.net\/cities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1655"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spatialhistory.net\/cities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}