The purpose of this study is to discover tourism social conflicts in the ethnic regions of western China during the social transitioning period. Actually, this study started to do fieldwork in ethnic tourism destinations of western China by using interdisciplinary research method of ethnology, sociology, and tourism in 2006. After conducting a long time investigation, especially with the support of National Social Science Fundation of China in 2011, this study selected more than 10 representative tourism destinations of Sichuan Province and Yunnan Province as optimal fieldwork sites, such as Jiaju Tibetan Village, Taoping Qiang Village, Jiuzhaigou Valley and Daocheng Yading of Sichuan Province, as well as Xishuangbanna Dai Park, Yulong Snow Mountain, Yubeng Village in Meri Snow Mountain, Qianhu Mountain, Pudacuo National Park in Shangri-La County and Shika Snow Mountain of Yunnan Province, and we collected large quantity of first hand materials.

This study applies the modern social conflict theory of contemporary western society into analyzing Tourism Social Conflicts in the ethnic regions of western China during the social transitioning period, and also intends to explore the epistemology on Tourism Social Conflicts theoretically. Based on the modern ideological explanation of social conflicts, functions and investigations of the tourism industry development in ethnic areas of western China, this paper intends to explore the functions of the Tourism Social Conflict comprehensively, which may have dual consequences on tourism destinations, both positive and negative ones, aiming to provide theoretic support for the effective coordination and control of tourism social conflicts. Actually, it also plans to build a suit of coordination and control mechanism of Tourism Social Conflicts in practice, so as to understand this issue comprehensively and promote tourism industry development normally, even maintain the society of ethnic regions in western China to be more harmonious and stable.

Specifically, on one hand, this paper defines the concept of Tourism Social Conflicts. In this part, based on the classical ideology of social conflicts represented by Karl Marx, Weber and Simmel, as well as the modern ideology of social conflicts represented by Coser, Dahrendorf and Mills, it proposed the dialectical view that Tourism Social Conflicts involves dual functions (both positive effects and negative effects). On the other hand, this paper expounds the functions of Tourism Social Conflicts. Based on refining the modern ideology, the explanation of social conflicts and functions, it describes the impact on society by Tourism Social Conflicts in ethnic regions of western China, which may have dual consequences on tourism destinations, both positive and negative ones; among these, the negative social functions include losing of tourism resources, undermining public order, hurting ethnic groups feelings, damaging tourism destinations image and forfeiting local government credibility; the positive social functions include rebuilding social relationship, improving social integration and alleviating social contradictions. Because of the damage caused by negative social functions, it is indispensable to coordinate and control Tourism Social Conflicts.

Key Words:social conflict; tourism; ethnic areas; dual functions

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