Towards the Wall or the Bridge? A Case Study of Host–Guest Symbiosis in a Chinese Heritage Tourism Site

Abstract

The close connection between community residents and tourists in heritage tourism sites strengthens the relationship between people and places. To explore the mechanisms of host–guest interaction and the driving factors of residents’ willingness to participate in tourism in heritage tourism destinations, this study adopts a mixed-method approach combining qualitative research and quantitative analysis. The results of the study show that host–guest symbiosis in heritage tourism destinations goes through four stages: identity qualification, bodily co-presence, common focus, and emotional solidarity. Quantitative research (SEM) reveals the impact of residents’ welcoming nature, emotional closeness, and sympathetic understanding towards tourists on the sense of community belonging, as well as the subsequent response of willingness to participate in tourism. Through the analysis of the host–guest interaction mechanisms and symbiotic relationships in heritage tourism sites, the key emotional factors influencing residents’ participation in tourism are revealed.

1. Introduction

Since heritage tourism became very popular in the 1990s, its sustainability has come under serious threat. Its own life cycle has passed the mature period and gone into decline. However, as a form of tourism, its tourism life cycle has its own developmental laws. Heritage tourism destinations are distinct from other general social components. Residents are the inheritors of traditional culture and builders of modern community culture. Heritage tourism destinations have good water conservancy and transport conditions. Such destinations have been important places where people have lived for generations, and heritage has become part of inhabitants’ daily lives. These locations are not isolated, but a part of human society and form a unique socio-cultural system with their surroundings. Therefore, in relation to special public spaces and the resources of heritage, the issue of sustainable development is particularly important for the process of heritage management.

Heritage tourism, as an effective way for the sustainable development of heritage sites, has increasingly received extensive attention from the academic community, and many scholars have conducted in-depth studies on the relationship between heritage conservation and tourism development. Cho explored the link between heritage and tourism from the perspective of tourists, and has proposed three kinds of relationship between tourism and heritage: synergistic, complementary, and antagonistic [1]. Loulanski explored the impacts of 15 policy factors on the sustainable development of heritage tourism from the perspective of policy [2]. Meanwhile, scholars have carried out a lot of research on the development path of heritage tourism. Giliberto explored the tourism strategy of heritage from the perspective of local stakeholders [3].Tsai and other scholars explored the impact of digital technology on the perceived experience of heritage tourism sites from the perspective of tourists [4,5,6]. Scholars have also studied the impact of heritage tourism on local communities from the perspective of residents [7,8,9]. However, the existing results overemphasized a single subject, and few studies have examined the sustainable development of heritage tourism sites from the perspective of the subject and the client.

When local heritage becomes a tourist attraction, characteristics and experience become essential for its sustainable development. The natural and cultural tourism resources of local communities are precious assets for heritage tourism destinations to achieve product-function transformation and distinctive development. Therefore, the deep interaction and mutual promotion between residents and tourists are the choice of heritage tourism destinations to adapt to market development. The World Tourism Summit, co-hosted by the World Tourism Organization (WTO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), called for people to “make local communities the main participants in tourism development, not bystanders” [10]. The “symbiosis theory” in ecology emphasizes that the development of the social system needs to follow the core concept of common development, where residents and tourists form a community of life with interdependence and common development. Therefore, the symbiotic development of residents and tourists is also the fundamental place to enhance the interests of residents and tourists’ experiences. So, how do tourists and residents live together? How does the host–guest symbiosis affect the willingness of residents of heritage sites to participate in tourism activities? Obviously, these problems have become a means by which to explore the sustainable development of heritage tourism destinations.

This study takes the ancient city of Guangfu in Handan as the object of research, which is one of the few cities in China that combines literary tradition with martial arts, and is a Taiji city of high value for the preservation and research of intangible cultural heritage. It plays a crucial role in the global spread of Tai Chi. This study integrates the ritual chain theory under the perspective of symbiosis theory, which includes four key elements, namely identity qualification, bodily co-presence, common focus, and emotional solidarity as the symbiotic interface [11], and builds a symbiosis system model of heritage tourism destinations to understand the interactive relationship and symbiosis state between tourists and residents of tourism heritage destinations. At the same time, this study explores the impact of the emotional energy generated by the host–guest interaction on residents’ willingness to participate in tourism. This provides a new perspective for understanding the host–guest interaction between residents and tourists in heritage tourism destinations. On this basis, suggestions are put forward to provide a theoretical basis for the sustainable development of heritage tourism destinations.

2. Literature Review

2.1. What Is Going on Inside? Heritage Tourist Destinations as a Symbiotic System

Tourism destinations are regarded as an open and complex system with variable and intricate developmental elements that are spatially and functionally linked [12]. Similarly, heritage tourism destinations can be conceptualized as a system composed of different elements prevalent in nature and human society, and, for research, different systems can be constructed according to different principles [13]. Heritage tourism destinations are socially constructed systems [14].

From the perspective of symbiosis theory, the heritage tourist destination can be seen as a symbiotic system. The concept of “symbiosis” was first proposed by German biologist Anton de Bary (1879), and he defined it as “the survival of different organisms”. Following this, Famintsim, Korskii, Caullery, and Scott developed the symbiosis theory [15]. Symbiosis theory developed rapidly as a new research perspective, method, and framework in the social science field. Then it was gradually applied to philosophy, economics, sociology, and other fields [16,17,18], creating and enriching the symbiosis theory with Chinese localization characteristics. Li (2004) [16] regarded “symbiosis” as a broad concept in the philosophical sense, referring to a harmonious, mutually reinforcing, and co-prosperous destiny relationship between things or units. Yuan (1998) [17] expanded the symbiosis phenomenon in biology into the “symbiosis theory” in economics, and established a theoretical framework for symbiosis analysis in economics. In 2000, Professor Hu [18] of the Department of Sociology at Fudan University formally put forward the idea of “social symbiosis”, arguing that symbiosis is the basic way of life for human beings, and that the theory of symbiosis should be used as a guideline for society, so that we can say goodbye to “take class struggle as the key link” and move towards a social symbiosis that calls for harmony.

At the core of symbiotic theory is the symbiotic relationship composed of diversified symbiotic units [19], revealing the social phenomena of co-operation, mutual benefit, common survival, and common development among populations [20]. It goes beyond the jungle law of “survival of the fittest” and emphasizes that “mutual symbiosis is the evolutionary pattern that systems should adhere to” [21]. Peter Stringer (1984) first introduced the symbiosis theory into tourism [22]. After 2004, research on tourism symbiosis significantly expanded in both content and scope. Scholars have mainly explored the inner logic of regional–spatial win-win development under the linkage of tourism resources through empirical analysis. Tourism symbiosis, as a sustainable development concept, has garnered attention from all walks of life [23,24], including the symbiotic relationship between residents and tourism [25,26,27], industrial co-operation, regional competition, resource integration, protection, and development, and stakeholders [28,29,30,31].

It has been found that symbiosis theory mainly analyses three elements: unit, environment, and mode [32], and current tourism research with the theme of symbiotic relationship mainly focuses on the discussion of macro-regional tourism competitiveness and border symbiosis. This focuses more on how to promote regionally coordinated development through strengthening tourism links, but it lacks the symbiotic relationship between the individual and the heritage tourism destination from micro-research. This study regards heritage tourism destinations as a symbiotic system. Tourists and residents are symbiotic units within this symbiotic system, each with different characteristics and identifiable elements of the symbiotic system. The two symbiotic units of the heritage tourism destination realize the exchange of materials, resources, and information of the symbiotic units through interaction. Within a certain spatial and temporal range, the dynamic equilibrium between symbiotic units establishes and sustains a relatively stable structure, creating a symbiotic system within the heritage tourism destination. This distinct system sets it apart from others and its external environment.

2.2. Who Plays the Role? Host–Guest Interaction in Heritage Tourism Destinations

Host–guest interaction refers to the interactive contacts and behaviors between residents and tourists in the process of tourism activities, which implies various interactive behaviors and related relationships between “self” and “other” in different cultural, emotional, historical, economic, and ethical scenarios. The various behaviors and relationships between residents and tourists constitute the nodes supporting tourism development, playing an essential role in balancing the tourism ecosystem.

At different stages of tourism development, the performance of host–guest interaction varies. In the early stage, the relationship between residents and tourists is relatively harmonious, and residents’ behavior and motivation are mainly influenced by local customs and values. Residents are friendly and hospitable to tourists without expecting anything in return, and some even treat tourists as their honored “guests”. However, with the over-development of tourism, an increasing number of tourists begin to flock to the region. Traditional ways of interacting with others gradually disappear under the influence of external culture and the market economy [33]. Hence, the interaction process between residents and tourists undergoes a transformation from the initial socio-cultural and psychological exchanges to transactions predominantly driven by monetary considerations [34]. Residents entertaining tourists to derive economic benefits is labeled by Cohen (1988) as “commercialized hospitality” [35]. Nevertheless, there remains a gap in the examination of the host–guest interaction process at the micro-level, which is a key factor in gaining a full understanding of its true impact.

Moreover, Vanden Berghe and Keyes (1984) [36] outlined the dynamics of the relationship between residents and tourists, highlighting several key aspects. Firstly, the brevity of tourists’ visits results in an asymmetry in local information, which is more fully understood by residents. This imbalance makes tourists susceptible to deception and misunderstanding, and both parties can easily avoid the consequences of negative interactions. Secondly, tourists’ status is viewed as ambivalent. While they often come from affluent regions, their wealth, leisure, and possessions may trigger envy among locals. Conversely, tourists’ unfamiliarity with the destination can make them appear vulnerable and susceptible to exploitation. Thirdly, interactions between hosts and guests are inherently unequal, not only in terms of economic disparity (tilted in favor of tourists) and local knowledge (tilted in favor of residents), but also in tourism scenarios in which tourists play passive roles while locals play active roles. Scholars commonly use terms such as “gazer” and “gazed” to interpret differences in interactions between hosts and guests [37,38]. This gaze distance may result in behaviors like avoidance, distancing, negative attitudes, and, in some cases, suspicion and hostility. These factors are barriers that obstruct the formation and progress of trusting relationships [39].

2.3. How Does Symbiosis Proceed? A Symbiosis Framework for Heritage Tourist Destinations Based on Host–Guest Interactions

Tourism in heritage destinations is based on cultural heritage. Heritage tourism, as an important manifestation of cultural tourism, involves tangible cultural heritage such as architectural and archaeological sites, heritage cities, cultural routes, movable cultural properties, and museums. It also includes intangible cultural heritage, spanning a wide range of social practices, conceptual representations, expressions, knowledge, and skills, as well as the associated tools, objects, artifacts, and cultural spaces [40]. These architectural heritages, such as ancient palaces, temples, and houses, not only attract tourists with their unique architectural styles and exquisite craftsmanship, but also carry the memories of the community, traditional values, and lifestyles, and are important symbols of local cultural identity. In the process of exploring these architectural heritages, tourists are not only appreciating the aesthetic value of the buildings themselves, but also experiencing a cultural dialogue across time and space, and feeling the social practices, conceptual representations, expressive techniques, and profound knowledge systems behind the buildings. At the same time, non-heritage experiential activities around architectural heritage, such as festivals, traditional handicraft demonstrations, and folk art performances, further enrich the cultural connotation of the heritage sites and bring the static architectural heritage “alive”. These activities not only promote the living heritage of cultural heritage, but also deepen tourists’ understanding of, and respect for, local culture, and promote emotional exchanges and identity between tourists and local residents. Therefore, in heritage tourism, buildings and activities complement each other by jointly constructing a cultural space full of vitality and symbolic significance, so that tourists can feel deep emotional resonance and cultural attachment in their experience.

The intrinsic mechanism of heritage tourism in promoting local cultural identity involves transforming the feelings of heritage tourists into emotional energy, condensing identity symbols, and innovating behavioral practices through ritual interactions in heritage contexts. Therefore, heritage tourism has a natural coupling and adaptive association with the interaction ritual chains. Specifically:

First, heritage tourism uses social interaction to reinforce value norms related to acceptable behavior, traditions, and cultural heritage in shaping its subjects. Such shared value norms are the cultural capital that heritage tourists rely on to define themselves as belonging to a group, thus establishing social interactions in group co-existence.

Second, in heritage tourism, tourists and residents sharing the same cultural capital gather at heritage tourism destinations, accumulating and sharing emotional energy, generating emotional chains between groups, and triggering attention to identity symbols.

Once again, successful interactions depend on a sense of collective euphoria—the process of sharing emotions between residents and tourists, or the euphoria generated by participating in the same social rituals [41]. Graburn (1997) perceives tourism as a ritual expression of an individual or a community, which allows one to enter into a series of non-secular behavioral patterns, including playful frolics and ritual behaviors such as rites of passage and pilgrimage [42].

Finally, the interaction ritual chains are an effective mechanism for mutual attention that create a momentarily shared reality, generating relational symbols, and influencing behavioral practices. As an essential component of the symbolic system of cultural identity, cultural heritage becomes a symbolic sign and material carrier for promoting cultural identity in the interaction rituals of heritage tourism.

Therefore, this study uses interaction rituals to study the interaction between symbiotic units in heritage tourism destinations. Identity qualification, bodily co-presence, common focus, and emotional solidarity in the interaction ritual chains are taken as the symbiotic interface contents of the symbiotic system theory (Figure 1, referenced from Collins, 2004). The study focuses on the following questions: How do host–guest interactions occur in heritage tourism destinations? What are the key factors in emotional cohesion that drive residents’ willingness to participate in tourism?

3. Hypotheses Development

Based on the symbiotic systems model of heritage tourism destinations, this study uses mixed methods to investigate the generative mechanism of host–guest symbiosis in heritage sites and the impact of host–guest symbiosis on residents’ willingness to participate in tourism. In the first stage, the interview method, the participant observation method, and the content analysis method were used to study the interaction and symbiosis status between tourists and residents in tourism heritage sites. Residents’ willingness to participate in tourism is an important factor in the sustainable development of heritage sites. In order to further investigate the influence mechanism of subject–guest symbiosis on the sustainable development of heritage sites, the second stage constructed a structural equation model of emotional solidarity to explore the influence of emotional solidarity on residents’ willingness to participate in tourism, and the hypotheses of this study are explained below.

3.1. Emotional Solidarity and the Sense of Community Belonging

According to Collins [11], every interaction between participants in a complete interaction ritual generates a degree of emotional aggregation and energy. Residents are more likely to welcome tourists when they benefit from tourism [43]. In addition, residents who enjoy the economic benefits of tourism and often have direct contact with tourists provide more support for the development of tourism. Tourism helps residents to understand tourists, and helps residents who are engaging in the tourism industry to support the development of tourism. Woosnam and Norman used the three criteria of welcoming nature, emotional closeness, and sympathetic understanding to study the emotional relationship between residents and tourists [44]. According to the emotional cohesion theory [45], residents who welcome tourists participating in tourism activities may be more supportive of the contribution of tourism to the community, thus creating a sense of community belonging. Residents who are closer to tourists may identify more with the contribution of tourism to the region, which determines the formation of a sense of community belonging. Furthermore, residents who identify and understand tourists may be more inclined to affirm the contribution of tourism to the community, affecting the formation of a sense of community belonging. Therefore, the following hypotheses are proposed:

H1a: 

Residents’ welcoming nature to tourists will positively affect residents’ sense of community belonging;

H1b: 

Emotional closeness between residents and tourists will positively affect residents’ sense of community belonging;

H1c: 

The level of residents’ sympathetic understanding towards tourists will positively affect residents’ sense of community belonging.

3.2. The Sense of Community Belonging and Willingness to Participate in Tourism

The sense of community belonging is one of the most dynamic psychological concepts in current community research [46], referring to the psychological state in which community residents categorise themselves as part of a geographic collection of people, which is both an acknowledgement of their community identity and is coloured by their individual feelings, which mainly include emotions such as commitment to, fondness for, and attachment to the community [47]. The formation of a sense of belonging to the community will become a driving force to increase their willingness to participate in tourism [48]. The sense of community belonging will enhance the enthusiasm of residents to participate in tourism. Therefore, it is hypothesized that:

H2a: 

Residents’ sense of community belonging has a positive impact on their willingness to participate in tourism.

Based on the hypotheses, we developed an emotional solidarity theoretical model (Figure 2). This illustrates how host–guest emotional cohesion can influence a sense of community belonging and activate residents’ willingness to participate in tourism.

4. Materials and Methods

4.1. Study Area

Located in Handan City, Hebei Province, the ancient city of Guangfu sits at a strategic crossroads along the north–south thoroughfare in China (see Figure 3), serving as the convergence point for two national-level strategies: “Coordinated Development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region [49]” and the “Central Plains Urban Agglomeration” [50]. By the end of 2023, Handan had a total area of 12,066 square kilometres and a resident population of 9,173,100. In 2023, Handan’s GDP reached 438.22 billion yuan, an increase of 5.7% over the previous year. Among them, the added value of primary industry is 44.95 billion yuan, an increase of 2.7%; the added value of secondary industry is 180.72 billion yuan, an increase of 5.9%; the added value of tertiary industry is 212.54 billion yuan, an increase of 6%. The ratio of the three industries was 10.3:41.2:48.5, and the city’s per capita GDP was 47,493 yuan, an increase of 6.8 per cent over the previous year [51]. It takes about 40 min to travel from the ancient city of Guangfu to the provincial capital of Shijiazhuang, and about 2 h to travel by high-speed railway from the provincial capital of Beijing. The ancient city of Guangfu has a history of more than 2600 years, with a perimeter of 4.5 kilometres and an area of 1.5 square kilometres. It is not only a famous historical and cultural city in China, but also an “Ancient City”, “Water City”, and “Taiji City” with distinctive features in the northern region. In the Spring Festival holiday of 2024, the Guangfu Scenic spot ranked 15th among the top 50 in-depth tourist spots (the number of tourists staying in the scenic spot for more than 1 h). Guangfu ancient city received 395,000 visitors during the Spring Festival holiday—an increase of 145.34% compared with the same period in 2023 [52].

Guangfu is the birthplace of Yang’s Taijiquan and Wu’s Taijiquan, which are national intangible cultural heritages, and it has made significant contributions to the revival of Taijiquan in China. In the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, Yang Lu Chan, the seventh generation of Taijiquan master, returned from Chenjiagou, Wenxian County, Henan Province, after completing his studies, and innovated and simplified Taijiquan according to the characteristics of the audience, and created Yang’s Taijiquan, which emphasised an ease of learning and fitness effect, which was widely popular. Subsequently, Wu Yuxiang, who was from the same hometown, also travelled to Henan Province to study under Chen Qingping at Zhaobao, and after completing his studies, combined with the essence of the Taijiquan genealogy, he created Wu’s Taijiquan, which is renowned for its unique style of “small, strong and quick circles, compactness, dexterity, simplicity and complexity of movements and techniques, and distinctive techniques, simplicity and elegance, and solemnity and elegance”. Since their birth, these two schools—Yang’s and Wu’s Taijiquan—have been spreading widely in Yongnian and around the world, especially Yang’s Taijiquan, with its simplicity, ease of learning, and remarkable fitness effect, and they have greatly promoted Taijiquan to become a sport programme with a large number of participants and far-reaching influence around the world. With the implementation of the Fuyang River comprehensive ecological restoration project in Handan, Guangfu has become a well-known tourist destination, offering a blend of water sightseeing, ancient city exploration, Tai Chi fitness, leisure vacation, and industrial revitalization. The city boasts five national-level intangible cultural heritage items and five national-level cultural relic protection units. It has played a crucial role in the nationwide and worldwide dissemination of Tai Chi. As one of the few Tai Chi ancient cities in China, preserving an intact landscape surrounded by mountains and rivers, Guangfu holds significant value for both protection and research, standing as a rare example of a city that combines cultural richness with martial arts in North China.

4.2. Data Sources and Methodology

This study adopts a mixed approach, starting with a qualitative phase followed by data collection and analysis in a quantitative phase [53]. Khoo Lattimmore (2019) proposed the main advantages of using a mixed methods approach, including minimizing the weaknesses of single-method research, and improving the data validity and the reliability of the results [54]. Mixed methods are particularly important in the development of complex research projects [53]. Therefore, due to the limited research on this topic, a mixed method is suitable for this study (Figure 4). Specifically, the qualitative phase is designed to measure the observable aspects of the interaction, including identity qualification, bodily co-presence, and common focus, while the quantitative phase allows the authors to explore the impact of host–guest interactions on residents’ willingness to participate in tourism. Three methods were used in the qualitative stage, including interviews, observations, and content analyses. Additionally, resident questionnaire data were collected and triangulated to ensure the credibility of this study [55].

4.2.1. Stage I Qualitative

A total of 23 respondents were interviewed between October 2021 and June 2022. Convenience sampling and purposive sampling were used for recruiting interview participants. Interviewees were identified through a simple communication method, and 23 respondents were purposefully selected, including residents (code V) and tourists (code T) in the ancient city of Guangfu. (

Table 1. Excerpts from the interviews.

No.	Gender	Identity	Date of Interview	Location of Interview	Duration
V01	Male	Ticket checking staff	9 June 2022	The entrance	32 min
V02	Female	Snack bar owner	11 June 2022	Canton Street East	18 min
V03	Male	Clothing shop owner	11 June 2022	Canton Street East	40 min
V04	Female	Milk tea shop owner	11 June 2022	Canton Street East	25 min
V05	Male	Returning villagers	12 June 2022	Inside the Ancient City	47 min
T01	Female	Tourist (from Handan)	9 June 2022	East Gate	9 min
T02	Male and female	A couple (from Handan)	11 June 2022	East Gate	24 min
T03	Male and female	Family (from Henan)	12 June 2022	East Gate	35 min
T04	Male	Tourists (aged 60+)	12 June 2022	South Gate	7 min
T05	Female	Tourist (from Handan)	13 June 2022	South Gate	16 min

). This selection aimed to embrace the identity diversity of the tourist area. After interviewing 20 participants, data saturation was reached. The last three interviewees did not provide any new insights on this topic. All interviews were face-to-face.

Residents were asked to describe the impact of traveling on their lives, while tourists were asked to describe their feelings in the ancient city of Guangfu. When interviewees are familiar with the interviewer, they are more inclined to share their perspectives willingly. In the Chinese context, maintaining a close relationship between interviewers and interviewees plays a crucial role in ensuring the quality of interviews. Before recording, explicit verbal consent was obtained from all participants. The recordings were later collated into textual material for a total of 23,528 words. The texts were then analyzed to identity qualification, bodily co-presence, and common focus between tourists and residents. Text analysis can effectively capture the cognition, perception, satisfaction, and emotional information of tourists, which is an effective method to solve problems and a new paradigm to engage in social science research.

Text analysis was carried out in three stages. First, the author read the text repeatedly to familiarise themselves with the full text. Second, the interviews of residents and visitors were quantitatively analyzed using the word frequency analysis function of ROST CM 6.0 to extract high-frequency feature words and their frequencies [56]. The semantic network map was obtained through co-occurrence analysis [57]. Finally, the correlation and directionality between high-frequency words were analyzed and conclusions were drawn.

4.2.2. Stage II Quantitative

Residents’ participation in tourism is crucial to the sustainable development of rural heritage tourism. To clarify the influence of host–guest symbiosis on residents’ willingness to participate in tourism, the second stage, based on content analysis, conducted a questionnaire survey on residents to explore the mechanisms by which emotional energy generated by host–guest interaction influences residents’ willingness to participate in tourism by constructing a structural equation model of emotional solidarity. In order to ensure that the questionnaire was valid and feasible, the questionnaire was first distributed in the case area for pre-survey and then, based on the results of the survey and feedback, the questionnaire’s formulation was amended to form the official questionnaire. A total of 320 questionnaires were distributed in August, September, and October 2022 for this study. Of these, 309 questionnaires were valid, with a valid response rate of 96.6%. According to the recommendation of Hair (2010), the sample size needs to be more than five times the recommended threshold of the number of indicator variables used [58], therefore, the sample size of this study was sufficient.

This study tests the hypothesis proposed above by collecting questionnaire data from the residents of the ancient city of Guangfu. Based on the review of the literature, combined with interviews with residents, the questionnaire framework and specific items were designed around the relationship between emotional solidarity, a sense of community belonging, and willingness to participate in tourism. The measurement items for all the variables in this study are scales that have been validated in existing studies, and the questionnaire was modified appropriately to take into account the research scenario and the purpose of the study in this paper. The questionnaire consists of two main parts: the first part contains basic information about the residents, and the second part contains specific items to measure the variables. The study referenced Woosnam’s (2012) and Joo’s (2018) Emotional Solidarity Scale [44,59], which consisted of eleven items. Residents’ sense of community belonging was measured with reference to Gursoy’s and McCool’s maturity scale with four question items [60,61]. Residents’ willingness to participate in tourism was measured with reference to Lv’s maturity scale, with four items corresponding to the concept [62]. The main part of the questionnaire was rated on a five-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree), with higher scores representing a higher level of agreement.

5. Results

The ancient city of Guangfu forms a symbiotic relationship in which the main symbiotic unit consists of residents and tourists. The four elements of identity qualification, bodily co-presence, common focus, and emotional solidarity serve as symbiotic interfaces in the tourist symbiotic system. The result of the interaction rituals is the dissolution of the boundaries between residents’ and tourists’ identities, the accumulation of emotional energy, and the formation of group solidarity. For residents, the emotional energy represents a sense of belonging to the community. At the same time, positive emotional energy can lead to greater willingness to initiate the next interaction, i.e., to actively participate in tourism activities. In the ancient city of Guangfu, the completion of the entire interaction ritual chains transforms the values between the residents and the tourists into a symbiotic relationship. The exploration of how to achieve positive emotional energy between residents and tourists based on the symbiotic environment of rural heritage involves two stages.

5.1. Stage I

Rituals of cognitive symbiosis between the destination’s hosts and guests were identified by analyzing the content of the interviews. Interviews with residents and tourists further revealed the key elements and outcomes of interaction rituals, including identity qualification, bodily co-presence, and common focus [11].

5.1.1. Identity Qualification

In Collins’ (2004) interaction ritual chain theory [11], identity limitation refers to setting boundaries for outsiders. In the ancient city of Guangfu, insiders refer to tourists and residents, while outsiders refer to residents outside the city who do not participate in tourism activities, for example scenic spot managers, etc. Identity restrictions effectively distinguish between insiders and outsiders, facilitating the interaction and communication of the insiders and ensuring the stability of the interaction rituals. The participating “insiders” are divided into deep tourism participants and edge tourism participants in the ancient city of Guangfu.

Deep tourism participants tend to exhibit common behaviors and a stronger sense of cultural identity to promote identity. For example, residents tended to show common behaviors of making crispy fish during the same period to sell them in peak tourist seasons.

Every household starts stocking up on fish and ingredients to make crispy fish after 1 October, with too much work to do to prepare it for sale at the end of the year.

(V02)

Tourists also show the same behavioral traits during their visit to Guangfu. They have a stronger sense of local and cultural identity. The residents and tourists generally have a strong sense of identification with Tai Chi culture, as it is known as the hometown of Tai Chi.

While ancient cities exist worldwide, Guangfu is the only one combining the water culture and Tai Chi culture. There are many young and older people playing Tai Chi at 5 o’clock, Foreigners also learn to play Tai Chi (Figure 5).

(V01)

Figure 5. Tourists doing Tai Chi in the ancient city of Guangfu.

Figure 5. Tourists doing Tai Chi in the ancient city of Guangfu.

The edge tourism participants include the tourists who give the city a hurried and cursory glance, as well as the residents of the ancient city who are less involved in tourism activities. They rarely show common behavioral characteristics, as they are less involved in the interaction rituals of tourism. For example, the residents have different perceptions of making crispy fish.

We don’t do the specialties such as crispy fish, as there are too many people doing it, and the competition is fierce.

(V11)

Edge tourism participants often lack interest in local culture and are weak in cultural identity, whether they are residents or tourists. In this way, not only are interaction rituals restricted, but the foundation for the accumulation and flow of emotional energy in the interaction rituals is also laid.

5.1.2. Bodily Co-Presence

Bodily co-presence is the premise of realizing effective interaction, and promoting group members to have a common focus of attention and emotion, thus achieving effective interaction. This study analyzed whether residents and tourists are in a bodily co-presence state in terms of time and space.

On the one hand, residents and tourists are in a state of bodily co-presence in terms of time. Observing 100 residents and tourists separately, it was found that there was a significant difference in their activity time, which was short and concentrated. The study found that:

• From 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., most of the shops on the main commercial streets are not open for business, with almost no interaction between residents and tourists, presenting an ordinary scene of Guangfu;
• From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., a number of tourists and residents go out for activities, and it is the peak period for great interaction between residents and tourists.
• After 8 p.m., residents start to rest and are less active. Most tourists are day-trippers and rarely stay overnight, so residents and tourists seldom have interactions.

This indicates a lack of night-time tourism activities in the ancient city of Guangfu. The time that residents and tourists spend in the ancient city of Guangfu varies significantly, resulting in a relatively short and concentrated period during the day for interaction. The residents and tourists of Guangfu have different “Ancient City Time”, and there are few intersections of common activities during the day. Although the interaction is frequent during this intersection, there needs to be more effective organization and guidance between residents and tourists, and the interaction is not deep. Therefore, the symbiosis between residents and tourists is still at an early stage and far from an integrated symbiosis.

On the other hand, residents and tourists share a bodily co-presence state in terms of space. Field research and observation indicate that the spatial intersection of residents and tourists is mainly on South Street and East Street (Figure 6). The interaction between residents and tourists mainly takes the form of buying and selling goods, and the number and distribution of shops in the ancient city of Guangfu can be used as a reference for the spatial distribution of tourists, as well as the main space of the interaction. In Guangfu Ancient City, the interaction spaces between residents and tourists, and the living space of residents, are intertwined. As a result, tourists have more intuitive paths and more choices in Guangfu Ancient City. In the non-commercial areas, the number of tourists is tiny, which means that the symbiotic relationships that occur are limited to the main commercial streets of the ancient city of Guangfu. The space for interaction is confined, failing to extend and deepen within the space.

Examining the shops along the streets in the ancient city of Guangfu from a microscopic perspective reveals that the residents of shops often sell local specialties. Many residents use curtains or screen walls to separate their houses from the outside selling area to ensure that their daily lives are not disturbed. Within the micro-space of the shops, the front of the shops is the space for interaction between residents and tourists, while the back is the living space for the residents (Figure 7). A clear boundary exists between these two spaces, with residents interacting with tourists in the selling area. They do not want tourists to enter their living space, which prevents the interaction from becoming more profound at the micro-level.

The residents and tourists have generally shown an integrated and stable state. The distribution of tourists in Guangfu is concentrated, while residents are scattered in other areas. The two symbiotic units are spatially less intertwined and more restricted, necessitating more organization and effectively using spatial resources to interact fully. Therefore, at the spatial level, the symbiosis relationship between residents and tourists is primarily continuous, stable, and inevitable, yet it remains at a primary continuous stage.

5.1.3. Common Focus

Common focus is one of the critical factors in interaction rituals, and having the same focus is a prerequisite and basis for emotional solidarity [11]. The ROST CM 6.0 system was used to analyze the interview materials of residents and tourists, extracting the high-frequency characteristic words of the two symbiotic units’ perceptions of the ancient city of Guangfu, and then analyzing the top 50 words in descending order of word frequency [63].

We found that high-frequency words that residents are more concerned with fall into three main categories: the image of the ancient city of Guangfu, the livelihood of the residents, and history culture, while those tourists focus on fall into three main categories: the image of the ancient city of Guangfu, history culture, and tourism elements. The results of analyzing the high-frequency words in the two parts of the interview texts above show that the common focus of the residents and tourists falls into three main categories: landscapes, local history culture, and elements of life that are relevant to residents and tourists. This paper generated the semantic network of high-frequency words for residents and tourists using the social network and semantic analysis functions in the ROST CM 6.0 system (Figure 8 and Figure 9).

As can be seen in Figure 8, there are more words related to specific destinations in the scenic area, indicating that residents have a pronounced perception of the image of the ancient city of Guangfu. “Work” is the core high-frequency word in residents’ perception, and terms with a high degree of relevance like “Development”, “Travel”, “Business”, and “Get out” form a semantic chain in the socio-semantic network, reflecting the strong concern of residents for tourism to change their livelihoods. “Tai Chi”, “Yang Luchan”, “rampart”, “former residence”, and “Culture” form a semantic chain in socio-semantic networks, reflecting a strong awareness of local culture and their concern for the continuity and development of local culture.

As can be seen in Figure 9, the high-frequency words at the central nodes of the socio-semantic network include “wall”, “former residence”, “Ancient City”, “building”, “river system”, “culture”, “Tai Chi”, and “Yongnian County”. Firstly, the “wall”, “building”, and “river system” (moat) are the core attractions of the ancient city of Guangfu. Several minor themes revolve around the central node, with the edge layer of the semantic network consisting of “Museum”, “Park”, “Projects”, “Yongnian County”, “intact”, and “attract”, including the recreational programs, the geographical features of the area, and the tourist experience. “wall” and “building” are the core high-frequency words in tourists’ perceptions. In contrast, the highly related words “history”, “intact”, and “ancient” form a semantic chain in the socio-semantic network, reflecting the strong image perceptions about the image of the ancient city of Guangfu, and these architectural features. The core words “Tai Chi”, combined with “culture”, “Yang’s”, and “Yang Luchan”, etc., form a semantic chain represented by Tai Chi culture. In addition, the semantic chains at the edge of the semantic network, such as “Projects”, “save”, “Development”, etc., reflect the expectations for the infrastructure and management of the ancient city.

In summary, the two symbiotic units of residents and tourists share a high degree of overlap in terms of high-frequency words and semantic chains, mainly focusing on the architecture and landscape of the ancient city of Guangfu, as well as the local historical and cultural resources. Simultaneously, due to differences in needs, residents also focus on tourism development and livelihood issues, while tourists concentrate on the infrastructure of the Ancient City and the level of service management in the scenic spots. The common perceptions generated by the residents and visitors are in a continuous symbiotic phase, and the symbiotic relationship is stable and inevitable.

5.2. Stage II

5.2.1. Sample Description

Table 2. Demographic characteristics of the sample.

Items	Frequency	Percentage (%)	Items	Frequency	Percentage (%)
Gender			Occupation
Male	180	58.3%	Tourism practitioners	241	78%
Female	129	41.7%	Students	21	6.8%
Age			Government/Enterprise Workers	19	6.2%
Under 18	9	2.9%	Professionals	14	4.5%
18–29	62	20.1%	Technicians	8	2.6%
30–39	164	53.1%	Others	6	1.9%
40–49	57	18.4%	Personal monthly Income (RMB)
50–59	10	3.2%	Less than 3000 RMB	69	22.3%
Over 60	7	2.3%	3000–5000 RMB	74	24%
Education			5001–7000 RMB	48	15.5%
Primary and below	20	6.5%	7001–8000 RMB	45	14.6%
Junior high school	160	51.8%	8001–10,000 RMB	40	12.9%
High School	70	22.6%	10,001 RMB and above	33	10.7%
Undergraduate and above	59	19.1%

displays information on the sample profile. Out of the total sample size of 309 participants, it was found that 58.3% (n = 180) were identified as male. The largest proportion was between 30 and 39 years old, with 164 people. In terms of educational attainment, the proportion of residents with junior high school education was higher, with 160 people (51.8%). A total of 78% of the residents in the sample were engaged in tourism, with the majority earning 5000 yuan or under per month, namely 143 people (46.3%). The skewness and kurtosis values of all variables, as outlined in

Table 3. Results of confirmatory factor analysis and descriptive statistics.

Variables	Mean	S.D.	Skewness	Kurtosis	Estimate	AVE	C.R.	Cronbach’s Alpha
Welcoming nature						0.635	0.874	0.874
I am proud to have visitors come to Guangfu. (WN 1)	3.58	1.311	−0.647	−0.706	0.856
I feel the community benefits from having visitors in Guangfu.(WN2)	3.66	1.35	−0.749	−0.643	0.757
I appreciate visitors for the contribution they make to the local economy. (WN3)	3.74	1.364	−0.758	−0.675	0.805
I treat visitors fairly in Guangfu. (WN4)	3.76	1.283	−0.764	−0.553	0.765
Emotional closeness						0.696	0.872	0.871
I feel close to some visitors I have met in Guangfu. (EC1)	3.75	1.26	−0.81	−0.358	0.763
I have made friends with some visitors in Guangfu. (EC2)	3.69	1.315	−0.707	−0.691	0.88
I enjoy the process of interacting with tourists.(EC3)	3.69	1.285	−0.672	−0.699	0.855
Sympathetic understanding						0.604	0.859	0.858
I identify with visitors in Guangfu. (SU1)	3.66	1.077	−0.727	0.104	0.758
I have a lot in common with Guangfu’s visitors.(SU2)	3.74	0.992	−0.846	0.489	0.776
I feel affection towards visitors in Guangfu. (SU3)	3.79	1.025	−0.699	0.098	0.737
I understand visitors in Guangfu. (SU4)	3.74	1.049	−0.782	0.129	0.834
A sense of community belonging						0.611	0.862	0.864
I like Guangfu. (CB1)	3.8	1.259	−0.701	−0.729	0.857
I am very concerned about the construction of Guangfu. (CB2)	3.85	1.216	−0.891	−0.28	0.765
I do not want to move away from Guangfu. (CB3)	3.69	1.262	−0.716	−0.506	0.719
I am on good terms with the other members in Guangfu. (CB4)	3.69	1.262	−0.638	−0.71	0.78
Willingness to participate in tourism						0.642	0.877	0.876
I am willing to participate in resource conservation and environmental monitoring in Guangfu. (WPT1)	3.53	1.234	−0.377	−0.886	0.824
I am willing to provide high quality services to the tourists in Guangfu. (WPT2)	3.57	1.296	−0.571	−0.813	0.74
I am willing to be involved in improving the quality of life of community residents in Guangfu. (WPT3)	3.67	1.243	−0.533	−0.875	0.835
I am willing to participate in the transmission and preservation of national culture in Guangfu.(WPT4)	3.6	1.176	−0.451	−0.863	0.802

Notes: AVE = average variance extracted; CR = composite reliability.

, were within the recommended range of −2 to +2. This indicates that the data exhibited no significant deviation from a normal distribution [64].

5.2.2. Reliability Test and CFA

A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to assess the reliability and validity of our measurement model. Results indicated an acceptable model fit: λ2/df = 1.555; CFI = 0.976; NFI = 0.935; IFI = 0.976; TLI = 0.971; RMSEA = 0.042. Significant factor estimates were observed for all the items, with the majority exceeding the 0.7 threshold. Robust convergent validity was evident in each construct, as indicated by AVE values surpassing 0.5. All Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficients surpassed the recommended cutoff of 0.7, affirming the scales’ reliability (refer to Table 2). In addition, the arithmetic square root of the AVE for each variable was greater than the highest value of the correlation coefficient of that variable with the other variables, and therefore the scale in this paper was considered to have high discriminant validity (see

Table 4. Discriminative validity test.

	Welcoming Nature	Emotional Closeness	Sympathetic Understanding	A sense of Community Belonging	Willingness to Participate in Tourism
Welcoming nature	0.797 *
Emotional closeness	0.486	0.834 *
Sympathetic understanding	0.329	0.345	0.777 *
A sense of community belonging	0.590	0.579	0.407	0.781 *
Willingness to participate in tourism	0.372	0.398	0.325	0.436	0.801 *

Notes: * indicates that the data are the square root of each variable AVE, and the rest of the data are the correlation coefficients between the variables.

). These findings validate the instrument’s appropriateness for subsequent investigation.

5.2.3. The Results of Hypothesis Testing

All hypotheses were supported (

Table 5. The results of hypothesis testing.

Hypothesis Paths	Estimate	Hypothesis
H1a: Welcoming nature → A sense of community belonging	0.59 ***	H1a: supported
H1b: Emotional closeness → A sense of community belonging	0.579 *	H1b: supported
H1c: Sympathetic understanding → A sense of community belonging	0.407 *	H1c: supported
H2a: A sense of community belonging → Willingness to participate in tourism	0.436 ***	H2a: supported

Note. *** p < 0.001; * p < 0.10.

). A sense of community belonging was facilitated by all three emotional solidarity dimensions as follows: welcoming nature (β = 0.590, p < 0.01, H1a supported), emotional closeness (β = 0.579, p < 0.05, H1b supported), and sympathetic understanding (β = 0.407, p < 0.05, H1c supported). Among these, the factor of welcoming nature has the most significant impact on residents’ sense of community belonging, with a coefficient of 0.590. Residents’ sense of community belonging has a positive impact on their willingness to participate in tourism (β = 0.436, p < 0.01, H2a supported).

Therefore, we can summarize as follows: (a) In the ancient city of Guangfu, there is a notable emotional solidarity between residents and tourists. Their symbiotic relationship is relatively stable and characterized by emotional resonance. The impact of residents’ hospitality on the sense of community belonging outweighs the emotional closeness and sympathetic understanding. (b) The emotional energy generated from the emotional solidarity between residents and tourists contributes to the development of residents’ sense of community belonging. At the same time, emotional energy will act as a driving force to increase residents’ willingness to participate in tourism activities.

6. Discussion

6.1. Theoretical Implications

The present study makes numerous noteworthy contributions to the existing body of literature. Firstly, it advances the application and development of symbiosis theory in tourism research. Previous studies have mainly adopted symbiosis theory to explain tourism development support behaviors [65]. They have mainly discussed residents’ attitudes and behavioral intentions towards tourists, focusing more on their negative attitudes towards tourists, such as prejudice or discrimination [66], but have given less attention to residents’ and tourists’ positive interaction behaviors. Therefore, this paper extends the analysis to both residents and tourists in heritage tourism destinations, revealing that they form a chain of on-site interaction rituals, generating emotional energy. This extends the application of symbiosis theory in tourism, enabling a deeper understanding and experience of the significance of on-site interaction.

Secondly, this study contributes to the development of the interaction ritual chain theory within the field of tourism, especially in the context of heritage tourism. By adopting a mixed qualitative and quantitative approach, this paper constructed a symbiotic system model for heritage tourism destinations, applying the perspective of the symbiosis theory, and introducing the four key elements of the interaction ritual chain theory, namely identity qualification, bodily co-presence, common focus, and emotional solidarity [11] as the symbiotic interface of host–guest interaction in the symbiotic system. Focusing on the two symbiotic units—residents and tourists—which wield the strongest influence in the symbiotic system, the paper incorporates the interaction rituals of tourists and residents into the analytical framework of symbiosis theory, providing a new perspective for understanding the host–guest interaction relationship of heritage tourism destination.

6.2. Practical Implications

Achieving host–guest symbiosis is not only key to improving the quality of the tourism experience, but also to ensuring that cultural heritage is effectively passed on and preserved. This study provides important practical insights into the sustainable development of heritage tourism destinations.

First, create a cultural atmosphere of emotional resonance. Tourism is not only a geographical movement, but also a cultural exchange and emotional resonance. In order to stimulate deep interaction and emotional connection between tourists and residents, destination marketing organizations should play a leading role in carefully planning a series of educational and participatory tourism activities, for example, non-heritage experience courses such as Taiji, farming experience activities, ancient city script killing activities, etc., so that tourists can feel the charm of the local culture through participation, but also provide a platform for residents to show themselves and inherit the culture. Through these activities, visitors can deepen their understanding and recognition of local cultural heritage, and residents can enhance their value recognition of their own culture and sense of community belonging. At the same time, the use of digital technology to create an interactive tour service makes the “reappearance” of history within reach, further enhancing visitors’ sense of immersion and participation.

Second, create a win-win ecosystem for visitors and hosts. Public administrations need to clearly define the roles and responsibilities of each party involved in tourism activities to create a harmonious and symbiotic tourism ecosystem. On the one hand, through policy support and financial incentives, local residents should be encouraged to become the guardians and inheritors of cultural heritage, and actively participate in the operation of lodging, non-genetic inheritance, tour guides, and other tourism services, so as to realize the change from “passive protection” to “active inheritance”. On the other hand, to strengthen the guidance and education of tourists, use digital technology to enhance the tourism experience and also advocate for tourists to become cultural communicators through social media and other platforms to share tourism stories, and expand the visibility and influence of heritage sites.

Third, multi-industry integrated development activates the vitality of heritage sites. In order to achieve long-term prosperity of heritage sites, destination marketing organizations should actively promote the integrated development of multiple industries and build a diversified tourism product system. Cultivating the night economy is an important part of this. By creating special night markets and organizing cultural festivals and events, visitors can prolong their stay and enrich their consumption choices at night, so that the heritage sites will also shine at night. In addition, combined with local resource advantages, regular sports events and handicraft exhibitions are organized to promote the extension and upgrading of the relevant industrial chain, so as to inject sustainable development momentum into the heritage site.

Fourth, build a support system for emotional flow. In order to promote emotional solidarity more effectively, local public administration should also build a set of support systems for emotional flow. This includes establishing an effective communication mechanism to ensure that opinions and feedback between residents and tourists can be conveyed and dealt with in a timely manner, providing the necessary training and support to help residents improve their tourism service capacity and enhance their sense of participation and achievement in the tourism industry, and, at the same time, strengthening the regulation of the tourism market to ensure that the tourism activities are carried out in a fair, just, and orderly manner so as to create a harmonious and safe tourism environment for residents and tourists.

7. Conclusions

Within the framework of an in-depth analysis of the symbiotic system of heritage tourism destinations, this study systematically explored the intrinsic mechanisms of host–guest symbiosis in heritage sites and further explained how this symbiotic relationship affects residents’ willingness to participate in tourism. In the first stage, the interview method, the participant observation method and the content analysis method were used to study the interactive relationship and symbiotic state between tourists and residents in tourism heritage sites. In the second stage, the research method of the questionnaire survey was used to construct the structural equation model of emotional solidarity and explore the influence of emotional solidarity on residents’ willingness to participate in tourism, and the main conclusions of this study are as follows:

(1) The first stage revealed the profound rituals of cognitive symbiosis between the two parties, which revolved around the three core elements of identity qualification, identity co-existence, and common concern. Residents and tourists not only symbolically accepted and stratified each other’s identities, but also showed significant symbiosis in time and space. Although the interaction time was relatively short and concentrated in certain hours (e.g., midday), and spatially limited to commercial neighborhoods, it was this limited intersection that constituted the solid foundation of the symbiotic relationship between the two parties. Especially important was the high degree of cultural identity between the two parties, especially the common concern for the architecture, landscape, and history of the old city, which signifies that the cognitive symbiosis entered a mature stage of sustainable development.

(2) In the second stage, a structural equation model of affective solidarity was innovatively constructed to quantitatively analyze the far-reaching effects of affective solidarity between residents and tourists on residents’ willingness to participate in tourism. The results of the study showed that the power of emotional solidarity as an emotional bond of symbiotic relationship cannot be underestimated. Specifically, the impact of residents’ hospitality on the sense of community belonging outweighed emotional closeness and the understanding of identity as a key driver to motivate residents to actively participate in tourism activities. In addition, the emotional energy accumulated from emotional solidarity not only promoted community cohesion, but also significantly enhanced residents’ willingness to engage in tourism development.

This study has deepened the understanding of the symbiotic phenomenon of heritage tourism and provided more solid theoretical support and practical guidance for promoting the sustainable development of heritage tourism sites. However, it is crucial to recognize the inherent limitations of this study. It is undeniable that this study used the ancient city of Guangfu as a single case, which is representative and in-depth, but may be limited in terms of external validity. To compensate for this, it is suggested that future research could be expanded to include multiple case comparisons, and longitudinally examine the differential mechanisms of tourism symbiosis under different development modes and stages through cross-regional and cross-cultural perspectives, with a view to obtaining more comprehensive and universal conclusions.