International tourists’ dark tourism experiences in China: the case of the memorial of the victims of the Nanjing Massacre

Rui Cui, Mingming Cheng, Shuang Xin, Chang Hua and Yao Yao

Current Issues in Tourism, 2020, vol. 23, issue 12, 1493-1511

Abstract: Using online reviews, this study aims to reveal the complexity of international tourists’ dark tourism experiences in China. The Memorial of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre was selected, as it is one of the most popular man-made dark tourism sites in China. A micro and meso-level discourse analysis was employed to analyse the online review comments. Four contradictory but interrelated discourses were identified: ‘suitability for children or not’, ‘respect or not’, ‘neutral or biased interpretation’ and ‘focus on past mistakes or looking forward to future peace’. This study contributes to the dark tourism literature by providing an international tourists’ perspective and experiences at a dark tourism site in China as well as highlighting the role of children in mediating these.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1080/13683500.2019.1707172

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