WangHong gentrification in China: the social media transformation of Tianjin's former concessions

Chensi Shen

Chapter 17 in Handbook on Tourism Gentrification, 2025, pp 295-320 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This study explores the phenomenon of "WangHong gentrification", a social media-driven urban transformation observed in China's former concessions, particularly in Tianjin. Using fieldwork, interviews and online ethnography, the research identifies "WangHong tourism" as a new form of gentrification, where social media platforms like Douyin and XiaoHongShu play a central role in drawing influencers and tourists to visually distinctive, heritage-rich areas. Former residential and community spaces in Tianjin's former concessions have been transformed into cafés, creative shops and popular social media locations, turning these districts into novel consumption spaces. Unlike traditional state-led gentrification, WangHong gentrification is propelled by digital media's impact on local businesses and urban aesthetics, combining state support with grassroots social media marketing. The study further examines how these dynamics not only reshape the physical landscape of historical districts but also create a “virtual displacement”, with social media users gradually replacing local residents in cultural spaces. This transformation reinforces the flow of digital capital through online-offline interactions, catalysing a unique cycle of social media gentrification within historic neighborhoods.

Keywords: WangHong; Social media，; Gentrification，; Former concessions，; Tourism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035327348
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