Tao, shanshui and the Perfect Man

This study situates ‘tourist’ and ‘tourism’ within the framework of traditional Chinese philosophy, its humanistic spirit and intrinsic values. By exploring the traditional tourist culture—the shanshui (山水) spirit—as reflected in ancient Chinese shanshui paintings, and analysing ancient Chinese texts on literature and painting, it concludes that tourism philosophically represents the praxis of Tao (道) by the Perfect Man (至人) in pursuit of Perfect Beauty (至美) and Perfect Happiness (至乐). Shanshui embodies the geography of the mind’s eye. The five identified themes within shanshui paintings—poetic dwelling in seclusion, sublime shanshui & charming Jiangnan, the warmth from friends, metaphors for politics & society and life as a journey—illustrate how ancient Chinese intellectuals contemplated the universe, life and history through tourism and shanshui. Tourism and shanshui nurture and perfect humanity, particularly in achieving spiritual freedom and self-cultivation. Practically, poetry and painting offer enduring inspiration for contemporary destination management. Both national festival planners and shanshui destination managers should revive more traditional festivals by integrating seasonal tourist activities that are imbued with a humanistic spirit

Heritage tourism · Painting · Tourism · Tourist industry · Chinese history and philosophy · Environmental and Cultural Studies in Latin America and Beyond · Landscape and Cultural Studies