China's Village Tourism Committees: A Social Network Analysis

Xi Jinping has set the goal of eliminating rural poverty in China by 2020. One critical component if this target is to be achieved is the effectiveness of village tourist committees, and the article reports findings from a study of social networks and their operation in five Shandong villages. Using both thematic and social network analysis, the networks are shown to be diffuse and dependent on familial circles and wider guanxi possessed by key actors. However, the findings indicate how these networks are being extended beyond the village into the higher echelons of provincial administration while also illustrating the importance of socio-biological ties as defined by Hamilton, Fennell, and others.