China’s tourism economy converts Western curiosity about Kaifeng Jews into local benefits

Evidence

Four centuries after Matteo Ricci, the quest for the ancient Jews in China continues. The Jews of Kaifeng have become a historical reality, though many have learned of them through Pearl Buck’s romantic novel of 1948, Peony. In Kaifeng itself, today’s living “Jewish descendants” have acquired new meanings. Because the local economy of the city is now based primarily on tourism, the enduring Western fascination for its “Jewish community” has proved to be a key attraction. It helped to build four-star hotels and to bring in Jewish tourists. For the “Jewish descendants” themselves, it helps to preserve their homes and streets. Although marginalized as a minority, they have been spared the one-child policy and are able to enjoy a monthly allowance from the central government. — Ivan Davidson Kalmar, Derek Penslar, Orientalism and the Jews, 372

Categorization

• SEED: Angle: how an imagined (and partly fictionalized) identity becomes a real economic asset for a Chinese city — identity tourism as infrastructure.
• XREF: Connects to the ADDENDUM article on trees as infrastructure — here, Western fascination itself is the infrastructure paying for hotels.