The Influence of Cultural Landscape Architecture of Chinese Gardens on Youth Tourists Intentions: Case of Four Gardens in China

Jiayu Chen; Nutteera Phakdeephirot

Authors

Jiayu Chen -
Nutteera Phakdeephirot Rajamangala University of Technology Rattanakosin

Keywords:

China's Four Great Gardens, cultural landscape, young tourist intentions, cultural Identity, cultural landscape theory

Abstract

Understanding how cultural landscape attributes of heritage sites influence young tourists' travel intentions is essential for the sustainable development of cultural tourism. However, existing studies have paid limited attention to the psychological mechanisms linking cultural landscape experience and behavioral intention, particularly among youth tourists in the context of classical Chinese gardens. This study examines the influence of cultural landscape experience on youth tourists' travel intentions, with cultural identity as a mediating variable.

Using four renowned Chinese gardens —— the Summer Palace, the Chengde Mountain Resort, the Humble Administrator's Garden, and the Lingering Garden– as the research context, data were collected through an online questionnaire survey of young tourists aged 18–35 (n = 200). Descriptive statistics, Pearson chi-square tests, independent-samples t-tests, and multiple regression analyses were employed to examine the relationships among cultural landscape experience, cultural identity, and travel intention.

The results indicate that cultural landscape experience has a significant positive effect on both cultural identity and travel intention. Cultural identity, in turn, significantly predicts youth tourists' willingness to revisit and recommend Chinese classical gardens, suggesting its mediating role in the relationship between cultural landscape experience and travel intention. In addition, young tourists show a strong preference for immersive and interactive cultural experiences. Gender differences are observed in experiential perception and behavioral intention, while no significant difference is found in the core dimension of cultural identity.

This study contributes to cultural landscape and tourism research by empirically validating a “cultural landscape experience–cultural identity–travel intention” framework from a youth tourism perspective. Practically, the findings provide implications for heritage garden management, highlighting the importance of immersive interpretation, digital engagement, and youth-oriented cultural experience design.

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