[Interpretation of the symbols of national tourism commodities "Wacat"]Yunnan Wacat

Abstract: Tourism commodities are symbols in the tourism consumption system, which has the duality of self-expression and internalization of symbolic value. As a symbol of internal communication it has the symbolism of national culture, national identity materialization of good luck, town house, totem and nature worship, etc. As a symbol of external communication, its main function is to show, is a kind of medium of communication between the tourist and the society, aiming at conveying the information of change of status, change of roles, self-expression, self-identification, etc. to the outside of the society.

Keywords: ethnic tourism commodities; tile cat; symbol; symbolic value

Tile cats, tile components placed on top of the ridge of the roof, are named because their image resembles a domestic cat. Dali Heqing Tile Cats are made by the traditional craft of the Bai people, and they are the most representative of the ethnic tourist places in Yunnan. As tourism commodities, tile cats are commodities consumed by tourists and are symbols in the tourism consumption system. According to sociologist Baudrillard, things must become symbols in order to become consumed, which means that tourists' consumption of tourism commodities has shifted from purely material demand to the demand for meaning and symbolic value. Tile cats can reflect the change of status, role change, self-expression, self-identification and other symbolic meanings of tourists. According to Dimanche and Samdahl, the symbolic nature of tourism consumption is mainly reflected in self-expression and symbolic value. Self-expression is the expression of self-identification and communication with the self, which is communicated to an internalized social audience or a private audience. Symbolic value is the expression of social identity and communication with others, and its communication object is an external audience1. Therefore, as a tourist commodity, Wagyu cat also has the double symbolism of self-expression and internalization of symbolic value.

I. Self-expression of the Wacat

The Wacat's head and tail are connected to each other, which can absorb wealth, attract wealth and good fortune, and "swallow gold and defecate silver", and it is a spirit with supernatural ability to subdue evils, avoid calamities, protect good fortune, and obtain auspiciousness and prosperity. As a symbol of good fortune and auspiciousness, the cat is a physical symbol of the strong desire to understand nature, grasp life and pursue life in the national culture. It is believed that the Wacat can eat all demons and monsters, and can suppress evil spirits and correct feng shui. Tile cats record the experiences in the life of the nation, and are the physical symbols of good luck and avoiding disasters. Among the ethnic minorities in Yunnan, there are cats and tigers of the same origin, and the custom of honoring and worshipping cats, and the use of tiled cats to keep the house in order is a continuation of the tiger totem worship②. Tile cat is known as "descending auspicious tiger", "Zhenji tiger", forehead with "king" character, the prototype of tile cat is a tiger, which is a symbol of tiger totem worship. Tile cat is also a symbol of folk beliefs in nature materialization, Tile cat is carved with a clear picture of the sun and the moon, people through the Tile cat to give supernatural spirituality, given the energy of the sun and the moon to get rid of nature to bring their own plagues and threats, and pray for the Tile cat can be "different from themselves," the power of the Tile cat through the transformation of the power of the "Shunyi" power. The Warmonger is expected to transform the power of the "alien" into the power of the "obedient" through the Warmonger. A complete set of rituals must be held to install the Warmongs, which is known as the "opening of the light". In the life of ethnic tourism residents, the Wacat has formed a scenario in which totem worship, nature worship and secular life are intertwined, demonstrating to a certain extent the ethnic people's cognition and understanding of the order of the universe and the existence of the supernatural. People give symbolism to the Wacat symbolic entity through rituals, and activate the symbolism of the Wacat through rituals, making it a supernatural symbol.

II. Symbolic value of the Wacat

As a symbol of external communication, the Wacat's main function is display, a kind of communicator between the tourist and the society, aiming at conveying the information of change of status, change of roles, self-expression, self-identification and so on to the outside of the society.

(1) A symbol of the change of "status" of tourists

From the point of view of tourism consumption, the status of tourists in the process of purchasing Tile Cats, the Tile Cats bring them the pleasure of making themselves feel more prestigious, and the craftsmanship and production of Tile Cats are all for the purpose of "winning the smiles of women". The craftsmanship and production of Wagyu cats are all for the purpose of "winning the smiles of women". It is the will of the tourists to buy the cats, and the respect and hospitality they receive from the tourists makes them feel the joy of being valued. Therefore, the tourist becomes an economic contributor to tourism activities and the center of consumption. A tourist who has a low status in his daily life can feel the instantaneous rise of his status in such a tourism scenario, which, though short-lived, still has the beauty of "addiction".

(2) Symbolization of the Tourist's "Role" Transformation

Role is the expression of a person's identity, and it is also a symbol of society, and the relationship between people in daily life is expressed in the relationship between roles

and roles. When a tourist enters a Wacat workshop or a shopping spot, he or she transforms from the real-life me to the "new me" in the tourism scene, temporarily giving up the routine life in the process of experiencing shopping and consumption, and experiencing the Wacat through the senses like a "local ethnic group". I temporarily gave up my regular life in the process of shopping and consumption, like a "local people" experiencing through my senses the atmosphere and flavor of national culture. The process of tourists buying Wacats is the process of transforming the role of tourists, and also the process of symbolizing Wacats.

(3) Symbol of different cultural communication media

The Wacat, as an externalized symbol, serves as a medium of communication between its own internalized symbolic meaning and the culture of the local community that the tourists return to

. It is the exchange of "I" and "he" between the local ethnic culture and the community culture of the tourists. Tourism products become a link between "local" and "non-local" peoples, people and the world. As a cultural product of ethnic tourism, when tourists bring it back to the local community as a tourist souvenir, they will display or give it as a gift to the community residents to explain its ethnic cultural symbolism, and its ethnic culture will begin to have multi-dimensional exchanges with the social culture of the tourists.

(iv) Symbol of self-expression and identity

Self refers to an individual's awareness and feeling of their personal characteristics and social identity. The development of the self is a series of continuous communication processes between the "master self" and the "object self" in the process of social interaction, and it is the continuous response of the "master self" to the changing "object self". The process of communication between the "main self" and the "object self" is a continuous process of adjustment of the "main self" to the changing "object self". Therefore, when the self can internalize the values of the group into its own values, the "guest self" is formed, i.e., self-identity is formed. The tourist commodity Wacat is a symbol of the self, and Wacat has the symbolic significance of the externalization of the self. In tourism consumption, as a part of the social identity communication of the tourist, when the tourist returns to the place of residence to display and gift in front of others, it is the presentation of the tourist self, the tourist will be the cat as a prop, in order to look forward to the other's attitude towards the self. As Costa states, "The tourist's purchase and display of souvenirs is part of his performance of self-presentation in which he presents his self to others. When the tourist self-presents, he aims to show himself as both a world traveler and a person who appreciates tradition and authenticity." ⑤ Thus when the tourist performs self-presentation in front of others, the tile cat becomes a symbol of the externalization of the tourist's self. In some cases, the tourist buys the Tile Cat as a souvenir for himself or herself, so it remains a prop for self-performance, and it allows the tourist to define and identify with his or her social identity as the "guest self" in the tourist scenario. The external and internal communication of the self is carried out at the same time, and the cat is a symbol of the tourist's externalization as well as internalization of the self.

The Wacat, like other tourist commodities, has the dual symbolic meaning of internalization and externalization. As a symbol of internal communication, it has the symbolism of good luck, house-keeping, totem and nature worship, which is the symbolism expression based on national culture; as a symbol of external communication, it is a symbol of self-worth, which expresses the special taste of different classes of tourists and indicates the social identity and role of tourists. As a medium of communication between tourists and society, it generates multi-dimensional communication between national culture and social culture of tourists, and transmits the message of self-expression and identity of tourists to the outside of society.