Chen Guangfu And The China's Modern Tourism Industry

Chen Guangfu (1882-1976) was a prominent banker and business leader during the period of the Republic. In 1923, Chen Guangfu established the Department of Tourism under his own Shanghai Commercial and Savings Bank (the Bank of Shanghai in brief) to manage travel business, which marked the beginning of China's modern tourism industry. In 1927, the department turned into an independent Chinese Travel Agency. Throughout the period of Republic of China, the Chinese Travel Agency was not only a unique travel agency with scale in the country, but also rose up to the rank of the biggest travel agencies in the world, which was the typical representative of modern tourism in China. This paper takes Chen Guangfu and China's modern tourism industry as the research object,begins with his establishment and operation of the Chinese Travel Agency as cut-in point, focuses on his thoughts and activities in the process of China's modern tourism industry history, summarizes his tourism management idea, analyses his status in China's modern tourism industry,and explores the nature and the characteristics of modern tourism industry in China.The main part of this paper is divided into six chapters. Chapter One expatiates the international and domestic background of the beginning of China's modern tourism industry. Chapter Two analyses the reasons and the activities of Chen Guangfu's distinguishment in the bussiness circle in the period of the Republic and his establishment of China's modern tourism industry. Chapter Three reviews Chen Guangfu's activities in his management of the Chinese Travel Agency into one of the biggest travel institutions in the world within a short period of time, which elevated the influence and status of China'modern tourism industry both at home and abroad. Chapter Four discusses Chen Guangfu's various efforts to manage the Chinese Travel Agency and to maintain and develop China's modern tourism industry during and after the difficult period of World War II. Chapter five summarizes Chen Guangfu's tourism management thoughts. Chapter Six probes Chen Guangfu's status in China's modern tourism industry. The last Chapter explores the nature and the characteristics of China'd modern tourism industry through the analysis of Chen Guanfu's dissapointment, i.e. the predicament and shackle on the development of China's modern tourism industry.The present study regards Chen Guangfu as an outstanding entrepreneur with patriotic idea. Under the conditions at that time, the main motivation of the establishment of Travel Agency was not for profit, but for the wider publicity of the Bank of Shanghai, for the advance and development of the Bank of Shanghai, and at the same time, to facilitate travel, to advocate tourism and to restore profits and rights. Thus, Chen Guangfu sized up the situation to promote the development of the Chinese Travel Agency by virtue of abundant supplies of capital, personnel, network and brand advantage of Bank of Shanghai, relying on strong social capital, setting up abroad the service brand of the Chinese Travel Agency, strengthening the institutionalization of internal management at home, with steady and innovative business style, through the network, diversification and expansion of scale effect, to promote the development of Chinese Travel Agency at the largest possible range as soon as possible. Chen Guangfu, with extensive and profound impact on China's modern tourism through concrete and effective operation, is worthy of the name "Father of China's Tourism", the soul of Chinese Travel Agency, the advocator and promoter of China's modern tourism industry. At the same time, we also see that the condition of the development of China's modern tourism industry is extremely weak, i.e. the lack of a stable and unified political environment, sound economic foundation and the general recognition of the community. Thus, the Chinese Travel Agency had a strong tendency of dependence at its emergence and during the process of development. Chen Guangfu had to manage the Chinese Travel Agency with the spirit of public interests but without profits in return for decades. China's modern tourism industry showed the non-profit, partial and unbalanced characteristics with smaller scale and so on.