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Chinese food culture and festival: role and symbolic meaning among Hokkien millennials

Chinese food culture and festival: role and symbolic meaning among Hokkien millennials

Wan Hafiz, Wan Zainal Shukri, Yen, Gan Mei, Rahijan, Abdul Wahab Mohamad and Cai, Wenjie ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1505-7240 (2021) Chinese food culture and festival: role and symbolic meaning among Hokkien millennials. In: Proceedings of the Global Tourism Conference 2021. Tourism Innovation and Digitalisation: A New Way in Redesigning Tourism Landscape. Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 7-9 Sept 2021. Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Terengganu, Malaysia, pp. 85-88. ISBN 978-9672939849 (doi:10.46754/gtc.2021.11.023)

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Abstract

The practice of preparing and consumption traditional food at home is the foci in most traditional celebrations, mostly accompanied by rich ethnic rituals, practice and symbolic meanings. However, studies showed changes in lifestyle and work demands in post-modernity have impacted the significance of century’s old ethnic practices in modern life. Millennials (those born between 1980s - 1990s) are more attracted to branding and commercial foods rather than festival foods. This presents an imminent risk of an erosion of Chinese festival foods and cultural identity. This study explores the symbolic meanings of the Hokkien festival foods, factors influencing the consumption of Hokkien festival foods, and role of Hokkien festival foods among Hokkien millennials. Adopting an interpretivist approach, twenty participants who identified themselves as Chinese Hokkien and were born between 1980s - 1999s in Negeri Sembilan were interviewed for the purposes of data collection. The symbolic meaning of Hokkien festival foods among Hokkien millennials were maintaining relationship with their ancestors by following festive traditions and spending quality time with family members. The role of Hokkien festival foods were to celebrate the traditions, culture and heritage as well as pass those traditions on to the younger generations. There were three main factors that influenced Hokkien festival food consumption, which were changed or set aside in keeping with a more modern lifestyle, affected by the attitude of the younger generation and the fact that parents failed to pass on the traditions.

Item Type: Conference Proceedings
Title of Proceedings: Proceedings of the Global Tourism Conference 2021. Tourism Innovation and Digitalisation: A New Way in Redesigning Tourism Landscape. Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 7-9 Sept 2021.
Uncontrolled Keywords: Hokkien, food culture, festival, symbolic meaning, millennials
Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GT Manners and customs
H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group: Faculty of Business
Faculty of Business > Department of Marketing, Events & Tourism
Faculty of Business > Tourism Research Centre
Greenwich Business School > Tourism and Marketing Research Centre (TMRC)
Related URLs:
Last Modified: 02 Dec 2024 16:13
URI: http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/35141

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