Brand identity construction through the heritage of Chinese destination logos

4.1.1 Slogan as the tool for branding

As a promotional genre, destination logos incorporate slogans in their design to convey themes for the purpose of branding. Slogans are merged into the logo design of 56 % of destinations (i.e., 19 destinations), as shown in Table 2. It is crucial for destination managers to strategically choose and use an influential slogan to reflect the destination’s intended brand identity (Lee et al. 2006). As Naghizadeh (2021) indicated, slogans are tourist semiotic languages that deliver the core theme, through which destinations strategically position themselves. The theme communicated by the present corpus’ destinations’ slogans can be divided into three categories: sightseeing, experience tourism, and culture tourism. The themes vary because the selling propositions of the destinations are distinct. The selection and usage of slogans indicate different brand positions of different destinations through the reflection of their respective features. Among these themes, historical and cultural senses are reflected in eight destinations (42 %). For instance, Henan (Figure 1d) is historically referred to as Zhongyuan where ancient Chinese civilization is originated from, designs its slogan as “中原, 老家河南” (Zhōngyuán, lǎojiā hénán), denoting that Henan is the Central Plains where China began and indicating its identity as the cradle of the glorious Chinese civilization. As a successful slogan can catch customers’ attention and act as a brand reminder so that the brand identity is reinforced (Plog 2004), this laconic slogan reflects a profound historical sense of the destination for promoting heritage tourism. This agrees with Naghizadeh’s (2021) point that slogans present catchy and compelling messages.

In order to better deliver marketing themes for promoting tourism, various lexico-syntactical tools and rhetorical devices are resorted to in the investigated slogans to create catchy impacts. Being simple, understandable, and memorable are obvious features of a catchy slogan (Bhavsar 2023). Firstly, to make the slogans simple and understandable, the number of characters or words is limited to keep them within an appropriate length. Length is a widely used measure of text complexity (DuBay 2004). It means that the fewer words in a sentence, the simpler and more understandable it is (DuBay 2004). Based on Miller and Toman’s (2015) corpus research, an English slogan has an average length of five words, which suggests that shorter slogans would have less than five words. In contrast, according to Liu and Ngok’s (2023) empirical study on Chinese slogans, the average number of characters found in slogans is 15, with the majority measuring 14 Chinese characters. Therefore, the length of a shorter slogan is considered within a maximum of 5 words in the English context or 14 characters in the Chinese context (Liu and Ngok 2023; Miller and Toman 2015). As illustrated in Table 3, among all the 16 CCSs and 15 ELSs, 13 destinations (i.e., 82 %) have a 4-character, 6-character, or 8-character CCS and 10 (i.e., 66 %) destinations use 2-word, 3-word, or 4-word ELSs. The maximum word count is merely 10 characters in CCSs and 9 words in ELSs. This implies that most of the analyzed slogans can be characterized as simple and brief. As indicated by the cognitive cost model, customers have limited cognitive capacity, which influences their decision-making and emotional reaction to stimuli (Todd and Benbasat 1992). Accordingly, their preferences for the information will decrease if the cognitive load required for processing information increases (Payne 1982). In this context, it is anticipated that the length of slogans may add to their overall complexity and negatively impact their likeability and acceptance (Dass et al. 2014). For this reason, a shorter slogan that is simple and brief is considered more suitable for delivering essential themes of a destination.

Such simplicity and brevity are also reflected in the syntactic structure through the pervading use of noun phrases to promote certain destinations. Noun phrases are the simplest means to make a direct appeal to the good or service that is the focus of the advertising slogan and denote some abstract ideas related to the product (Savchuk 2019). As displayed in Table 4, most of the slogans (i.e., 15 or 94 % CCSs and 13 or 87 % ELSs) are composed of short noun phrases to craft a concise promotional message, like “Refreshing Fujian” and “Splendid Gansu.” Such syntactical simplicity eases the difficulty of understanding. Additionally, positive adjectives are frequently seen (i.e., 14 or 88 % CCSs and 9 or 60 % ELSs) to be combined with nouns to form two-member noun phrases to deliver positive attributes of destinations. For example, in the ELS of Zhejiang, “Picturesque Zhejiang,” the word “picturesque” vividly portrays a beautiful and appealing image of Zhejiang. This aligns with Vojnović’s (2020) finding that tourist language usually favors simple short phrases to promote cultural identity in a highly positive light.

In addition to lexical tools, rhetorical devices are tactically used in slogans to increase their expressiveness and memorability. Slogans are recognized not only by the message they convey, but also by the modality it is conveyed (Dass et al. 2014). The use of rhetorical devices can affect the modality of delivery, which further generates decorative and artistic language that helps to increase appreciation and elaboration (Toncar and Munch 2001). As shown in Table 4, some of the commonly used rhetorical devices in the analyzed slogans include rhyme and parallelism. Rhyme is realized through the repetition of similar or identical sounds in syllables of two or more words (Wesling 2021). Take Hainan’s ELS, “All the sun, all the fun,” as an example. The repetition of the “un” sound in “sun” and “fun” creates a rhyming effect. Furthermore, the syntactic and verbal parallelism of the slogan establishes a relationship of similarity and contributes to building the rhythm (Prasad and Nagendra 2017; Skračić and Kosović 2016). Sound techniques such as rhyme and rhythm are mnemonic strategies that aid in the memorability of a slogan (Skračić and Kosović 2016). These rhetorical devices ensure a remarkable euphonic and mnemonic effect, which makes a slogan flow gracefully with the aesthetics of rhythm and rhyme.

According to Cook (1992), influential slogans should be simple, memorable, and catchy. Through careful and tactical utilization of verbal tools, the adopted slogans attempt to achieve these linguistic features in order to be more influential in communicating themes about the destination to build their respective destination identity. Lourenção et al.’s (2020) research on semiotic signs also proved that slogans help draw travelers’ attention to destination advertisements, thus travel organizations could create slogans with induced communication to get better responses from travelers.

4.1.2 Name as the carrier of heritage

Language is a significant sign system for idea expression (Yang and Li 2020), including communicating cultures. Every nation has its language and language is the carrier of their heritage. The name and slogan of destination logos reflect the use of language in manifesting one nation’s cultural heritage.

The name is the most crucial indicator for identifying a destination as it appears in the logo of 97 % of the Chinese destinations (i.e., 33 destinations). As a means of representing the brand of tourist destinations, the importance of the destinations’ names is no less than that of companies selling commercial goods (Konecnik and Gartner 2007). Eighteen destinations adopted both CCNs and ELNs in their logos, with Xinjiang, as well as Tibet, even having their names displayed in three languages. Besides Chinese characters and English letters, Uyghur and Tibetan names are applied by Xinjiang and Tibet respectively, which manifests their local linguistic specialty and unique ethnic culture. Adding names written in minority languages in destination logos is a practical way of showcasing their unique ethnic identity. Nevertheless, names designed in Chinese exhibited in the destination logos assume tremendous importance in stressing a destination’s national identity in getting a domestic market share. In addition, with the exception of Sichuan, Heilongjiang, Henan, and Chongqing, the presence of ELNs can be found in the rest of the 30 destinations (i.e., 88 %), either in the form of an independent name or joined in the slogan of the logo. The prevalence of ELNs in destination logos indicates that there is an ever-growing need to gain the international market and form a competitive advantage among overseas competitors. Statistics show that in 2019, the tourist income generated from the overseas market reached 131 billion dollars, which accounts for 14 % of the total tourist income (i.e., RMB6,638 billion) for China (National Bureau of Statistics of China 2020). In order to increase their global reputation, destinations are working hard to establish their international brand identities through the presentation of ELNs due to the rising competition in the global market. The conceptualization of multiple identities of a destination under different cultural contexts is achieved by presenting its name in various languages in the logo. As revealed by Sang (2021), the destination name represents the authentic culture of a place and signifies its identity, which is regarded as a symbolic process for expressing its social roles. In this study, the cultural identities of destinations are established by embedding diverse cultures in the names of multiple languages, thus reflecting their multifold social functions, and branding destinations through this symbolic process.

4.1.3 Framing

In terms of framing, most destinations that comprise more than one constituent element deployed space as a method to naturally set one element apart from the other (i.e., 26 destinations), while Macau (Figure 1e) realizes the demarcation of graphics and names through the manipulation of different colors. However, Inner Mongolia (Figure 1f[ix]), Ningxia (Figure 1f[x]), Xinjiang (Figure 1k), and Tibet (Figure 1l) selected frame lines which form two concentric circles as the outer and inner frames of their logos, making their logos shape like a circular badge, with pictorials in the inner circle and names within the margin of the outer circle. The circle is an important sign in ancient Chinese literature, which contains rich humanistic connotations that are bonded with the thinking pattern of the Chinese nation formed during its long history. In Chinese literary practice, this cultural sign is typically represented through the image of the moon and the finale of the reunion (Duan 2007). The full moon is round in appearance, conveying a sense of harmony, thus serving as a spiritual sustenance for Chinese people (Duan 2007). Their worship of the moon dates back more than 3,000 years in China’s Shang Dynasty (1600–1046 BC; Lei 2015). They celebrate the Moon Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, an occasion for families to get together, eat mooncakes, and enjoy the bright and round moon (Lei 2015). When the moon hangs high in the sky with the bright moonlight shining on the earth, the desire for reunion and happiness will arise in Chinese people’s hearts. The worship of the moon and the strong yearning for reunion contain a deep instinctive power, which makes the moon a unique image settled deep in the hearts of the Chinese people, and externalizes it into a national character that always longs for reunion (Duan 2007). Chinese people attach great importance to family ties. The moon is full when it turns into a circle, and a family is integral when family members get together. Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Xinjiang, and Tibet are inhabited by Mongolians, the Hui nationality, the Uyghur people, and the Tibetan nationality, respectively. As a member of the big family of the Chinese nation, these ethnic people are closely bound to their motherland and other ethnic groups who inhabit this land. The design of their destination logos in a circular shape symbolizes that they are an integral part of their homeland and they highly value the unity of nationalities as well as the reunion of families, which is a reflection of cultural tradition and spiritual heritage of the Chinese nation. This concurs with Hsun and Jie (2022) that, a unique shape symbolizes a distinctive theme, which is the core of the destination image, serving as a bridge between the integrated development of a society and visual and spiritual communication for the public.

4.2.1 Calligraphy and traditional Chinese characters

It has been discovered that traditional Chinese cultural heritage has a significant impact on China’s destinations’ logo design. Chinese calligraphy, as an ancient writing art of Chinese characters, pervasively appears in the investigated destination logos. Twenty six destinations (76 %) apply Chinese calligraphy either in the names or slogans of their logos. As a cultural heritage, Chinese calligraphy is an artistic practice that uses variations of brush strokes in writing the Chinese characters, infusing connotations of nature, society and life, to express the writer’s thoughts, spirit, and personality (Bachner 2014). The application of Chinese calligraphy in destination logos, such as the use of seal script, clerical script, regular script, running script, and cursive script, exemplifies distinctive features of the destination logos through different sorts of calligraphic styles, which carry forward the deep-seated Chinese cultural meanings.

Meanwhile, the traditional Chinese cultural heritage, namely, traditional Chinese character, is adopted in the manifestation of 8 destination logos’ CCNs and 2 destination logos’ CCSs, adding a Chinese-characterized cultural tone to these 10 destinations (29 %). Traditional Chinese characters have a history of more than two thousand years since handwritten characters were used by people in China. It contains rich cultural meanings as well as carries history and heritage. The evolution process of Chinese characters is interrelated with the formation of Chinese culture (Seman 2002). Traditional Chinese characters are the fundamental carriers of Chinese culture and have been vital as a means of idea dissemination and exchange in China’s long history (Seman 2002). The adoption of calligraphy and traditional Chinese characters in designing the destination logos not only enhances the artistic feeling and the Chinese identity of destination logos, but also illustrates the heritage and development of traditional Chinese culture. As Yang et al. (2020a) highlighted, Chinese calligraphy and characters are symbols of national identity expression in a tourism context. The Chinese sign system inscribes the continuity of cultural transmission (Xu et al. 2020) while internalizing the cultural identity in semiotic embellishment.

4.2.2 Chinese seal

The Chinese seal, applied in logos of 11 destinations (32 %), is another traditional Chinese cultural heritage with a long cultural history deployed for symbolizing the Chinese identity of destinations. Chinese destinations employ Chinese seals to signify names, communicate key selling points, or identify services. In the logo of Shandong (Figure 1q[iii]), the Chinese characters “好客” (hàokè, ‘hospitable’) are engraved on the seal. Shandong is the hometown of Confucius, the founder of Confucianism, who once expressed his hospitality by saying “What a joy it is to have friends coming from afar” (Confucius 2016: 1). The inheritance of the Confucian way of hospitality in Shandong’s logo by inscribing his tenet in the Chinese seal not only conveys deep cultural connotations but also creates a hospitable image. As Lingling and Ghani (2023) mentioned, the expression of contemporary value and rich cultural past can be realized by incorporating traditional seals into the design, to capture the essence and reflect the charisma of a place. Featured as a sculpture art of China, Chinese seals are treated as a marker of identity and as a cultural artefact, incorporating calligraphy and seal-cutting techniques in one small seal while implying profound artistic and cultural connotations (Sun 2004). When used in destinations’ logos, this delicate art adds a sense of grace to logos and enhances the destinations’ historical profundity.

4.2.3 Chinese landscape painting

Chinese landscape painting is also a traditional cultural heritage element employed in destination identity formation through logos. This ancient art is also known as shanshui (‘mountain and water’), with the two prototypes of nature, shan (‘mountain’) and shui (‘water’) being its subjects and implying unique references in Chinese philosophy (Law 2011). References to shan and shui can be found in the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius’s proclamation that “the benevolent find joy in mountains; the wise find joy in water,” implying that sages found the truth of nature in mountains and water (Lau 1992: 53). Hence, shanshui not only aims to evince visual appreciation but also promote spiritual contemplation. On the one hand, the aesthetic beauty and calmness of natural scenery are brought to people by this art, as depicted in Figure 1j(iii) of Zhejiang’s logo, where typical motifs of mountains and water are presented in the form of Chinese ink painting. Adopting the freehand brushwork painting technique, the poetic and graceful atmosphere of Zhejiang is expressed through several overlapping peaks and meandering waters. The overall hues of green and blue render the fresh and delightful landscape of Zhejiang, which elicits a poetic and picturesque identity of Zhejiang. Hence, Zhejiang illustrates the natural beauty and distinctive atmosphere of the Jiangnan region through the traditional ink painting style in its symbol (Song and Fan 2023). On the other hand, such rendering creates a sense of “harmony and the perfect integration of man and nature,” which is the expression of traditional Chinese perception of nature (Law 2011). The application of shanshui in logo design reflects its aesthetic and brings potential tourists into a spiritual space where they can contemplate and be inundated by nature.

4.2.4 Classical Chinese ornamentation

The design of classical Chinese ornamentations is mostly inspired by nature and endowed with spiritual connotations. Meaning potentials of nature-related patterns embody cultural messages and show the spirit of the Chinese nation. Shanghai’s logo (Figure 1f[iv]) exhibits the classical blue Chinese ornamentation of seawater, echoing the second character of Shanghai’s Chinese name (i.e., 海 [hǎi], ‘ocean’). As the Chinese saying goes, “All rivers run into the sea,” denoting that acceptance and embrace lead to greatness, which agrees with Shanghai’s cultural tradition of being open (Lu 2019). Embracing a large population from other provinces and countries as well as their diverse cultures, Shanghai aims to construct itself as a metropolis with the urban character of openness, innovation, and inclusiveness to better inherit the essence of traditional Chinese culture and absorb the world’s cultural merits (Liu 2021). In accordance with the city’s culture of openness and receptiveness, the seawater patterns in the logo represent the inclusive humanistic spirit of Shanghai. As argued by Li and Yang (2023), semiotic resources are used to create an inclusive and open city in semioscaping Shanghai, claiming Shanghai to be a multicultural and ethnically diverse metropolis. As manifested in Figure 1p(ii), Yunnan pictures the first character of its Chinese name (i.e., 云 [yún], ‘cloud’) into a colorful auspicious cloud. Clouds are referred to as 云 (yún) in Chinese, a homophone for 运 (yùn), which means good fortune. The five-colored cloud is a representative of a Chinese cultural symbol that signifies good luck and jubilation (Welch 2013). Adopted in Yunnan’s logo, the cloud’s five colors reflect the province’s colorful ethnic cultures. This province boasts the largest variety of ethnic minorities in China, and the region’s varied ethnic cultures have emerged as a point of distinction for developing Yunnan’s tourism (Dong 2023). The colorful cloud in the logo symbolizes the diverse ethnic cultures in Yunnan and implies a joyous tourist experience. It can be seen that the classical Chinese patterns have their roots in the natural world, from which they gain their beauty (Xu et al. 2020). These patterns reflect an era’s aesthetic preferences and values, inevitably bearing the imprint of the era’s culture, which is intelligently utilized for brand construction (Xu et al. 2020).

4.2.5 Ancient building

Chinese ancient buildings have mystic and deep spiritual implications. They are not only a representation of Chinese traditional architectural art, but also a carrier of the traditional Chinese cultural heritage. A distinctive architecture contributes to discerning a place and drawing crowds of tourists (Scerri et al. 2016). A total of 7 destinations demonstrate their cultural glamour by revealing their specific buildings in the logo, most of which are historical sites in respective regions. Beijing (Figure 1f[i]) puts the Temple of Heaven in its logo to replace the position of the letter “B” in the destination’s ELN, because of the morphological resemblance between the architecture and the letter. The Temple of Heaven was built for purposes of praying for wealth and peace during the Ming and Qing Dynasties (AD 1368–1912), with its circular hall and square foundation symbolizing heaven is round and earth is square (Zhang et al. 2021). This cosmic symbolism in the ancient world of China and the wish for a wealthy and peaceful life is reflected through the adoption of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing’s logo. As an ancient capital, Beijing enlarges the visual image of the Temple of Heaven in its logo to mark its thick historical and cultural atmosphere. The province of Shaanxi (Figure 1f[vi]) depicts the Great Wild Goose Pagoda in its logo. Constructed in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618–907), this pagoda was built to preserve the Buddhist sutras brought back by a monk Xuanzang via the ancient Silk Road, which witnessed the gradual dissemination of Buddhism in China, and has become a significant symbol synonymous of Shaanxi’s culture (Hui and Zeng 2017). The infusion of Buddhism into Chinese culture is embodied by depicting this Buddhist pagoda in Shaanxi’s logo.

Similarly, Gansu province (Figure 1j[ii]), as the central hub on the ancient Silk Road, portrays the Mogao Grottoes or Caves of the Thousand Buddhas in its logo. The Mogao Grottoes comprises 750 caves on five levels carved into a desert cliff, holding countless murals, sculptures, and scrolls, offering a glimpse into the once flourishing multicultural society (Kenderdine 2013). This logo constructs a historical image of the multicultural civilizations reflected by these peerless treasures preserved in the Mogao Grottoes. Figure 1f(iii) displays Anhui’s logo in which the distinctive Hui style architecture is presented to denote its regional customs and lifestyle. The contrastive black roof tiles and whitewashed walls form the major tone of the Huizhou architectural complex, indicating the unique flavor of Huizhou architectural heritage (He 2020). Macau’s logo (Figure 1e), with a silhouette of the Ruins of St. Paul’s, reveals a heterogeneous sense. Due to the Portuguese colonial expansion of Macau from 1557 to 1999, the city’s architectural heritage manifests an amalgam of Portuguese and Chinese fabric (Wieczorek 2020). St. Paul’s, which has been officiated as Macau’s representative landmark, illustrates the blending of cultural influences and historical transformations of Macau as well as marks Macau’s complex cultural identity (Wieczorek 2020). As depicted in Figure 1i, Taiwan’s logo showcases the Taipei Palace Museum, highlighting the long-standing traditional cultural bond with mainland China through the museum collections. Taipei Palace Museum was built to preserve Chinese national cultural heritage that was transported from the Beijing Palace Museum to Taiwan in 1949 (Ju 2007). The Palace collection is the representation of Chinese art, culture, and the shared national identity of the Chinese people (Ju 2007). Displaying the Taipei Palace Museum in the logo identifies the Chinese roots of the people in Taiwan and highlights their cultural identity. Hebei (Figure 1q[i]) incorporates the majestic Great Wall into its logo. The Great Wall, is a territorial border of walls constructed in ancient China from the Warring States period (481–221 BC) to the Ming Dynasty (AD 1368–1644) as a defensive structure to protect the nation, which functions as territorial, ethnic, and historical boundaries, and symbolizes national unity (Rojas 2011). It stretches across thousands of kilometers of northern China, demonstrating its sublimity and boundlessness. Extending thousands of years into China’s history, the Wall serves to grant the internal coherence of the nation and is perceived as a symbol of the strength and resilience of the Chinese civilization (Rojas 2011). The national identity of China is embodied through the existence of this cultural landscape in Hebei’s logo.

The ancient landscape architecture keeps historical knowledge, cultural memory, artistic creation and old ways of life alive, in which inherited traditional Chinese customary culture can be seen in concrete form (Li and Kluensuwan 2024). As Bonarou (2021) pointed out, the semiotic analysis of folk architecture helps uncover the numerous cultural elements that have come to be recognized as markers of national characteristics. The aforementioned 7 destination logos have traced traditional Chinese belief systems and core values incorporated in local historic buildings as the symbol of folk culture, which showcases the unbreakable bond between Chinese tradition and the evolution of architecture that has emerged as an essential component in establishing unique identities.

4.2.6 Traditional skill

Viewed as a living history, heritage is deeply rooted in history and tradition-related knowledge and skills (Park 2013). In Guangdong’s logo (Figure 1o[i]), a fine dragon boat is presented to demonstrate the Dragon Boat Race held annually during the traditional Dragon Boat Festival, embodying the cultural legacy and the enterprising sporting spirit. Dragon boating was originally held to commemorate the patriotic poet Qu Yuan in the 4th Century BC (Sofield and Sivan 2003). Before the race, locals in Chinese fishing villages perform Taoist religious rituals to express their dedication to the goddess of the sea (McCartney and Osti 2007). Nonetheless, in the last decade, it has evolved from a traditional ceremony to a sporting event (Sofield and Sivan 2003). The historical and religious past of dragon boat races has become a unique promotional attribute to develop sports tourism (McCartney and Osti 2007). Placed in the logo of Guangdong, the dragon boat accentuates the folk tradition and forms a lively identity of Guangdong. As portrayed in Figure 1h, the image of Guizhou’s logo is its pictographic Chinese character name, in which the first Chinese character resembles a bronze wine vessel. Guizhou has a distinct liquor culture formed in its long history of brewing. The typical representation of liquor, Maotai which is a distilled Chinese liquor made in the town of Maotai, is one of the better-known liquors in the province (Oakes 2000). As a cultural carrier, historic liquor distilling and drinking customs are well-preserved by Guizhou’s ethnic minorities as the living relics of ancient China (Oakes 2000). The design of Guizhou’s logo reflects its unique liquor heritage. Another destination that exhibits local traditional skills in its logo is Inner Mongolia (Figure 1f[ix]), which depicts an indigenous Mongolian riding a horse on the grassland. The Mongols are known as the people on horseback. Horses have always been a part of their pastoral life (Nakamura 2010). As equestrians, they take great pride in their horses (Nakamura 2010). In the logo, the dynamic galloping horse with a rider on its back manifests a high degree of horse-riding skills. The presence of horses symbolizes the identity of the Mongolians as horseback riders (Nakamura 2010). As Zhang and Sheng (2017) mentioned, semiotics is utilized in tourism studies to characterize or delineate how particular objects, like cultural phenomena (festivals, craftsmanship, and skills) are symbolically represented as tourist attractions. Regional conventional skills have been made good use of in logo design to address representative pictures of Chinese destinations and their images.

4.2.7 Other tangible and intangible cultural heritage

A cultural sense can also be conveyed through a materialized object, which reflects old traditions and cultural heritage. Nostalgia can exert a significant influence on the increasingly popular heritage tourism (Séraphin et al. 2018). In Hong Kong’s logo (Figure 1f[viii]), the sailing vessel, known as Duk Ling, is displayed as Hong Kong’s icon, which is a heritage in relation to the colonial history of the city. As a classic Chinese-style sailboat operating in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor, the antique Duk Ling brings a nostalgic memory of the colonial era to tourists by offering cruise rides on the harbor (Tang 2009). The harbor tour transfers people back to the old times and guides people to discover Hong Kong through heritages. Likewise, as indicated in Figure 1j(i) in the logo of Qinghai, a long piece of blue silk scarf, khata, which is a traditional ceremonial scarf widely used in Tibetan Buddhism, is presented to signify the characteristic etiquette culture of the Tibetan nationality and the Mongol nationality living in this province. The presentation of khata is a popular custom that remains a widely practiced ritual in Tibetan and Mongolian society for greetings (Roddy 2018). This ritual greeting realized through offering khata contains ethnic, religious, and cultural meanings and embodies Qinghai’s friendly image.

Heritage can be tangible or intangible. As illustrated in Figure 1n in the logo of Guangxi, bronze drums, hydrangea balls, and Huashan rock paintings are artistic forms for explicating the customs, history, and religious beliefs of the Zhuang nationality. They are embedded in the letters “G,” “a,” and “x” in Guangxi’s logo, respectively. Hydrangea balls have long been a typical cultural symbol for the Zhuang people, which symbolizes a pledge of love for the Zhuang men and women in love (Lan and Ling 2018). Bronze drums are the Zhuang people’s traditional musical instruments and ritual vessels which have been found in use in burials, warfare, and other ceremonial rites (Lan and Ling 2018; Qian 2013). It can be seen from the logo that the letter “x” is designed to resemble a human motif of the Huashan rock art site. The painted motif is in striking likeness with the frog dance, a ritual dance performed with the frog posture for animism and ancestor worship (Qian 2013). Because of this, the painting is considered to represent the ancestral Zhuang people’s religious beliefs (Qian 2013). Similarly, Hainan (Figure 1m) portrays the representative frogman image in the second letter “A” of its logo to signify the Li nationality’s frog adoration. The frog is regarded as a totem by the Li nationality for resting the hope of reproduction and continuity of their people (Zhang and Wu 2010). As such, the sense of place is interpreted by the tangible and intangible values of local heritage under a semiotic perspective, which forms a combination of destination attributes, to constitute memorable tourist experiences and define uniqueness in tourist products (Efstathiou 2020). The brand value of tangible and intangible heritage is thus enhanced by demonstrating symbols of cultural resources in destination logos as identity and image conveyors.

4.2.8 Natural heritage

Apart from the cultural heritage elements discussed thus far, nature-based heritage components are the second most common symbols employed in the visual identity construction of China’s destinations. Natural heritage is part of human heritage. As illustrated in Figure 1f(iii), the logo of Anhui includes the botanical heritage of Mount Huang, the guest-welcoming pine. Pine trees in Mount Huang are endemic and an essential component of this reserve’s designation as a natural world heritage site (Li 2008). Many trees are known for their antiquity, bizarre shape, or precariously steep position, and over 100 famous trees have unique names, such as guest-welcoming pine (Sofield and Li 2007). The guest-welcoming pine gets its name from the way its branches stretch out like hosts’ open arms to invite guests into their homes (Sofield and Li 2007). Thus, the presence of the guest-welcoming pine in the logo signifies Anhui’s warm welcome for tourists. Similarly, Jilin (Figure 1f[v]) showcases its endemic pinus sylvestriformis in its logo. The pinus sylvestriformis, also referred to as Changbai pine, is a tree species that grows exclusively in the Changbai Mountains (Zhan et al. 1986). The pine is evergreen and resists the harshness of frost and snowstorms throughout the winter, therefore the most significant quality embodied by the pine in Chinese culture is spiritual fortitude (Sun and Rybakov 2021). The pine tree can withstand the rigor of a long winter, representing “tenacious vitality” in Chinese culture (Chen and Liu 2019: 366), hence is used to represent a vibrant Jilin.

Animals belong to the natural heritage and connect people with nature. Through an animal-based tourism, people can experience nature. As the hometown of giant pandas, Sichuan (Figure 1a) places an adorable giant panda in the center of its logo. The giant panda in half cool-toned green and half warm-toned red forms two contrastive forces, which resemble the insignia of Tai Chi, a Chinese martial art. The basic concepts of Tai Chi originated from the Taoist ideas of Yin-Yang, which expresses a philosophical ideology that describes the balance of opposite but interconnected forces in nature (Kuo 2004). This logo looks like a giant panda performing Tai Chi, expounding the foundational principles of Tai Chi. Additionally, a flying bird is presented in Qinghai’s logo, as indicated in Figure 1j(i). Qinghai Lake, spanning 4,392 km² in Qinghai province, is the biggest saltwater lake in China and a crucial location for waterbirds to breed and stopover in the Central Asia-India Flyway (Zhang and Yang 1997). During the breeding season every year, countless flocks of migratory birds breed on islands around Qinghai Lake, rendering this place a paradise for waterbirds. Thus, the logo depicts a flying bird as a representation of the favorable biological resources in Qinghai. In Taiwan’s logo (Figure 1i), the incorporation of fauna and flora motifs, such as butterflies, birds, and flowers indicate Taiwan’s biodiversity. Butterflies carry deep connotations in Chinese culture. The ancient Chinese philosopher Chuang Tzu once dreamed he was a free butterfly, conveying his philosophical pursuit of interfusion with nature (Gaskins 1998). This reflects the fundamental philosophy in China that humans are infused with nature, illustrating a harmonious relationship between humans and nature. In the case of Xinjiang’s logo, as displayed in Figure 1k, a camel is standing in the desert under the blue sky. In Xinjiang, an area that mostly consists of desert, semi-desert, and grassland, the camel serves as the best vehicle for carrying and riding due to its remarkable adaptability to severe desert environments (Liu and Jiang 2020). Camel caravans carried out long-distance trade along the Silk Road for centuries, passing through Xinjiang and connecting the Orient with the Middle East and Europe (Dana 1998). They have created a bridge for communication between eastern and western civilizations, and brought abundant wealth and opportunity (Liu and Jiang 2020). In addition to their symbolic significance of the Silk Road, camels also perform the crucial role of transportation in daily life, known as “the ship of the desert” (Liu and Jiang 2020: 124). The camel has irreplaceable value and status in Xinjiang and thereby is used as a representative cultural symbol in Xinjiang’s logo. Another example is illustrated in Ningxia (Figure 1f[x]), which transforms its characteristic Tan sheep into an anthropomorphic image in the logo. Tan sheep is a unique sheep breed domesticated in northwest China, including Ningxia, for producing high-quality pelt (Ma 2019). The Hui nationality in Ningxia has a long history of traditional fur craft, which highlights their distinctive artistic creativity (Ma 2019). Hence, the Tan sheep is displayed in the logo to demonstrate the folk art of the Hui nationality. Likewise, a yak is depicted in Tibet’s logo (Figure 1l) to carry the yak culture in Tibetan society. The yak is a unique species native to the Tibet Plateau, a cattle Tibetans rely on for survival. For thousands of years, Tibetans have used yaks as the major means of transportation, a food source, and material for making other articles of daily use (Rhode et al. 2007). In the spiritual realm, the wild yak is revered as a totem for Tibetan society and the avatar of the spiritual force of Tibet (Rhode et al. 2007). Regarding the importance of yak for traditional Tibetan society, this animal is adopted in Tibet’s logo to manifest its crucial status in Tibetan culture. It is found that representations of natural heritage in iconic logos allude to conventional Chinese value frameworks and culture that have been passed down. As Fayzullaev et al. (2018) described, semiotic images for representing destinations often paint regional heritage, whether cultural or natural, with allusions to long-standing cultural traditions.

The qualitative analysis above suggests that Chinese destinations are inclined to present cultural and natural heritage elements through the usage of graphic and linguistic resources in the destination logos. These heritage elements are believed to project the destinations as culturally exuberant and naturally appealing to attract potential tourists. Among the images employed, representations of cultural heritage are given more prominence compared to natural heritage concepts. As suggested in Table 5, the traditional Chinese cultural heritage elements dominate the overall style in designing destination logos through the embodiment of calligraphy in the majority of logos (76 %), with traditional Chinese characters (29 %), Chinese seals (32 %), Chinese landscape painting (3 %), and classical Chinese ornamentation (6 %) complementing a vintage flavor of Chinese cultural identity. It can be inferred that national culture plays a crucial role in the symbolic narrative of destination identity. Meanwhile, Chinese destinations also pay great attention to conveying other cultural values denoted by ancient buildings (21 %), traditional skills (9 %), and other tangible and intangible cultural heritage (12 %) in their destinations’ logos. Nonetheless, there are still some nature-related heritage elements in their logos, which is indicated by the existence of botany (6 %) and animal (18 %) representations to present a natural philosophy of the places. In general, cultural and natural heritage elements are represented in the Chinese destination logos to convey the traditional, historical, cultural and spiritual connotations and brand them as offering a heritage tourism. As Bonarou (2021) stated, semiotic resources function as powerful narratives of cultural representations and national identities through disseminating specific concepts. It justifies the meaningful texts and visual images to assume the role of information carriers to reflect the destinations’ heritage values in distinctive styles as practical means of constructing those destinations’ visual identities.