Interviewed by JJ Walsh (Inbound Ambassador - Seek Sustainable Japan)
Interviewed by Dr. Mike Duignan (InsideEvents on 'Use of Events for Social Revitalisation')
Research Publication
Zollet, S., & Qu, M., (2024). The reinvention of local food culture by creative newcomers: rural revitalization, sustainability, and place-making. In Tanaka, K. (Eds.), Japan Sustainability. Lexington Books
Qu, M., He, Y., McCormick, A. D., & Funck, C. (2024). Diagnosing uneven revitalisation outcomes among aging communities in Japan's Island art festival. In E. Papoutsaki & S. S. Niaah (Eds.), Island art and music festivals. University of the West Indies Press, 3-26.
Sun, A., Chen, L., Yoshida, K., & Qu, M. (2023). Spatial Patterns and Determinants of Bed and Breakfasts in the All-for-One Tourism Demonstration Area of China: A Perspective on Urban–Rural Differences. Land, 12(9), 1720. https://doi.org/10.3390/land12091720
Qu, M., McCormick, A. D., & Funck, C. (2022). Community resourcefulness and partnerships in rural tourism, Journal of Sustainable Tourism 30 (10), 2371-2390, special issue of partnership and SDGs, DOI: 10.1080/09669582.2020.1849233
Qu, M. (2022). Book Review: Rethinking Cultural Tourism. International Journal of Tourism Policy, 12(1)
Qu, M. (2021). Exploring models of art’s rural revitalization from the creative tourism geography perspectives [以创意旅游地理的视角探索艺术振兴乡村模式], Public Art [公共艺术], 5, 24-49
Qu, M., & Funck, C. (2021). Rural art festival revitalizing a Japanese declining tourism island. Nancy Duxbery Eds, In Cultural Sustainability, Tourism and Development (Re)articulations in Tourism Contexts, (pp. 51-68). Routledge. DOI: 10.4324/9780367201777-6
Qu, M. (2019). Book Review: Ten Innovative Ideas of Land Art Festival: How to Revitalize the Community by Japanese Rural Art Festival [大地艺术节的十个创新思想:日本乡村艺术节如何振兴社区?], Public Art [公共艺术], 2, ISSN: 1674-7038, P.106-109 (Chinese)
Qu, M. (2019). "After the Intervention of Art in the Countryside - Study of Setouchi Triennale" [艺术介入乡村之后 ——“濑户内三年展”在地研究], Interviewed by the "Contemporary Artist" magazine, ISSN: 1005-3255, vol.1, 2019. p.12-15 (Chinese)
Zollet, S., Qu, M. (2019). The Role of Domestic In-migrants for the Revitalization of Marginal Island Communities in the Seto Inland Sea of Japan. MIRRA (Migration in Remote and Rural Areas) Research and Policy Briefs Series.
Qu, M. (2019). Art Interventions on Japanese Islands: The Promise and Pitfalls of Artistic Interpretations of Community. The International Journal of Social, Political and Community Agendas in the Arts 14 (3): 19-38. doi:10.18848/2326-9960/CGP/v14i03/19-38.
Qu, M. (2019). Book Review: Conflicts, religion and culture in tourism, Tourism Geographies, 21:3, 556-558, ISSN: 1461-6688, DOI: 10.1080/14616688.2019.1583274
Qu, M. (2018). Regional Revitalization or Art Festival Tourism? Community field work research notes among 2015-2018 Setouchi International Art Festival [地域复兴还是艺术节观光? 2015-2018年濑户内三年展社区田野调查手记], "Public Art", No.5, 2018, ISSN: 1674-7038, P.64-73 (Chinese)
Zollet, S., Qu, M. (2018). Organic Farming and Agricultural Landscape Preservation for the Sustainable Development of Uttarakhand Mountain Villages, Journal of Urban and Regional Studies on Contemporary India 4(2): p. 41-53
Qu, M. (2017). Sustainable Development Research on Contemporary Art Intervening in Village Regional Regeneration, Public Art [公共艺术], 2, ISSN: 1674-7038, P.72-81
Qu, M. (2017). The Aesthetic Experience of Augmented Reality Art. In J. J. Arango, A. Burbano, F. C. Londoño, & G. M. Mejía (Eds.), ISEA2017 Manizales BIO-CREATION AND PEACE (pp. 79–86). Manizales: Department of Visual Design, Universidad de Caldas, and ISEA International. ISBN: 978-958-759-161-3.
Qu, M. (2016). Sustainable Development Research on Contemporary Art Intervening in Village Regional Regeneration [当代艺术节介入乡村地域再生的可持续发展研究], Public Art [公共艺术], 5, ISSN: 1674-7038, P.38-45 (Chinese)
Editorial Roles
Associate Editor
Regional Editor
Guest Editor
Editorial Board Member
Tourism Geographies
Shima
Journal of Marine and Island Cultures
Event Management
Journal of Responsible Tourism Management
Research Projects
2024-2025, Socio-cultural dimensions of island population change, British Academy’s Knowledge Frontiers: International Interdisciplinary Research Programme 2024 [Award Reference: KF8\230027]
2023-2028, Theoretical and Empirical Studies on Intercultural Conflicts and Creative Dialogue in Tourism [JSPS Kaken 23K28329]
2023-2027, Transforming Tourism on East Asian Islands: Towards New Spatial Creation in the Post-Corona Era [JSPS Kaken 23K28334]
2022-2024, Rural Art Revitalization - A Comparative Study Between Japan and China [JSPS Kaken 22K13251]
2021-2022, Examination of factors that enhance the resilience of complex tourism systems in the islands of Japan [JSPS Kaken 20K12400]
2016-2021, Setouchi Triennale’s Socially-engaged Art Festival Tourism and Revitalization on Declining Island Communities
2019-2020, Community-engaged Shiosai Art Festival, Rural Revitalization and Sustainable Development
2019-2021, The Role of Creative Domestic In-migrants for the Revitalization of Marginal Island Communities in the Seto Inland Sea of Japan
2018-2019, Revitalizing Island Communities: Focus on I-turn Immigrates, Taoyaka On-site team project, Osakishimojima island, Japan
2017, "Organic Farming and Agricultural Landscape Preservation" fieldwork and onsite training, Khurpatal village, Uttarakhand, India
Research Presentation
2024
Art Festivals and Rural Enhancement, Folk, Knowledge, Place Conference, Singapore Management University, Singapore
Regenerative Creative Tourism in Hiroshima City, Asia Pacific Conference 2024, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Beppu, Japan
Revitalising rural communities through counterurbanisation: insights from
the chiiki okoshi kyouryoukutai initiative in Japan, Asia Pacific Conference 2024, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Beppu, Japan
Diagnosing Uneven Art Revitalization Outcomes among Declining Communities, Tourism For Recovery, Resilience And Regeneration In Rural And Peripheral Areas, symposium by Center for Tourism Research, Wakayama University, at Shirahama, Japan
Art Revitalization and the making of the Art Islands, Regional Revitalization through Art: From Mainland to Island 2024, Shixing County, Guangzhou, China
Military Tourism in a Depopulation Context, Is there any other island revitalization option? South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
The Power of Small: Creative In-Migrant Micro-Entrepreneurs in Peripheral Japanese Islands, 7th Asian Rural Sociology Association (ARSA) International Conference, Kyoto, Japan
Rural Art Festivals and Creative Social Entrepreneurship, IGU Tourism Commission, Pre-IGC meeting, Galway, Ireland
Island studies and socio-economic development policies in East Asia, 35th International Geographical Congress 2024, Dublin, Ireland
Regenerative Creative Tourism and Community Revitalization, International Conference on Responsible Tourism and Hospitality (ICRTH) 2024, Kuching, Malaysia
Empowering Communities: Innovative Strategies for Village Revitalization, International Conference on Responsible Tourism and Hospitality (ICRTH) 2024, Kuching, Malaysia
Exploring the Power of Small Creative Island Revitalization and Socially Embedded Tourism Micro-Entrepreneurship, Keynote presentation for SEAMA 2024 conference, University of Ryukyu, Japan
2023
Creative Revitalization - Art and Contents Tourism in the Peripheral Japan, 62nd ERSA Congress Special Session - Outside the frame: creative, cultural and innovative dynamics in non-urban regions, Alicante, Spain
Neo-endogenous revitalization Enhancing community resilience through art tourism and rural entrepreneurship, 17th International Conference of the European Association for Japanese Studies (EAJS 2023), Ghent, Belgium
Creative Island Revitalization Artistic Mapping for Sustainability Education, The 17th International Conference on Small Island Cultures (ISIC) 2023 - Island Innovation, Resilience, and Revitalization, Miyajima, Japan
Neo-endogenous revitalization Enhancing community resilience through art and creativity-based strategies for rural revitalization, XXIXth European Society for Rural Sociology Congress Crises and the futures of rural areas (ESRS), Rennes, France
Island studies in East Asia & Revitalization Engaged Art Island Tourism in Japan, Workshops in 2023 Exploring the Future of the Scottish Islands, University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI), Scotland
2022
Revitalization Engaged Art Island Tourism Art Islandness, Creative Micro-entrepreneurship & Neo-endogenous Revitalization, International Island Forum, Mokpo, South Korea
Revitalization Engaged Creative Tourism Micro-entrepreneurship Community Enhancement, International conference within the project CREATOUR Azores - Creative tourism regenerative development and destination resilience, Azores, Portugal
How to evaluate an Art Community? Sculpting cities and public art, Huian, China
Community-based/engaged Art Tourism, International Conference on Responsible Tourism and Hospitality (ICRTH) 2022, Sarawak, Malaysia
Neo-endogenous Revitalisation: Increasing Community Resilience through Socially Engaged Art and Creative In-migrant Micro-entrepreneurship, German Institute for Japanese Studies (DIJ), Japan
From Island Arts to the Art Islandness, Island Studies International Conference (ISIC) “Creativity, Ingenuity, and Practice”, The Center for Island Creativity, University of the Highlands and Islands, UK
Revitalization Engaged Art Tourism Creative In-migrants & Micro-entrepreneurship Art Islandness & Neo-endogenous Revitalization, CTR International Conference International Tourism Research Salon, Wakayama University, Japan
2021
Lifestyle migrants in Japan’s Seto Inland Sea’s islands: beyond Western-based conceptualizations of lifestyle migration,Islands and Migration” Research Symposium, Small Island Cultures Research Initiative (SICRI)
The neo-endogenous role of micro-entrepreneurship in the context of art festival tourism development in peripheral islands, European Regional Science Association (ERSA) 2021 conference
The role of creative in-migrants in the revitalization of Japan’s shrinking island communities, European Association for Japanese Studies 2021 conference
Partnerships for Revitalization: Small Businesses in an Island Art Festival, International Geographical Congress (IGU) 2021 conference
Enhancing creative rurality and islandness: hovering between global art festival intervention and peripheral community revitalization, CREATOUR International Webinar - Highlighting distinctiveness: Connecting travel to community and sense of place
Rural art tourism revitalization and creative social resilience under Covid impact, One World Seminar (OWH) Session 03: tourism and pandemics in world heritage sites
2020
The Influence of Setouchi Triennale's Rural Art Festival Tourism on the Revitalization of Shrinking Islands in the Seto Inland Sea, The inaugural colloquium of the IFoU (International Forum on Urbanism) Young Ambassador - 'The Transforming Urban-Rural Spaces: Interdisciplinary Perspectives'
What is ‘Revitalization’? Differing Interpretations by Island Festival Stakeholders, 2nd International Conference of Critical Tourism Studies Asia Pacific, Wakayama University, Japan
2019
The Changes of Small-scale Tourism Businesses on Islands after the Setouchi Triennale" (Poster), The 27th Seto Inland Sea Research Forum in Hiroshima Sustainable Development Goals in the Seto Inland Sea Collaboration between Satomizu and Satoumi for (SDGs), Seto Inland Sea Research Conference, Hiroshima
The Influence of Setouchi International Art Festival and Rural Triennale Tourism on the Revitalization of Island Communities in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan - Case Study from Meigijima and Ogijima islands, ISIC 15: “Island Festivals and Music Tourism, University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica
'Newcomers that the community wants' versus 'outsiders that the community possibly attracts' - social practice research in the Mitarai island community, Seto Inland Sea, Geography Science Spring Conference 2019, Hiroshima University, Japan
Role of creative in-migrants in the revitalization of small island communities in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan, AAG (American Association of Geographers) 2019 conference, Washington DC, USA
2018
Bottom-up Development of New Local Tourism Businesses under the Influence of Setouchi International Art Festival - Comparative Study of Teshima and Shodoshima Islands, Japan, IGU Regional Conference – CAG Annual Meeting – NCGE Annual Conference, Québec City Conference Centre, Québec city, Canada
The Influence of Setouchi International Art Festival and Rural Triennale Tourism on the Revitalization of Island Communities in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan - Case Study of Teshima, Tourism Geographies conference, Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu, La Malbaie, Québec, Canada
Influence of Setouchi Triennale's Contemporary Art Interventions on the Revitalization of Island Communities in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan (Case studies from Teshima and Inujima), the 13th International Conference on The Arts in Society, Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Vancouver, Canada
The Setouchi International Art Festival's Triennale Tourism Influences on the Revitalization of Shodoshima - Focus on Both Top-down and Bottom-up Local and Non- Local Participation Aspects, on The Conference on Sustainable Tourism in Asia (COSTA) 2018, Hiroshima, Japan
2017
Influence of Setouchi Triennale's contemporary art interventions on the revitalization of island communities in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan: Case study from Shodoshima, on Culture, Sustainability, and Place: Innovative Approaches for Tourism Development, Ponta Delgada, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal
The Aesthetic Experience of Augmented Reality Art, on the 32rd International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA) 2017 - XVI 16th International Image Festival, Colombia
2015
A discussion about Process Philosophy and AR art form transformation from Work to Event, the 4th conference of Japan-Korea joint international culture on art studies, The Theory and Reality of Convergence in Arts, Sungkyunkwan University, Korea
2014
The Aesthetic Experiences of AR art, the 2nd conference of Korea-Japan joint international culture on art studies, Art-Culture-Creativity and Interdisciplinary Research, Hiroshima University, Japan
The Aesthetic Experiences of Augmented Space, The 7th International Conference of Eastern Aesthetics, East Asian Art Culture in the Era of Globalization, Yeungnam University, Korea
Organized Conference/Panel/Session
2024, (Co-orgnizer) - Regional Revitalization through Art: From Mainland to Island 2024, Shixing County, Guangzhou, China
2022, (Co-chair) - Island Studies International Conference (ISIC) 2022 - Creativity, Ingenuity, and Practice, SICRI & The UHI Centre for Island Creativity (CIC), Shetland, UK
2022, (Panel Chair) - Art, Islands & Creativity in Precarious Times, Island Studies International Conference (ISIC) 2022, Shetland, UK
1. Shiu Hong Simon Tu – Island Revitalization and the Setouchi Triennale: Ethnographic Reflection on Three Local Event
2. Solène Prince, Meng Qu – The Making of Art Islands – Assemblages of contemporary art and tourism on Bornholm and Naoshim
3. Alia Hamadeh – Contemporary island historiography and environmental codifications of architecture: the art museum on Naoshim
4. Kate Listonis – The Island, the Bench and the Sofa at Home: The archipelago-like network of artists and audiences involved in the exhibition Town Hall Meeting of the Air, 2021, and its 2022 tour.
5. Meng Qu – From Island Arts to the Art Islandness
2020, (Panel Chair) - Art in the Periphery: Successes and Challenges of Art and Cultural Tourism-Based Revitalization Initiatives in Rural Communities, 2nd International Conference of Critical Tourism Studies Asia Pacific, Wakayama University, Japan
Part I: Social Art and Placemaking (Discussant: Solène Prince)
1. Gunhild Borggreen – Returning the Gaze: Art Projects as Reflections of Intrusion
2. Yao (Nancy) Ji – (PhD student, Keio University) The evolving role of architecture in Japans post growth revitalization
3. Almira Astudillo GIlles – Art for our sake: Cultural identy at the BenCab Museum.
Part II: Art Festivals and Revitalization (Discussant: Carolin Funck)
4. Misuzu Toba – The Impact of “Traditional” Events on Tradition and Communities in Japan
5. Eimi Tagore-Erwin – Large-Scale Art Festivals in Japan: Fueling Revitalization and Tourism
6. Shiu Hong Simon – Volunteering in Art Festivals of Rural Japan: An Anthropological Perspective
7. Meng Qu – What is “Revitalization”? Differing Interpretations by Island Festival Stakeholders
Part III: Art Islands and Creative Landscapes (Discussant: Susanne Klien)
8. Solène Prince – Artist Networks on a Small Island: Creativity and Networking on Bornholm, Denmark
9. Simona Zollet, Meng Qu – Lifestyle migrants for the Revitalization of Marginal Island Communities in the Seto Inland Sea of Japan
10. A. D. McCormick – Finding a Creative Class on the Art Island
11. Yachen He – Art Tourism and Shifting Cultural Landscapes in a Small Japanese Island Community
2019, (Panel Chair) - Rural development in disadvantaged rural communities through agriculture and tourism: challenges and opportunities, AAG (American Association of Geographers) 2019 conference, Washington DC, USA
1. Meng Qu, Simona Zollet – Role of creative in-migrants in the revitalization of small island communities in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan
2. Simona Zollet – Newcomer organic farmers and the ‘new rurality’: multifunctional rural development pathways in the Italian Alps
3. Su Guandong – Farmland Abandonment and Agriculture Characteristics in Japan: Regional Differences and Prospects
4. Nguyen Hoang – Tourism and poverty: Perspectives and experiences of local residents in Cu Lao Cham MPA, Vietnam
5. Yachen He – Art intervention in the depopulated island community of Teshima: conflicts between local culture and art development
Guest Lectures, Invited Talks and Workshops
2021-2023, "Art and Rural Revitalization", South China Normal University
2020-2023, "Revitalizing the Setouchi Triennale (ST) among Different Participating Island Communities: a comparative study from 2015 to 2020", National Taiwan University
2022, "From community-based art tourism to community-engaged revitalization", Yamaguchi University
2021-2022, IGS Idea mining workshop, Hiroshima University, Japan
2020, "Sustainable art, sustainable festival, and sustainable island revitalization", The art of coping - art practice, resilience and the limits of creativity
2020, “The Future of Diversity”, The 5th Cross-cultural Forum, Takeda Junior High School, Hachihonmatsu Regional Center, Japan
2018, “Who’s art festival is it?”, the Early Spring Study Tour, Shanghai, China
2018, “Public art intervention and community revitalization in disadvantaged areas of rural Japan”, Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
2018, “Influence of Setouchi Triennale's Art Interventions on the Revitalization of Teshima Islands”, the Sustainable tourism development and planning field school on the Great Ocean Road, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
2018, "Art intervention and community revitalization", College of Social Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
2017, “Are you asking good questions?" workshop, Hiroshima University, Higashihiroshima, Japan
2016, “Fengshui and Geography”, The 2nd Cross-cultural Forum, Takeda Junior High School, Higashihiroshima, Japan
2013, “Augmented Future", BarCamp 2013, Microsoft Research Asia, Beijing, China
2012, "Future Story", IFcity, Digital Media Interaction Design Lab of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China
Consultant Experiences (academic & industry)
2023, Commissioned by the Setouchi Tourism Promotion Organization (DMO) to develop a model route to promote tourism around the Setouchi region.
2022,Sustainable Tourism Content Enhancement Project "Tourism Content Creation Project Utilizing [Environment], [Industry], and [Education] Connected by Learning, Tamano city, Okayama Pref., Japan
2021-2022, External Panel Member for the Responsible Youth Leader Program (RYLP) is organized by Sarawak Research Society and Southeast Asia Research Academy (SEARA), with the support from Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts (MTCP) Sarawak, Responsible Borneo (REBORN) and Emerald Publishing (East Asia).
Teaching Experiences
Hokkaido University
Graduate Courses at the Graduate School of International Media, Communication, and Tourism Studies
- Art Tourism
- Creative Tourism
- Information media and tourism
Undergraduate Courses at the
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Invitation to Tourism Creation: Beyond TDR, World Heritage Sites, and CooL Japan
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A new perspective on media and tourism
National Taiwan University
Graduate Courses in Master's Program in Biodiversity (MPB)
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Landscape identity: transcultural and ecological local practices (MPB5060) 2022
Hiroshima University
Graduate Courses at the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences
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Sustainable Tourism Development (WMJ60801) 2017-2020
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Academic Presentation Skill Advance Course 2017-2020
Undergraduate Courses at the department of Intergated Global Studies (IGS)
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Rural Revitalization (AQS00701) 2021-2023
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Tourism Studies (AQS00601) - Creative Tourism in Rural Japan 2021-2023
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Seminar on Field Research for Area Studies 2019-2022
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Japanese Tourism - Art Tourism 2018-2019 (as TF)
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Regional Geography of Seto Inland Sea 2020 (as TF)
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Academic Presentation and Infographic Design 2017-2022
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Sports exercise (Aikido) (70060034) 2020-2023
Awards & Research Grant
2023-2028, Theoretical and Empirical Studies on Intercultural Conflicts and Creative Dialogue in Tourism [JSPS Kaken 23H03639]
2023-2027, Transforming Tourism on East Asian Islands: Towards New Spatial Creation in the Post-Corona Era [JSPS Kaken 23H03644]
2022-2024, Rural Art Revitalization - A Comparative Study Between Japan and China [JSPS Kaken 22K13251]
2021-2022, Examination of factors that enhance the resilience of complex tourism systems in the islands of Japan [JSPS Kaken 20K12400]
2021-2022, Island revitalization 'research and artistic integration' documentary film community bridging project
2020-2021, Hiroshima University Graduate School Leader Program Excellent Scholarship
2020-2021, JASSO International Student Scholarship
2020, Hiroshima University Graduate School Leader Program Excellent Scholarship
2020, Graduate Student Paper Award, the 2nd International Conference of Critical Tourism Studies Asia Pacific, Wakayama University, Japan
2020, Hiroshima University Excellent Student Scholarship
2016-2020, Hiroshima University Taoyaka Program for Leading Graduate Schools Grant
2016, JASSO International Student Scholarship