A Peircean semiotic interpretation of a social sign

A Peircean semiotics emphasizes the role of a sign's interpretant, which connects the sign's observable representamen and its signified object; this triadic approach offers a better interpretation than the signifier/signified dyad. The case of Xu Xiuzhen, also known as Mama Moon-a local celebrity seen by many as a symbol of Yangshuo County, China-reveals two opposing interpretations behind the seeming consensus on the sign, which indicates the structure of interrelated meanings attached to this social sign. The study of signs in tourism would benefit from focusing more on individuals by using Peirce's concept of interpretant, which has been proved to be able to reveal both the social background and the social mechanism constructing a sign's multiple meanings.