Kunming An Urban Journey Celma Boa, Sophia Chieng, Denis Ianc, Aneta Stefanova and Rachel Wickham
Edited by: Celma Boa and Rachel Wickham
Contributors: Celma Boa, Sophia Chieng, Denis Ianc, Aneta Stefanova and Rachel Wickham
Published 2015
The School of Art & Design of the University of Huddersfield
Kunming An Urban
Journey
This book explores the collaboration between the University of Huddersfield and the Yunnan Arts University with a study of Kunming and outlying areas. This includes a report on the nature of Guandu Ancient Town and the possible means by which a positive architectural contribution could be made to the lives of the people who live there.
Celma Boa, Sophia Chieng, Denis Ianc, Aneta Stefanova and Rachel Wickham
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Contents Kunming: Introduction 1 Location 3 Climate 5 University 7 Joint Project 9 Chu Ri Cha 11 Our Kunming 13 Guandu Ancient Town: Location 21 People of Guandu 25 History 27 Monuments of Ancient Guandu 29 Intangible Culture Heritage of Guandu 35 Festival and Celebrations 36 Traditional Local Food 37 Being in Guandu 39 Guandu Ancient Town New Development 41 Nodes 45 Boundaries and Edges 47 Building Uses 49 Hierarchy 51 Senses 55 Circulation 57 Time of Day 58 Architecture: Traditional and Modern 59 Gardens and Green Spaces 65 Types of Voids and Masses 69 Analysis of Urban Spaces 71 Journey in sketches 73 Our Tour 77 Market Slum: Plans 85 Sections 91 Master Plan 95 Hong Kong 107 Thank You 119 Bibliography 121 Appendix 123
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Introduction to Kunming Kunming is the capital of Yunnan province, known by many as the ‘city of eternal spring’ as it enjoys year round temperate weather, making it a popular tourist destination with both national and international visitors. The city has a population of around five million residents and offers an eclectic mix of languages, cultures and food that reflect the diversity of Yunnan province. The city of Kunming has a rich history that stretches through the rein of five dynasties. The area was first settled by a Chu general near to lake Dianchi in 765 and was known as Tuodong, and belonged to the kingdom of Nanzhao. It passed through various hands but was first called Kunming when the Mongols took control in 1276, and became the provincial capital of Yunnan, and a trading centre between the southwest and the rest of China. In the 14th century Kunming was taken by the Ming dynasty, who built a wall around present day Kunming, but it was in 1832 that Kunming started to become a real city, with the building of city walls and significant structures within their confines. The city also grew to become the major market and transport centre for the region. Unfortunately, between 1858 and 1868 the city was attacked and besieged by the rebel leader Du Wenxiu, the sultan of Dali, and resulted in the destruction of most of the cities buddhist sites, and the loss of most of its wealth.
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China
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Location Kunming is located in the province of Yunnan in south-west China. The location of the city makes it an important commercial centre and transport hub, easily reached by rail and by domestic and international flights. Kunming is a widely spread city, but is easily traversed by bus, subway and car.
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Climate
Kunming has one of Chinas mildest climates. It has short, cool, dry winters with mild days and crisp nights. The summer is long, warm and humid but is cooler than the surrounding low lands. The humidity throughout the year varies between around 45% and 75%. It is higher between June and November. During the winter months Kunming barely sees any rain, but they regularly see up to 200mm in the summer. Daylight in Kunming peaks at around 70% in the summer, but can be as low as 35% in the winter. The temperature in Kunming drops dramatically at night often by up to 20°C but doesn’t vary a great deal throughout the year. In the summer, day time temperatures reach up to around 25°C but only fall to around 15°C in the winter making it a comfortable place to live for most of the year.
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University We had the opportunity to work with students from Yunnan Arts University to design a small project, a pavilion. On our second day in Kunming, we went to the college at the invitation of all the students and teachers there. They made us very welcome upon arrival even posting a message on the design building above the entrance. We attended some lectures held in both English and Mandarin so that everyone could understand exactly what was said. Then we were divided into groups which consisted of both English and Chinese students before being allocated different locations, which we visited with the Chinese students. Many of them did not really speak English but we managed to understand each other regardless. Our group were allocated the Golden Temple Scenic Area park, a beautiful place surrounded by nature and decorated in a way that added to its beauty. On entering this complex of monuments there were two men who were using large hammers to beat the top of a tree stump. We investigated and found they were making a delicious sweet, a type of peanut brittle, which you could buy there and then. As we went deeper into the park everything became more and more charming especially the statues, bonsais, bamboo and squirrels who were brave enough to approach us. One of the buildings was a museum where we could admire various statues, antique objects, inscriptions and even a model of the whole area. The alley in front of the Bell Tower was decorated with various statues. We also noticed many different sized stones inscribed in Mandarin script probably with useful indications for Chinese tourists. The bell tower offers a view that leaves you speechless. After visiting almost all the complex, we went back to a cafe for a meeting and we decided that our building should be located somewhere in the woods on the way to the Tower. .
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Joint Project Along with the site we were also given a poem to incorperate into the design. Our poem was a traditional Chinese one called ‘Qīng chén rù gu shì chu rì zhào gāo lín’, 清晨入古寺,初日照高林 , or roughly translated ‘The morning enters the temple, the dawn light shines over the woods’ Having spent the morning exploring the park, we settled on an area of woodland, off the beaten track for our location. It was quite early when we arrived and the light shining through the woodland affected all of us, so we chose to build a pavilion here. We thought to serve tea in this pavilion as this is a traditional part of Chinese culture, and would also make the site a destination as well as a resting place. The pavilion is designed to look its best when the sun rises over the peak of the hill and floods the valley with twinkling light, thus the name ‘Chū rì Chá’ 初日茶 ‘Tea at Sunrise’. In the end we came out with four variations on the same design, all of which closely resembled eachother.
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Chu ri Cha
初日茶
Tea at Sunrise
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Our Kunming
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Sophia Chieng During the visit of Yunnan Art University, we had a lecture about local architecture and their vernacular building style from the local university lecturer. The intelligence of the ancient people in using the local materials to build houses and methods to adapt to the local weather and living conditions truly shows the beauty of Ancient Chinese architecture and their precise craftsmanship. The new generation of youngsters show their appreciation of their ancestors’ knowledge by applying this vernacular architecture style into their design and adapting it to this new era. The artworks that are displayed in the university were the proof of their passion towards traditional arts and architecture styles from their ancestors and also proves they will keep the legacy going into the future. We had a chance to work with the local architecture students on a small scale project. The chosen site was a wood near the famous Jin Palace, that contained old temples and shrines that were built over the centuries. We applied the knowledge that we learnt from the previous day’s lecture into the design. We agreed to embrace the natural surroundings and use local materials. Together with the local students, a bamboo pavilion was designed in the middle of the woods as resting point for walkers. It was a great experience to work with the local students. We learnt some ancient architectural philosophies from them during the visit to the site.
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Denis Ianc I really enjoyed the trip to China, mostly because I had this opportunity to travel there. As you know, there are many restrictions on this country. I'm glad that I had the chance to visit even a small part of this country full of culture, architecture and outstanding traditions. Even before I went I was worried about the food. I did not know if I would find something to like or if I was able to taste various dishes because I am pretty selective with food. Some I don’t like just because of their looks or their smell. At first I found it hard to get used to eating rice at every meal but I had no choice, I couldn’t eat only fast food every day, and sometimes I could not find it. What I did like was the bread that was served at breakfast in the hotel in Kunming, and the best meal that I really enjoyed, and it was not fast food, was in Dali. I do not remember the name of each dish but I liked almost everything on the table. Another great experience was that we attended some courses at the university there and worked with Chinese students on a small project.
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Rachel Wickham
Our entire trip seemed to be written in food. Which is unsurprising since we were surrounded by it both good and bad, day and night. Its a fundamental part of life all over China. This is the country who invented the takeaway, cheap, no frills, good food. It was everywhere, and the province of the rich and the poor alike. We ate street food for around 60% of our meals, plus things like hotpot, Korean bbq and dumplings, which are uncommon in the UK and completely different to the “Chinese food� we get at home. Another thing I noticed was the need to put everything on display. As you walk around the streets, it becomes harder and harder to stick to the pavement the nearer you get to the shopping and market districts. Whether this is a product of such a large population forcing each other out into the hustle and bustle of the streets, or whether it appears more crowded because everything is out on the streets, I couldn't tell you, although I suspect its a combination of the two. It wasn't just wares on show either, it was people practicing their trades. Whether this be sewing, cooking, carving or weaving, the craftsmen and women wanted to show their skills. Perhaps this is a byproduct of living in a society where fakery is the norm, it inspires a desire to prove your worth.
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Celma Boa Visiting Kunming was a great experience, I thought that I was going into a total different environment and that wasn’t entirely true. Like most cities, Kunming had a lot of skyscrapers and it was a thriving modern city, however what made this a memorable experience was the little reminders of its traditions. The markets in between buildings where you could buy traditional objects like scarves, pants and even jade rings are what make Kunming different from other modern cities. During my stay in Kunming, I visited a lot of markets all in the search of the ‘perfect’ green jade ring, funny enough I found two and yet ended up with none by the time I got back home. I lost one on the last day and the other one broke in less than 24hours. I still have the broken one because it reminds me of these markets and how you could find special gifts and souvenirs that seemed to have a history to them. Even in other cities in China these markets have been ‘sterilized’ whilst in here they still fill the voids between buildings, giving a purpose to empty spaces. For me, the hand-made structures of the markets and the way you interact with people are what give character and what make each market unique, hopefully even in its quick development, this is a feature that Kunming will still keep.
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Aneta Stefanova
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Being into a country so far away from your home one is always a once in a lifetime experience. Being in China however was even more entertaining and interesting, considering the rich history and the differences in the lifestyle. Kunming itself was a city with a lot to offer. Everywhere I would turn my head, I would see things that I have not seen before – different building styles, different people, different plants. The most shocking thing for me however was the travelling style of the Chinese people – large roads with hundreds and hundreds of motorcycles which looked like a giant chaos, yet somehow everyone knew exactly when to pass or wait. However, it proved easy to blend into the mass and learn to move with the crowd after just a few short days. Another thing that caught my eye was the street food, or more specifically, the night stalls. We managed to locate a street in Kunming which offered all kinds of meat and vegetables to be grilled in front of you. But what was the most interesting part was that it was only open at night after a certain hour and it offered all kinds of specialties such as chicken feet, crickets and even maggots if you feel adventurous enough to try them. 20
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Guandu Ancient Town
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Location The district of Guandu is located to the south-west of downtown Kunming at the northern end of the Dianchi lake. Guandu Ancient Town is one small part of the Guandu district and is a recognised national heritage site.
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People of Guandu Kunming has four urban districts, Panlong, Wuhua, Guandu and Xishan, of which Guandu counts for a third. Its home to many ethnic minorities, including the Han, Yi, Bai, Tai, Miao, Jing Pi, Wa, Ha Ni, Na Xi, Li Shu and Du Long, leading to a much richer mix of traditions and cultures than can be found in much of the rest of mainland China. Although Guandu is considered and urban district, it is still highly residential. This is true throughout most of China due to having such a large population. However the residential areas tend to be hidden to keep attention focused on the Old Street and the Shaolin Temple square which is mostly surrounded by a boundary wall. The aim is to create an image of traditional China with its old buildings, traditional food, clothing and workshops. However, just outside the temple area, the atmosphere changes completely. the streets are less clean and are overly crowded, with buildings often so compacted you cant walk through. The further you get from the main street, the rougher it gets, with children playing in dirt and people sorting thrown out food. However locals seem to have no problem navigating the area on foot or by bike, which shows this is a common problem, and one that they have learned to cope with.
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History Guandu Ancient Town is located in the eastern part of Kunming, approximately 5km from the centre of Kunming. The town has a long history and is also one of the birth places of Han culture. It is told in Chinese schools that in the time of the Nan Zhao Dali Kingdom, Guandu was an important fortress of commercial activities and transportation in the area of northeast Dianchi lake. Because of its proximity to the lake, historically people made their living by catching and selling snails. This resulted in a small mountain of snail shells, and so before being known as Guandu, the town was known as “caves of snail shells” (Wodong). Infact, many of Guandus surviving ancient structures were built on those snail shells.
“Guan” meaning officer
“Du” meaning ferry
The Nan Zhao kingdom created a ferry from TuoDong (Kunming) on the eastern coast of Dian Chi lake to the Caves of Snail Shells (Guandu) for fishing boats and officers ships to stop at in order to cross from east to west. From there they traveled overland to various destinations. Guandu’s convenient location inevitably helped it become a market town for commercial exchanges, with a thriving industry in handicrafts. Thus Guandu got its name, as in mandarin ‘Guan’ means ‘officers’ and ‘Du’ means ‘ferry’. The name was first accredited to Gao Shengye a travelling officer who took ownership of the area from 1180-1190 and put it under government control and protection. 28
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Monuments of Ancient Guandu The ancient town has many historical and cultural heritages within an area of less than 1.5 square km.
Tu Zhu Temple The Tu Zhu temple was constructed around 1200AD. The temple is the oldest in the Guandu district and was built by the Tang dynasty in honour of the Buddhist god Mahakala. The temple was renovated in 1888, when the Em people, a local ethnic group stared using it to worship their god Tu, the god of earth. During the renovation, the roof was drastically altered. Originally it had a standard one layer bracketing system, but then adopted the new four layer, highly decorated Dougong bracketing system, incorporating among others, dragon and phoenix carvings, and painted in five different colours. The new system didn't change the construction of the roof, infact it makes it less stable, however it is highly decorative.
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Fa Ding Temple
The Fa Ding Temple which began construction in 960 AD during the Song Dynasty is one of the oldest monuments in Guandu. It underwent renovations in 2001 and 2003 to preserve it, but has had little in the way of alterations. The Fa Ding Temple was used as a hospital to serve the Shaolin temple since the Song Dynasty was superseded by the Yuan.
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The Shaolin Temple and Pagodas The Miao Zhan or Shaolin Temple, as it is more commonly known, and the East and West Pagodas were constructed during 1279 and 1368 AD during the rein of the Yuan Dynasty. During 2001 and 2003, renovations took place to preserve the Temple and Pagodas. The West Pagoda was fully rebuilt since it collapsed after an earthquake, however the East Pagoda remains untouched. Buddhist Temples around Kunming are currently being influenced by a group of fourteen monks, based at the Shaolin temple, who are encouraging the teaching of buddhist practices, and dramatically increasing the number of worshipers and tourists to temples around the city.
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The Jin Gang Tower
The Jin Gang Tower is the earliest and most perfectly preserved Lamaist Pagoda in existence and was constructed in 1457 in the south of Guandu. The tower was repaired in 1987 then again in 2001 because of subsidence. Work was undertaken to raise the tower approximately two metres. During the restoration, the engineers found the reason for it sinking was that when it was built, snail shells and black plaster, along with stakes, and a combination of sticky rice and red soil were used to construct the foundations. The mix of rice and mud was also used as mortar to construct the tower itself. Therefore authorities are still cautious about the site.
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The Opera House The Opera House, located in the main square between the Jin Gang Tower and the Shaolin Temple is currently unused, except for the steps which are used for gatherings and sitting on. However it is still of significance. It has many carvings depicting various garden designs, which link it directly to the neighbouring garden.
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Intangible Cultural Heritage of Guandu In 2005, the government of Kunming declared that Guandu Ancient town was a key part of the Traditional Heritage of Han people and put it under legacy protection. Fourty-six traditional cultures, arts and crafts that originate in Guandu were included in National Intangible Cultural Heritage List . Traditional cultures for example, arts and crafts like bronze carving, Dian Opera and traditional lantern making were on the list of the legacy protection. Workshops for particular art and crafts have been set up in Guandu old town for people to learn the various processes, and performances of opera and dance take place regularly in the Dian Opera school. The purpose of all the workshops and schools for the arts and crafts is to promote the local traditional culture and pass on the essence of their heritage to the next generations.
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Chess game of Go
Figure 36 Toffe candy
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Dian Opera and tune
Figure 37 Yi ethnic sewing
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Dian dance
Figure 38 Guan Du paper craft
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Lion and dragon dance
Figure 39 Bronze carving
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Festivals and Celebration Several celebrations are carried out throughout the year due to range ethnicities found in Guandu. During the celebrations, the whole town is immersed in the spirit of the festival. The streets of Guandu are busy with tourists, different kinds of performances, art and craft stalls and workshops.
Figure 40 Spring Festival Celebration
Figure 41 Guandu Women Day celebration
Figure 42 The 8th day of the spring festival is celebrated in front of the Shaolin temple by giving away Shaolin porridge
Figure 43 Tu Zhu temple festival with Lion dance and music performance
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Figure 44 Guandu Rice Noodles (Guoqiao Mixian) are a local specialty.
Figure 47 Fried Snails
Figure 45 Guandu Pea noodles (Wan Dou Fen) can be served hot or cold. They help to detox the body and relieve internal heat.
Figure 48 Fried Potatoes with spice
Figure 46 Flavoured Guandu flat cake (Guan Du Baba)
Figure 49 Grilled mushrooms
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Traditional local Food Guandu District offers distinctly Yunnan cuisine. Its mild herbs and spices give its cooked dishes sufficient flavour without the pungency associated with food from other regions of the country. The district offers the famous 'street food' stalls and restaurants where the locals offer specialties. There are “three treasures” in Guandu’s cuisine which have more than hundred years of history. These are: The Guandu rice cake (Er Kuai), Guandu Rice noodles and Guandu pea noodles. The rice cake is the one of Guandus most notable foods. It is mostly eaten by locals during Chinese Spring festival feasts. It is listed in Yunnan’s Intangible cultural heritage 2006. A workshop for how to make rice cakes was built in order to keep this disapearing skill. People may learn the process of making Guandu rice cakes by hand and not machine.
Figure 50 Figure 51 Process of pounding the rice cake with pestle in workshop
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Process of kneading and rolling out dough wraps. Rice cake is ready to serve after steaming. 38
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Being in Guandu As a tourist destination it makes sense to link it easily with the rest of the city. Their is Xingyao subway station approximately fifteen minutes walk from the main temple square, and a long row of bus stops along with a large group of Tuktuks approximately five minutes walk from Shaolin temple. The temple, bus stops and subway form a triangle, which contains the old city and the newer housing developments, meaning that visitors have no reason to discover the existence of the slums and other areas that have yet to be fully regenerated unless they deliberately go looking for them. The bus stops are located on the main road directly outside one of the main gates to the old town, and you are funnelled straight through the shops and tourist markets to the main square. Access from the subway station does require a trip through a residential area, past the school and the canal. However it is one of the more heavily redeveloped areas which show Guandu of to its best. So whether you arrive by bus or on foot, you will most likely meet one of the three gates, which provide a clear straight run to the Ancient town and the temple square. However, if you wish to arrive anywhere else in Guandu, it would be useful to have a map, a guide, or at least a good sense of direction. In the areas surrounding the regenerated area of Guandu, some attempt has been made to prevent vehicular access although it is largely ignored. Due perhaps to the number of obstacles that occur naturally throughout the city its hardly surprising that barriers are seen as more of a challenge than a hindrance.
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Proposed new town plan for Guandu 2005 41
Guandu Ancient Town New Development
Guandu Ancient Town was once neglected. The historical buildings and the spectacular natural sceneries were forgotten by people and nature took its toll. The various structures were not appropriately maintained for a long period of time. However in 2001 renovation works were started on the Jing Gang tower. The renovation of this historical monument triggered the creation of a development plan for the whole of Guandu Town. The council of Guandu district invested over one billion yuan (over one hundred million pounds) for the development and renovation of the town. The first of the works started between 2001- 2003. These included the restoration of Miao Zhan Temple, Tu Zhu Temple, West Pagoda and other notable ancient temples. The aim of this first stage was to restore the towns outlook and sceneries, and restore the local culture.
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Figure 57 The second stage of renovations started in 2005, which were backed by both the Kunming authorities and outside investors. These renovations focused on the development of tourist attractions and new business opportunities. Public facilities, shops, overdwellings, recreational green spaces and hawkers’ stalls were renovated and provided for local people, tourists and businessmen.
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Figure 59 The urbanscape of five notable dynasties are concentrated in this ancient town, which has now become Guandu district’s main tourist attraction. Instead of renewing all the temples in the town, the council just cleaned and made basic repairs on some temples, for example, Guan Yin temple and Fa Ding temple, in order to keep the architectural characteristics from different dynasties.
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Nodes Within the area there are a lot of different nodes used by both the locals and tourists. We found that we regularly refered to these, especially when trying to get direction from locals. Square: The square is home to three nodes that are well known all throughout Guandu. The Shaolin Temple, the Pagodas and the Jin Gang Tower are very popular and used as references when meeting with someone. The nature of the square creates a very relaxed atmosphere that allows for different activities, from having a tutorial to rehearsing and performing dances. Garden: A relaxing space that people use when the sun is at its highest point. The garden is the only large green space in the area which is why it is so popular and used by both visitors and locals. The way the garden was landscape may be one of the main reasons it is so popular, its layout is based on the characteristics of natural habitats like mountains and lakes. Gates: They are placed at the main entrances to the Old Town. They are located near the main taxi drop off zones and the river which make them the perfect reference point before entering the Old Town. The features of these gates such as their height and the intricate roof structure make them stand out and easy to remember.
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Boundaries & Edges Gates can be found at key points all throughout Guandu Old Town and their placement emphasises the location of the main commercial area that contains the temples along with shops and restaurants. The feeling of entering the old town is heighten by the small step as we pass the gate. The gates also set a traditional scene for the area within these boundaries. The attention to detail on the roof of the gate can also be seen in the temples and even on the decorations of the building’s facades. The visual boundary for the visitor also comes from the surrounding trees that direct our view towards the Jin Gang Tower, with the obscured view becoming clearer as you head towards it. As a physical boundary, the gates are supported by bollards surrounding this same area. These are evenly spaced so as to block the entrance of cars and bikes. Around Kunming there is a problem of bikes getting into pedestrian areas however within the Old Town the sight of bikes is rare. The trees and the types of paving used create another boundary that leads you to the main square area. The trees are lined up on both sides of the streets framing the main footpath. Unlike with the gate, the trees also provide shading and a place for people to rest. Behind the trees are shops that take advantage of the shading from the trees. As you go to enter one of these shops, the block used for the pavement changes to thinner blocks. This is a constant reminder of how much space the shops have since normally the owner display their good outside so as to get people’s attention. With this change of blocks, a limit is set to how far out they can go, this limit continues towards the Shaolin temple. One of the biggest boundaries that might go unnoticed is the old temple wall that used to surround the Old Town. A few centuries ago, this was the main boundary separating the Old Town from developing Guandu. However, over time development lead to the partial demolition of this boundary, leaving only a few places where the wall can still be seen. Where the wall still stands,it is still used as a dividing line between the Old Town and its residential areas.
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Building Uses The use of buildings in this area is mainly commercial. Shops are everywhere and of a great variety so that there isn’t a need to wander outside the Old Town. As the map shows, the main shops form a sort of axis heading towards the square. With the exception of the shopping street, behind the commercial buildings there are mostly residential blocks to accommodate the increasing search for affordable housing. It is within these residential buildings that the streets get narrower and the location of buildings seems to be incoherent and with little to no thought about their impact on the street. As long as it fits, some sort of building will be placed there. This background pattern doesn’t occur near the Old Town, instead even the heights of the buildings have been carefully thought about so that there isn’t a conflict between the temples and the commercial buildings.
Shops Residential Temples Green Spaces
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Hierarchy Hierarchies are an integral part of the history and contemporary daily life for people in China. Whether that be people, places or buildings, the same applies. Guandu and the surrounding areas are based on a series of these hierarchies. The centre and most elevated point being the Shaolin temple, with the garden and square in front of it. In the areas surrounding the square its possible to identify a further three levels. The first of these is the Guandu old town, mainly comprised of shops and workshops, which has also been regenerated to complement the square. Within this area there is even a hierarchy for how the shops are laid out. The main street is for the shops that specialise in clothing, jewels, souvenirs and even local delicacies, the reason for this is because visitors are always looking for presents to take back and the shops here offer a great variety of things. The streets behind are where you will find most of the food with restaurants and food stands that offer a lot of local and traditional food. Then behind this are workshops that specialise in jade jewellery and other precious and semi precious stones. These areas tend to be frequented by people looking for something specific, or who are exploring a little. However, regardless of this, you will still find many vendors dotted throughout the streets. The temple square and shopping district are treated equally in terms of access, cleanliness and maintenance. These areas have restricted access, with barriers to prevent any form of vehicle entering, therefore the streets are cleaned and maintained with a small army of street cleaners with many bins dotted around the site. It is beautifully clean and constantly maintained.
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Second are the many and varied residential areas which surround the temple square and shopping district. The residential areas are fairly well maintained yet access for vehicles is mostly unrestricted. Due to their proximity to the temple district these areas are easily accessible to tourists and so must be kept clean and tidy
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After this the lines begin to blur a little. Behind the wall that surrounds the temple complex, the spaces are rarely defined with vehicles, pedestrians, street stalls and pilled goods and waste, all vying for the same space. Waste especially seems to make its way to these areas, where recyclables are harvested and refused is pilled, albeit in purpose built but often poorly located sheds. One was located just outside a school gate. Surprisingly, despite their proximity to the temples, the spaces directly behind the temple walls are often some of the poorest, with open, clogged sewers and dead ends. This is most likely due to poor access. The third is the slum market and development land located north of the canal. Directly behind Shaolin temple. This canal is empty of running water and kept so by the local government to keep maintenance costs down. It is currently one of the most run down and neglected areas of the city and has been earmarked for redevelopment into another residential compound. Here access restrictions are mostly ignored, and the area is the home of a small market slum which is used mostly for dumping and sorting rubbish along with several small cramped dwellings.
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Senses The noise in Guandu and surroundings comes mostly from people, shops and vehicles. The people entertain themselves by playing card games, singing or dancing and shopping. The shops seem to be in competition to see who can play music the loudest and compete with the huge amount of traffic, mostly scooters. Also there is a construction site close to the main square. All areas seem to be at their quietist in the morning although it could never be called silent, but by lunchtime and into the afternoon, you can barely hear yourself. There is also an intense variety of smells in and around Guandu. Most of them come from the street food vendors but if you go deeper in the neighbouring areas, the smells often become less pleasant. It’s a big difference that makes you question how people could live there. However, they most likely became accustomed to it and they don’t smell it anymore.
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Circulation A big problem in this city has is the traffic. Not only the vehicles but pedestrians too. Trying to navigate the city can be like being in a riot as people seem to have little respect for even basic rules like stopping for red light. Also, most people have scooters, which they will drive regardless of whether its a pedestrian and vehicle route, meaning pedestrians have to be especially careful so as not to get run over. Yet in the Centre of old Guandu, vehicles are not allowed and this is a big plus. It is very clear whilst navigating Guandu Ancient town, due to the many bollards, where vehicles are and aren't allowed to venture.
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Time of Day When we first arrived in Guandu it was friday evening and we were in the main square. There was a quite big crowd of people just wondering around this area, but as time passed, more and more people kept arriving. The square brings people together for different activities like praying in the temple, dancing to traditional music, singing and playing different instruments in the garden or just enjoying the sun. However when we visited the following morning there were a lot fewer people in the square and most of the people who were there were working. This made it the best time for tourists to visit. It would appear that in general, Chinese people are not used to seeing people of different nationalities, so they stare, a lot, for long periods of time. In fact, when we first arrived we drew a massive crowd. It was quite disconcerting. Also, because there are so many activities going on at different times of day, it often causes a lot of conflict. Because the streets of the surrounding areas are so narrow and multi functional, they become quickly crowded with pedestrians, vehicles, scooters, vendors and shops making it increasingly difficult to navigate as the day wears on.
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Architecture: Traditional and Modern The New Guandu town is designed in accordance of Chinese traditional architecture. The purpose of mimicking the ancient Chinese architecture is to keep the style of the local vernacular developed over five different dynasties. Some traditional Chinese architectural elements were included in the building designs: the Dougong bracket system, beast ornamentation on the roof eaves, ornamental wooden screen windows and doors, a courtyard with landscape between building blocks and small alleys without vehicular access. However, some of these elements were merely decorations. Concrete, cement and glass were used to replace timber as building materials for as they were more fire resistant and create a more rigid building structure. The bracket systems are purely decoration. The main structure is concrete column and slab. Brick cladding and concrete are used to replace timber as building surfaces and structures with timber frames used as screens for windows. Chinese ornaments can be found on window frames and doors as decoration.
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Classical Chinese buildings, especially those of the wealthy, were built with an emphasis on breadth and less on height. Courtyard and open spaces were usually located in between buildings. Pedestrians must pass through buildings from the main gate to the courtyard hidden behind.
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Alleys between buildings
Dougong as decoration instead of roof support
Grand entrance
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Courtyard between buildings
Ornaments of Chinese beast and symbols
Constant building height
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Boundary walls surround the square and new town, similar to the principle of courtyard house
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Gardens and Green Spaces Gardens and green spaces are an important and much valued part of Chinese culture. Perhaps due to such overcrowding, private gardens are not a common feature in city centre living, and with such cramped living space, its unsurprising that everybody migrates to these pockets of tranquility. The problem, or perhaps the charm, is that everybody seems to have the same idea. So these pockets of tranquility often become busier than the places people have left, full of people playing boardgames, dancing, bands, and people watchers. The garden adjacent to the main square in Guandu is a relatively small one, however it is easy to get lost. It has many winding paths, and fenced areas, along with stepping stones and pavilions. Add to that generations of locals and tourists, its bedlam. Its easy get the impression that there is little reason to the layout of this garden. However, if you look more carefully, you realise a great deal of thought has gone into it, and that the bridge from the square to the shopping district is actually included in the design. There is a gate at one end of the “river� which then flows to a pool, surrounded by four pavilions, before meeting the temple wall. It works much like the the town itself, if you imagine the main square with the pavilions is the pool, and the road leading from the gate to the temple is the river. It celebrates a journey, in important route that supports the people surrounding it and leads them to their spiritual centre.
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While the garden is the most popular green space, it is not the only one. The people seem to have taken the name “Garden City� to heart and planted trees, and mini havens throughout the Ancient town. Then there is the canal, which separates Ancient Guandu from the rest of the city. Trees line its banks, and even in its neglected state, its highly popular. The green spaces serve a dual purpose. They are a beautification tool for the government, but also hub for people to escape too.
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Types of Voids and Masses From looking at the maps, we can see that the denser areas are the residential spaces around the temple. In most of these cases, these are buildings that almost overlap each other since there is a great demand for accommodation. For many this is a way of earning money, be it through the construction sector or through the rental sector. Some of these houses will also be used by the people who have a business near the temple. Living nearby means that they can work for longer periods of time since the journey home will be shorter. When going through some of the densely populated streets, it didn’t hit at first how packed the streets are. However every now and then we would see a really narrow street that lead to the entrance of a building hidded behind two others that had direct access to the street. In comparison, there are the main commercial streets which tend to be a lot larger since they expect a higher number of people passing throughout the day. It is also in these that we find big open spaces that help filter the large amount of tourist that come to visit Guandu. These voids include spaces such as the main square in front of the Shaolin temple, the Fa Ding temple and the Zhuang Yuan street.
The main square in front of the Shaolin temple is the biggest void in the area because it also holds the East and West Pagoda and the Jin Gang tower. These are considered the main attraction for this area and the place most people visit. As well as being the home of these monuments, this space is also used for performances which occur during the early morning.
The open space in front of the Fa Ding temple is connected to part of the main garden however this space was recently reduced in size because of the construction of new residential buildings. Unlike the main void with the Shaolin temple, this space wasn’t as dynamic and left empty for most of the time. The square in the Zhuang Yuan street is also known as the food street since this is where we will find most of the street food shops. This space compared with the one above is used almost as much as the one in the main temple. This is because there are a lot of shops from which to buy food, however this square also has a lot of seating areas as well as a connection to the main – road. For local people, this is an entrance for the market space. 70
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Analysis of urban Spaces As it has been outline in previous chapters there is a big difference between the streets in the Ancient Town and the ones in nearby residential areas. In terms of size, the largest streets can be found in the Ancient Town since this area was renovated and there was a lot of planning for it. The more narrow streets are near the slum market and the residential area. The size can be connected with the fact that some of these residential areas are home to people of very low income and so any spare space is normally used for the construction of new homes for people and so eventually streets leading up to the entrance of buildings become narrower. This difference between the two can clearly be seen in plan when we analyse the shape of these streets. In the case of Ancient Town, we have straight paths whilst in some areas we have more irregular paths where some buildings are more extruded than others. There is also a difference in the environmental qualities of both streets, where in the Ancient Town streets we have trees at regular intervals along the streets, in the more narrow streets there is no vegetation. The only exception that we have found for this, is the street along an old river canal. Here trees have been planted on both sides, however we believe this was more to strengthen the sides of the canal and the sidewalk.
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Journey in sketches
For this study, we created a journey from the road east of the main square walking towards it. After reaching the square, we then head over the bridge towards the west road.
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Our Tour Whilst based in Kunming we visited three outlying cities which are places of great cultural significance to the various ethnic minorities in Yunnan. The first city was Chuxiang which is primarily home to the Yi people. We then continued on to Dali, populated by the Bai People before finishing the trip in Lijiang, home to the Na Xi people, who amongst other things, are famous for having their own script.
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Denis Ianc Of all the places that we visited by traveling through Yunnan by coach, Lijiang was my favourite place, especially because we visited the Big Buddhist Temple in Mu Residence. It was the biggest complex of temples that we visited and what was eye-catching is that the architecture is well preserved. Even if the temples are very old you can see all the details and bright colours that provide some unforgettable views, especially as it was a sunny day. The road to the temple was also special. All sorts of shops, restaurants and pubs that offered a small part of their culture, souvenirs, food and music. A beautiful alley decorated in Chinese style, situated along a small river caught my attention as it was a relaxing space, especially for tourists, with all sorts of details showing this specific place. There was a small waterfall that one could hear easily from the pubs, almost every piece of furniture was made from wood, not manufactured but rather carved. And last but not least there were some large multi-coloured parrots, which seemed to imitate all sounds that they heard. At night everything seemed different from what you saw in daylight because the reflectors illuminating the buildings revealed their finest details. It seemed like watching a whole different painting.
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Sophia Chieng We visited numerous villages on our Study trip, and the thing that impressed me the most in all of them was the hard work of the local people in keeping the legacy of their culture and arts alive. A lot of effort is made by the Chinese Governments to ensure that heritage and culture is passed from generation to generation, to become both tourist attractions and part of the daily life of local people. Though the spirits and will power of new generations to revive their heritage and cultures remain, few villages were successfully built in accordance of their traditional architectural principles. For example, the Zi Xi Yi’s Ethnic Village.
Figure 97 The project was started in July 2013 and officially opened in 2014. There are 84 households in the village, and 95% are from the Yi ethnic group. The village was mostly forgotten and was neglected before the new proposal and the people in the village were living in poor conditions. When the government rebuilt the river reservoir in 90’s, the Yi were forced to move to another location. The villagers were unwilling to move out of their ancestral homes when the demolition began. The act of protecting their homeland has sparked the government to provide them with a brand new traditional village with self-sufficient activities and business. Villagers were provided with new homes and compensation from government. Agriculture and farm industry, in recent years became the village’s main economy. It was reported that there are further plans to develop the village into a tourist attraction with Yi’s ethnic’s cultures and art. It is a golden opportunity to visit the village and study the whole project. It will bring welfare and security for the community, and furthermore, keep their heritage and legacy. 81
Rachel Wickham I really enjoyed the places we visited on the trip. They were all very different, but also had some fundamental similarities. From a tourist perspective, Chuxiong seemed a lot more like Kunming. It was smaller than Dali and Lijiang, and was set up almost exclusively for Chinese tourists. It wasn't quite as refined as the old parts of Dali and Lijiang, however it was bustling with street markets and shops, and dancing in the town square. Lijiang and Dali, to me, where quite similar to each other. Like Guandu, a lot of money has been put into preserving the old town centres, but unlike Guandu and Chuxiong its quite clear that these places have been designed to attract international tourists as well as the Chinese. For a start, the streets are more winding, and appear to be more rickety portraying “Traditional China�, there are also bars and cafes at regular intervals selling western food and alcohol. Also, the price of goods is a lot higher. Yet both places were still busy, even for the time of year. However, we also visited a village just outside Lijiang called Shuhe. It resembled Lijiang in being shiny and romanticised, however, November in the west is not a popular holiday time, and it showed. The town was dead. Beautiful, but dead. Im sure when its full of tourists, its lovely, but in my view, a journey should be about the people as well as the place, which isn't possible, if the place is only ever occupied by tourists.
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Aneta Stefanova Travelling with a coach is always a tiring experience, specially when it is a long one. The trip from Kunming to Chuxiong, Dali, and Lijiang was a really long one and it was mostly spent onto the coach, considering the little amount of time we had to visit the three places. However, travelling with a large group is always fun and it helps time pass by easily. Me and Sophia were mostly excited about each place to come so we would just talk about it and ignore the hours to come. The trip back to Kunming however was really tiring, since we had to take all the hours back altogether in one day rather than split them and visit places like the previous days. However, that gave me a lot of time to think about the places that we surpassed and consider the possibilities for our final project.
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Celma Boa The coach trip was a tiring but very good experience. We visited a lot of places, and it was almost like a crash course on some of the ethnicities in Kunming. Some of our stops coincided with celebrations happening at different towns and even though we only stayed for a night or maybe two days in each place, it was still great to be able to see how some occasions are celebrated. So instead of having a favourite place for this part of our journey, I instead choose the overall concept of visiting towns are understanding the differences in the architectural styles. Normally our days would be spent exploring tourists attractions but sometimes, we would go see how the rest of the town was. This was really interesting since it felt more like it was a normal town rather than a space catered to fit foreigners expectations of what a small Chinese town would be or even what it used to be. Going back to Kunming town after visiting all of these towns was almost as if we left ‘China’ behind since when I first arrived, I was expecting that type of buildings and culture.
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Market Slum
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Plans This plan shows the possible space available for development. The slightly smaller space to the left is the current location of the market, where as the space to the right has already been cleared for development.
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The residential blocks were built in 70’s until 90’s. The building facades are mainly concrete or tiles. They are mainly concentrated on east part of the slum area, with maximum eight storeys on flat land which creates a consistent skyline and uniform texture. The market buildings have minimum one storey and maximum three storey overdwelling shops, surrounded by a brick wall. The market also has trees and bushes along the pathway in front of it which form an enclose place to keep it out of people’s sight.
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The view from market is covered by bushes and trees
East view from site
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Sections This 3D cross section shows the make up of the canal. It is fairly narrow, lined with trees and with several bridges in various states of repair along its route. The bankings are constructed of stone blocks on the internal walls and what appears to be compacted earth on the outer walls. However the bankings have become organically taller over the years, with the current walk ways being constructed at this new height. The two sections on the next page demonstrate the difference in height across the site. The first goes from roughly north to south, encompassing the canal. The second goes east to west and includes the market. The whole site is fairly level except where it meets the canal banking.
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Master Plan Our initial master plan includes:
Sophia- Housing: Modular House Small Building Max 3 stories Denis- Relaxation and Well Being Centre: Muilti-purpose rooms Tai Chi, Martial arts 2-3 stories Rachel- Workshop Markets:
Crafts Workshops
Food vendors 2 stories, open space Celma- Community Centre and Nursery:
Doctor and nurse’s office
Recreational and services 2-3 stories Aneta- Traditional Medicine Health Centre: Meditation rooms Acupuncture and Sauna 2 Stories 96
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Aneta Stefanova Going further into our investigation of Guandu and the surrounding areas, we came across the living situation at the Slum area. According to the locals, this is a temporary living place for families who are currently homeless. Surprisingly, people there were smiling and optimistic and spoke openly about their current situation. A woman explained to us about the main source of income that the people there relied on - processing cooking oil from different plants and nuts. At the moment of our visitation, they were processing peanut oil, filling the streets with the sharp and recognizable smell of peanuts and throwing out the compressed peanuts and their shells in the street. The woman explained to us that nothing used can be afforded to be thrown away, so they gather the compressed material used and they use it for different other activities such as fertilizing the crops, feeding it to the animals or even use it as insulations for their homes. Nothing there is given free however, so locals survived on the charity of one another - people selling older food to each other on a stall in front of their living spaces on reduced prices, just enough to make a living.
The streets were also covered in thrown out fruit and vegetables, so that the people could do good to each other - the more wealthy people left their old fruit and vegetables instead of throwing it out and the locals sorted through it, using the good ones and throwing the other, hence cleaning the streets. We were also told that some women for example cook more than just for their own families, selling the rest of the meal on a reduced price, just enough to provide a warm meal for the locals as well as to make enough for the products for the next meal. Even though this lifestyle is not expected to change soon, the cycle of providing for each other and helping out, allows people enough to suffice, showing the dedication and adaption of the locals to their own living situations.
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Denis Ianc The site that we found to study for our proposal is situated behind the Shaolin Temple. Most of this area is already under construction for the proposed residential compound. In the western part of the site is a market where the people sell products at their stalls but also they have arranged a space where they live. Everything seems to be not as hygienic as it should be. People there are sleeping on cardboard or improvised beds and a bathroom is very unlikely to exist. The odour which invades your senses once you get close to this area is not very pleasant. It comes from the leftovers of food or animals thrown nearby and left to degrade. I noticed that the really needy people are digging among the debris looking for food to survive. As a conclusion, the living conditions that these people have are not favourable for them or their families. No wonder that they get all sorts of diseases if they live in such conditions. There should be developed a space where they can clean themselves and the food that they are eating or selling, and that is suitable to live in and sell their products.
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Sophia Chieng The slum area is a bit neglected by the government and tourists, but it is definitely important for the local people. Food for the ancient town is mostly sourced from the market in slum area, but unlike the ancient town, the slum area is filthy and unpleasant. People who work and live in there are lower in status. The living and working conditions are bad, some of them are even homeless and forced to live in unoccupied spaces found in the market. The market’s grounds are unpaved and muddy, with all the rubbish and waste water from cleaning the goods sold in market being dumped here, it has become a sordid slum. In my opinion, the market should be open to the public instead of being totally hidden behind walls and bushes. If tourist attractions were to lead into the market, the filthy conditions of the slum area would eventually improve. Like Zi Xi Yi’s ethnic village, a self-sufficient community can be formed by providing an economy for the people. Agriculture could be the main industry to work alongside the hawkers at market and the other proposed schemes from our group, for example, an acupuncture and health centre, community centres and trades carried out in the proposed workshops. Residents could use vertical gardens or plant boxes for their own mini private farm for crops like tomatoes, cucumbers or herbs. Providing the homeless and jobless people of the area security and ensuring the welfare of the community are the main goals our proposal. It might help to shape a good society by creating a better urbanscape.
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Rachel Wickham The whole area north of the canal has been generally neglected, especially the part directly behind the temple. It is currently home of some of the poorest people in Kunming, yet has been allocated for redevelopment into high end residences, which would leave this much abused element of society to pick up and move on again. Direct access from the renovated town is limited, due to the location of the temple and the surrounding wall. However, official access routes could be made at various points. The path along the canal sees a lot of foot traffic, and a fair number of bikes, so it is obviously a popular route. However it is not advertised to outsiders as it, and the people and buildings surround of it need a lot of attention. The same applies to the market. It is a valuable and much used commodity for the area, however, it too has been neglected as it doesn't fit with the picture perfect Guandu and is off the tourist trail. It is my belief that the area should work for the people who live there as well as the people who visit which at the moment it doesn’t.
It is unusual in any city, but especially those in China, to have such a large parcel of land available for development, and it is my belief that instead of just building another residential compound on it to match the others, we should take the opportunity to expand the borders of the renovated Ancient Guandu town to include what could potentially be a beautiful canal and green space and a produce market, whilst creating a space where the people who currently live there, whether legally or not, can remain and support themselves. There is currently such a stark difference between the temple district and residential areas, which I understand stems at least in part from the Chinese historical hierarchical system, however, it would be nice to make these barriers less harsh. My proposal is to create a series of workshop spaces, whether for food, gifts or functional items, where tourists and locals alike can watch items being made and purchase them from the craftsmen. This is something that is happening informally around the city already, but I would like to make it the focus of this area, along with developing the canal, so that people have another green haven to frequent now that the temple garden is so overflowing.
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Celma Boa Going through Guandu was really interesting, especially when trying to understand what the area is missing, what we could add to it so that it became better. In the end, we concluded that the Ancient Town had everything it needed. Its focus was the temples and the commercial side of it. It worked really well for the people close by, but the same couldn’t be said about some of its surroundings. The chosen site had as much potential as the Ancient Town. There is a canal with the opportunity of a great relaxing space along with a market that could be brought back to life. Instead, the area was neglected, almost forgotten by the developers of the Ancient Town.
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Whilst the area is ‘following’ in the Ancient Town’s footsteps, I believe that it still needs something to make it stand out. For me, a community centre is the answer. The sense of community is really strong here and by having this infrastructures to support it further, the area will definitely improve. A nursery and a multi-functioning community centre where the focus is on different ways that tourist flow can be increased on the surroundings of the Ancient Town. It would give people a place where they can research and think of alternatives ways of having an income, like with performance shows.
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Hong Kong Our trip to China culminated in a two night stay in Hong Kong. It was useful to see just how diverse the various areas of China are, and was a good place to reflect on our experiences.
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Sophia Chieng
In Hong Kong, high rise buildings are the most dominant due to overpopulation and shortage of land. Furthermore it has numerous worldwide trading centres concentrated on this piece of land. Hence it created interesting skylines. The whole city is design in a modern architecture style with the latest technology. It could be described as the jungle of steel. Due to the topography of Hong Kong island, the city is built according to the level of the island. It has formed a hilly cityscape and become one of Hong Kong’s attractions. People may experience the difference heights through the tram to the upper part of Hong Kong island.
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Figure 122 Unlike Hong Kong, China has large amount of land to overcome the overpopulation problems. In recent years, Chinese government has focused on reviving their ancestors’ heritage and legacy. Old temples, palaces and other heritage from over hundred years history were gradually restored instead of being swept away. New towns were built in later years to mimic the ancient towns with all the traditional arts, crafts, performances and food. The atmosphere of the old towns were lively and bustling with excitement. Even though both of the cities were developed at speed within the past few decades, the philosophies of the urbanscape are still to embrace nature. The topography of the land merged into the urban fabric and they fit with each other.
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Celma Boa
For the few days and nights that we stayed in Hong Kong, I felt constantly reminded of how this city really resembled the natural landscape of mountains. As you walk through the streets, it’s almost as if you were walking between hills and at night when I reach my room at the top of the hotel is like I’ve reached my tree house where I can safely rest. One of the things I loved about Hong Kong was how active it was during the night, not just in terms of bars but also in shopping and street markets that were always packed with both people and souvenirs. Hong Kong was definitely one of those cities that truly became alive during the night and it also liked to sleep in during the day as I found out when visiting several electronics shops during the morning only to find out that they only open after 12am. But even without these stores, this city still had loads to offer, from nice boat rides to beautiful architectural structures. The way that it was landscaped and filled with multi-purpose furniture was really interesting, since we can really find that here. As a whole, the visit to Yunnan was great, I was able to experience life in China for a while, whilst at the same time trying to understand and learn as much as possible about the culture there. There were different traditions because of the amount of different ethnicities and learning a bit about each was made easier through food. Although I didn’t try every special dish, tasting the difference in the way that the cold noodles were served or how they were seasoned made it easier to remember where I had been and what I had learned.
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Figure 124 The same can be for Hong Kong, I had some of my favourite deserts whilst staying here. The Portuguese egg tart, known as ‘dan pa’ was really popular there. I had tried the Portuguese version however the Hong Kong version was different in such that more ingredients were added to it, turning it less sweet. One pleasant find, was the way that back streets were still used for makeshift shops, where the products almost become an obstruction in your path, forcing to really consider buying it. This is something that happened a lot in China, but I didn’t think I would find it here. In a way, Kunming is on its way to becoming a large developed city like Hong Kong and if it is, I hope the streets markets and pop up shop are a feature that they will keep and treasure.
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Denis Ianc There are so many things to say about Hong Kong. Although we stayed only three days, I saw many things that caught my attention and there are many more places I wanted to visit. Near the hotel where we were staying was the Hong Kong Innovation Tower built by Zaha Hadid, who is my favourite architect. We went also to the highest point The Peak Tower where I saw the most fabulous city views. We arrived there by bus, which took us on the winding mountain road and showed us a part of the 'jungle' of this city. The next day we went to the second largest Buddha in the world. A 34-meter statue depicting Buddha. To get there we sat in a huge queue to take the cable car but it was worth it. Even the way up there was amazing. The cable car had crystal floor and we could see everything through it, it was like flying over the mountains and the ocean.
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Figure 126 After spending most of the day visiting this major tourist attraction, on the night we arrived in Aberdeen harbour and we enjoyed the view of the floating restaurants surrounding us but also the interesting lighting of the buildings in the background. We walked a little in this area, took pictures and then went back to the hotel. I especially enjoyed Hong Kong primarily because in comparison to China, here everyone spoke English and I no longer felt dependent on someone else to communicate. Secondly I liked very much the standard of living that the people here have. I refer to the advanced technology that is in continuous development and the diverse architecture that I saw. Even if in photos Hong Kong appears to have mostly skyscrapers, I have seen some less developed areas or 'poor' in terms of architecture and I’m sure there are more. On the way to the Peak Tower I also noticed private houses presumably owned by wealthy people of the city. I would have liked to spend more time in Hong Kong and in the future I am considering moving there even for a period of time. That is how much I enjoyed Hong Kong.
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Rachel Wickham This was my second visit to HongKong, yet having just been engulfed in mainland China, my first morning in HongKong was once again a bit of a culture shock. It’s highly commercial and for such a small place, its huge. They can’t build out so they build up, leaving little to no space between buildings. The only low lying structures tend to be temporary, like the night market with its fortune tellers and massive array of goods which were once cheap, but are now extortionate due to the increasing popularity of this unique little port with both Chinese and international visitors. HongKong is also home to an eclectic mix of people. People of all nationalities are made to feel welcome here, which is not a feeling you get everywhere in mainland China. But that is part of its history and charm. It developed separately from the rest of China, and as such, once you get past the massive overcrowding, it bears very little resemblance. The main central areas of HongKong, which we mostly stuck to were Kowloon, where our hotel was, and HongKong island. I love HongKong island. Here it is east meets west, but its not just one dumped in the middle of another. If you get on the escalator at the bottom, it takes you up the hill, past bars and restaurants and local shops and vendors. We ate at one of the few remaining street food stalls. Cheap, authentic food, eaten outside around plastic tables on plastic stools, and it was lovely. Unfortunately these places are being gradually forced out as the island becomes ever more shiny, and these places no longer fit with the scheme. Its a real shame though, as it was much more fun than having a pizza. All told, both HongKong, Kunming, and most probably the rest of China, are developing so quickly they seem to be losing sight of both where they are going and where they have been. As a result of this, what appears on the surface, often looks and feels muddled. But its an interesting muddle, making hard to guess what might be around the corner, and one that I would like to explore some more.
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Aneta Stefanova
Being in Hong Kong has been one of the most amazing experiences in my life so far. Even though we only had a few days, we managed to plan our time accordingly in order to be able to see the most interesting places and do some sightseeing while trying to try as many activities as possible. For me, the most amazing experience was visiting the island bay at night to catch the light show. The light show appears every night at a certain time and it lasts for about five minutes. What is interesting about it is that the light show is in fact projected onto the buildings across the bay, forming a spectacular ensemble of different animals and people that dance and perform tricks. Even though it happens every night, the bay was overloaded with people trying to catch a glimpse of the show and film it. It is a world famous show so everyone who visits Hong Kong wants to be able to see it with their own eyes. It was truly magical for me to be a part of that spectacle and be able to tell my family and friends about it.
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Thank You
Thank you to Yun Gao and Nick Temple for organising the trip. Also thank you to the staff and students at the Yunnan Arts University Finally, thank you to everybody involved in making this trip a success.
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Figure 131
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Appendix Figure 1- 24. Primary Source Figure 25. MINO Art Center (2014) View of Jinma Gate by Auguste François [Photograph]. Accessed on [30 April, 2015]. Retrieved from http://www.gokunming.com/en/blog/item/3358/exhibition_celebrates_the_life_and_photographs_of_auguste_franois Figure 26. Wok full of snails. (Primary Source) Figure 27. Tu Zhu Temple. (Primary Source) Figure 28. Fa Ding Temple. (Primary Source) Figure 29. Shaolin Temple and the Pagodas. (Primary Source) Figure 30. Jin Gang Tower. (Primary Source) Figure 31. Opera House. (Primary Source) Figure 32. (Unknown). Chess Game of Go(2013). Accessed on 24 April 2015. Retrieved from http://dajia.qq.com/ blog/266485080985542 Figure 33. Liwan district (2011) Dian Opera and Tune [Photograph]. Accessed on [January 1 2015]. Retrieved from http://www.chinatour.com/kunming/kunming-culture.htm Figure 34. Tian T, Kunming Ethnic Dancer. Accessed on 24 April 2015. Retrieved from http://english.cri. cn/6666/2010/02/10/1321s549491.htm Figure 35. Unknown (n.d.) Lion dance performance [Photograph]. Accessed on [February 16, 2015]. Retrieved from http://www.airasia.com/travel3sixty/from-the-magazine/highlights/coverstory/birth-of-a-brand-new-year Figure 36. Sugar Artist. (Primary Source) Figure 37. Xinhua/Wang Jiankang (2012) Embroidery ladies [Photograph]. Accessed on [February 18, 2015]. Retrieved from http://www.gardenhotelsuzhou.com/news/5909.html Figure 38. (Unknown). Guandu paper crafts (2015). Accessed 24 April. Retrieved from http://y1.ifengimg.com/ cmpp/2014/01/08/10/e7d34424-2de2-436d-b2a2-11f8d7d7766f.jpg Figure 39. 镇不二 . Bronze Carving (2014). Accessed on 24 April 2015. Retrieved from http://www.zmzhen.com/playtown/specialty/art409.html Figure 40. Unknown, The lively festive folk performances courtesy. Accessed on 24 April 2015. Retrieved from http:// www.shxb.net/html/20110215/20110215_270097.shtml Figure 41. XinhuaLi Ga (2012). Women's Day in C. China. Accessed 24 April 2015. Retrieved from http://english.cntv. cn/20120302/111489.shtml Figure 42. Unknown. Spring festival in front of Shaolin Temple (2015). Accessed 24 April 2015. Retrieved from http:// www.whq123.com/news/1422429427788.html Figure 43. Unknown. Tu Zhu Temple festival (2015). Accessed on 8 January 2015. Retrieved from https://cdn.freeweibo. com/weibo/%E6%96%87%E6%98%8E%E5%AE%98%E6%B8%A1 Figure 44. Jixian, Y. Guandu Noodles (2012) Accessed on 24 April 2015. Retrieved from http://qcyn.sina.com.cn/life/ xsz/2012/0904/15221194083.html 124
Figure 45. Cold Noodles. (Primary Source) Figure 46. Flavoured Guandu flat cake. (Primary Source) Figure 47. Wok full of snails. (Primary Source) Figure 48. Kunming. Fried potato (2012). Accessed on 24 April 2015. Retrieved from http://home.meishichina.com/ space-262746-do-blog-id-275543.html Figure 49. Unknown. Grilled mushrooms (2011). Accessed on 24 April 2015. Retrieved from http://www.dianping.com/ photos/9363968 Figure 50. Chao, Ma. Museum chiefs (2011). Accessed on 18 January 2015. Retrieved from http://yn.wenweipo.com/ whshidian/ShowArticle.asp?ArticleID=12311 Figure 51. Unknown. Visit Guandu Erkuai ECS (2012). Accessed 18 January 2015. Retrieved from http://www.guanduguzhen.net/view-278-11011.html Figure 52. Chao, Ma. Chefs in kneading Erkuai (2011). Accessed on 18 January 2015. Retrieved from http://yn.wenweipo.com/whshidian/ShowArticle.asp?ArticleID=12311 Figure 53. Guandu flat cake. (Primary Source) Figure 54. Map of Guandu. (Primary Source) Figure 55. Guandu Gate. (Primary Source) Figure 56. Kunming Tourism Planning and Design Co.(2012). Kunming Guandu town tourist area construction detailed planning. Accessed 18 February 2015. Retrieved from http://www.yjtpd.com/content/Cases/Design/85.htm Figure 57. Kunming Tourism Planning and Design Co.(2012). Kunming Guandu town tourist area construction detailed planning. Accessed 18 February 2015. Retrieved from http://www.yjtpd.com/content/Cases/Design/85.htm Figure 58. Main square collage. (Primary Source) Figure 59. Kunming Tourism Planning and Design Co.(2012). Kunming Guandu town tourist area construction detailed planning. Accessed 18 February 2015. Retrieved from http://www.yjtpd.com/content/Cases/Design/85.htm Figure 60- 131. (Primary Source)
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The School of Art & Design of the University of Huddersfield 127