FU TEI AU THEATRE Chung Ho Yin 1155134236
虎地坳劇場 FU TEI AU THEATRE
Acknowledgement I would like to thank all parties that are involved in this research, including the villagers of Fu Tei Au Village and also other expertise of varies fields, such as Dr. Chen Yong Ming and Professor Lui Wing Sing for their expert advise on the respective project.
Fu Tei Au Villager Mr. Lit and daughters Dee Gor Ming Gor Mr. Liu Ms. Yeung Mrs. So The Lutheran Church Hong Kong Synod Mr. Lit and daughters Studio Leader Thomas Chung
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Content
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Acknowledgement
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Content
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Background of Fu Tei Au Village
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Field Research: Fragmented Landscape
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Interview with Villagers
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Fu Tei Au Theatre
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Brick Hall Garden and Bird Watch Gathering Ground References
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虎地坳劇場 FU TEI AU THEATRE
虎地坳村 Background of Fu Tei Au Village Fu Tei Au (虎地坳村) is a non-indigenous village at the northwest end of the Fanling North NDA, started by post-war refugees occupying the abandoned area between the flood-prone Ng Tung river banks and the hillside containing the Sheung Shui Heung Liu clan’s graveyards. To the east is Man Kam To Road (lorries, brownfields) and Ka Wah Asphalt factory, and to the west are the Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse and Shek Wu Hui Sewage Treatment Plant (SWHSTP) across the river. First zoned for NDA redevelopment in 2009, 2nd generation villagers united to rediscover, create and propagate their village’s multiple historical, intangible, cultural and ecological heritages. Desperate for survival, the villagers’ efforts attracted media attention and public recognition, eventually managing to get Fu Tei Au partially rezoned back to agricultural use in 2015. 4
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Field Research Fragmented Landscape It is relatively easy to discover ruins in Fu Tei Au Village, being scattered around in the lands and hills of the surrounding area. All ruins contain certain memories of the past or even memories that has gone beyond the scale of human time. Yet, some of these ruins are also part of everyday lives for the locals, physically and spiritually connected to their living space. With all these memory combined, mangled and layered, leads us to uncover these different layers. Therefore we refer this village as ‘Fragmented Landscape’. It is believed that the collective understanding of these memories informs a certain identity of the village. Although the complexity of ruins and memories and lack of historical records created an interesting rural community, it has also causes the vagueness of their identity. This situation is further worsen due the departure of local population with the pressure of government’s redevelopments. As an non-indigenous village, Fu Tei Au’s villagers has long been struggled to establish their own identity though fighting for the recognition of Liu’s family, government and the fellow citizen of Hong Kong.
Through the process of research, uncovering the complex history and memories of Fu Tei Au. We have also grown to understand and acknowledge the quality of ‘ambiguity’ of this land. Although every villagers have a common understanding of some basic history of the village, it is their own interpretation of history (memory) that creates a refreshing experience for us. Moreover, we have also realised the regeneration of this project is not restricted physically at preservation of structures with historical value. According to ‘Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage’, published by UNESCO, it is also important to acknowledge the living history, such as rituals, skills or ‘Storytelling’...
In order to re-establish their identity, this research attempt to uncover the lost connection of Fu Tei Au Village and Sheung Shui Wai through examining the location, meaning of their sacred structures (Tombs, Ancestry Halls, Shrines, Temples...). Working not only with historical maps, we also interview few of the locals on their memories of the village in its past glory. It is expected that a possible site for regeneration can be informed by reconnecting series of connections between different parties in the wider Shueng Shui area. agricultural use in 2015. Left: Location of all Non-indigenous village in Hong Kong. Fu Tei Au Village demarcated in the rectangle box.
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Left: Drawing of Mr. Chow’s Roof, layered with timber planks, Tar, Zinc coated iron cladding and neon cloth. In a micro scale, domestic scale, we can see the complicated layer of memories/ history of his house.
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Left: Diagram of all ruins and sacred structures in village, including: Tombs, Temples, Memorials...
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Left: Site photo taken during site visit. Fragments found on site that forms the village.
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Isolation of Fu Tei Au Village and the changes of water system in Sheung Shui The government had propsed to reshape Ng Tung river and reinforce the banks of river with concrete in order to reduce the impact of flooding in the area. Together with the development of Shueng Shui city centre, Fu Tei Au village has become physically separated from the south and thus the urban centre of the area. Another reason of Fu Tei Au village becoming more remote and isolated through the years of development relates to the convertion of land uses around the village. Previously, Shueng Shui is connected by a wider spread of smaller streams to facilitate the farms. Nowadays, government utility and factories are dominate the landscape and further isolated the village with the south.
Left: Comparision of water systems in Shueng Shui area and its impact to Fu Tei Au Village.
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Diagrams to show the change in circle of influence in the past years. The temple becomes the centres of villages and draw a closer relationship between north and south. The ruined Man Ming Temple might be one of the reason that reflects this isolation caused by government development. Therefore in order to reconnect Fu Tei Au village with the wider area of Shueng Shui, Man Ming Temple becomes a possible site to be regenerated. (See diagrams at page.12)
Past
Left: General plan of Shueng Shui Area. Upper Right: Sphere of influence in the past. Bottom Right: Sphere of influence nowadays.
Now
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Left: The circle of influence diagram. Upper: Sphere of influence in the past.
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Interview Aim Although nowadays events are well recorded on papers, it is also important to understand the past of Fu Tei Au Village remembered by the villages and preserve these memory. It is hoped that a record of oral interview of the past can assist the team in better understanding of the richness of culture and history of the village, thus a regenerative design that better response to the context. ‘Ming Gor’ has drawn a map of the 50s based on his memories. The interview focuses on his introduction of village history and the place that once existed on this landscape. The questions are aimed to uncover the hidden linkage of different sites and ruins and their lost relationship with the Liu’s family in the south. Interviewee: Ming Gor (明哥) Age: 70 Years in FTA: 60 years; lived in mainland China and came HK during the Big Escape in 1950s settled in FTA because grandfather was here already Occupation: car repair Family members: wife, cat and dog (children moved out) Interviewer Thomas Chung To read Interview content please visit appendix.
Right: Ming Gor, local villager in Fu Tei Au Village
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Beyond Physicality Everyday life of villager ‘It is impossible, as impossible as to raise the dead, to restore anything that has ever been great or beautiful in architecture. that which I have insisted upon as the life of the whole, that spirit which is given only by the hand and eye of the workman, can never be recalled.’ - John Ruskin. It seems that there was a focus on the physical fragmentation of landscape in Fu Tei Au village. It almost reminds us of the English painter treating ruins in countryside during 17th century, where there is a sense of romantic view to its former glory and heroic past. In Fu Tei Au village, this interesting form of village is ultimately formed under the influence of the villagers. Therefore, the importance lays in regenerating the culture, traditions, special lifestyle that differs from the normal folks who lives a city life. We do not see this as merely preservation, but encouraging the locals to continue their progressively fading life style, in hopes that these actions can establish the village and its identity collectively. Like the map from the left, drawn by a local villager. Informatively it can be seen as a map of nothing, it is out of scale and not accurate. However, it is a map drawn with memories, activities that disappeared in history, a latent quality that other maps lack of.
Right: Map drawn by local villager ‘Ming Gor’ at the back of a poster.
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This also suggests a question of how do we treat ruins and fragements in this village. How can we work the already complex situation of land condition into a productive landscape? How can public inhabitat these places that embedded memories and history? What is our approach towards the regeneration of ruins?
Upper Left: Kirkstall Abbey, Yorkshire - Evening, 1801, Thomas Girtin, watercolour on paper. Bottom Left: Ruin view of Man Ming Temple.
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Fu Tei Au Theatre Regeneration of Village Identity Fu Tei Au Theatre consists of a series of public spaces that serve the everyday life of villagers and portraits these ordinary acts as a poetic performance for outsider. Through this dialogue, it is hoped to reinforce the village’s identity. It is believed that architect’s role in this project is merely creating space for inhabitation. The most essential element is the villagers, who attempts to work the land and collectively rebuild the village. Public building provides spaces for communication and interaction, further consolidating these individual actions and contribute to a collective effort for consolidation of their village identity. At the same time, these spaces are seen as platforms to perform the everyday life of villagers. As Richard Sennett writes in his book ‘Fall of the Public Man’, streets and public spaces poses similar purpose as theatre, where there are always performers and perceivers, one observing ones acts, which contributes to the richness of society.1 In the village, these public space become theatre unconsciously, portraits the ordinary acts by the villagers for appreciation.
Sennett, Richard. 1977. The fall of public man. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1
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Lui Jo Temple extension as Village Hall
Man Ming Temple as Productive landscape and space of gathering
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Public Spaces as Journey Storytelling and Journey There is a constant descending from the northern hills to the southern river banks. The project takes advantage of this gesture and aims to create a series of public buildings along its section. The 2 temples in village represent village centre and has already been preestablished as public spaces for the village. The idea is to build on existing infrastructure or as an extension. The zone between the 2 temples contains potential ruins for developments. That is why this section becomes very important to the project. It is hope that a series of small scale public spaces can form a holistic communal service for the villages, at the same time create a journey through this strip of land. I would like to compare this section with the dialogue with the local villagers, both trying to tell a story of the village, through the memories and activities.
Right: A collage of historical maps to see the relation in between and set up a strip of site.
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Upper: A collage section to think about 2 main public spaces.
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Brick Hall
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Garden
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Bird Watch
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Lui Jo Temple 1 Brick Hall
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Stamp Mill Ruin
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3 Bird Watch 4 Gathering Ground Man Ming Temple
Habitat of Egrets
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Brick Hall Village Hall The journey starts with gesture of descending into the depth of earth, that reflects the past and present. Brick Hall is an extension of the Lui Jo Temple to serve as a village hall for meetings. The flat roof of building becomes a platform of extension for the Lui Jo Temple where bamboo theatres can be erected and rituals to be performed during festivals. The actual hall is situated under the concrete platform and on the edges of the hill slope, which formerly was dug out to built the brick kiln. Descending into the depth of ground as a gesture of cleansing ones mind of the current reality and dive into the rich history of this land.
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Liu Jo Temple (呂祖廟)
Ghost Festival Ritual (鬼節)
Left: Photos of Liu Jo Temple and festival of Ghost rituals. Bottom: Sectional relationship of Liu Jo Temple and Brick Hall.
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Left: A place for communication, discussion of important matters in village. A place that gathers people bounded by blood relation or past.
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Upper: Watercolour exploration underground space.
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Right: Spatial exploration of village hall on a hill side.
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Upper: Journey through Brick Hall. Light as an element to guild visitor through spaces. Left: Please scan this QR code to watch a video of this journey. 29
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1. An exploration of a series of underground spaces and the idea of people descending from the temple to the ground. Flat roof becomes a platform for rituals to be performed.
Right: Sketches of the hall situated on the ground. Upper Centre: Sketch to show how the hall is related to the surroundings ground.
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2. Exiting the space to further descending into a tunnel, a gesture of reflection and relation to past that no longer exists in village.
3. Situated beneath ground requires retaining walls to support the structure. The cavity between the structural walls can service the flat roof to drain excess water.
Upper Left: Intention of retain walls cavity become services for the flat roof. Bottom Left: Final sketch section for the Hall and the extent of the platform sitting on top of a existing water pipe.
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Left: Sketch to show how hall connect to the wider context, garden. Upper Right: Intention of a terraced hall at the slope of the hill. Bottom Right: Reduction of the building mass.
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Lui Jo Temple
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Platform for Ritual
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Ante-Chamber
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Walkway back to main road
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Village Hall 33
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Left: Sketch of the brick tectonic intent. Upper Centre: Sketch of the facade.
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Upper Centre: Watercolour drawings of how people have a close interaction with bricks.
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Lui Jo Temple
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Platform for Ritual
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Ante-Chamber
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Walkway back to main road
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Village Hall 4
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Materiality of the hall focuses on earth and bricks. The ground of the hall is untreated, only slightly compacted. The use of material here symbolise a timely relation between brick and earth. This latent quality, together with a hall houses people that are related in blood or by past contributes a space of deep reflection of time.
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Garden and Bird Watch From ruins to leisure places Garden is formerly concrete fish tanks and the grid structure is believed that can be traced back to how the bricks are laid out when brick kiln existed. The plan is to re-use the grids of concrete and fill it in with bricks for pavement and greening and ponds to be re-applied to the these voids and a creation a garden. Bird Watch allows villagers or visitors to be exposed to the scenery of migratory birds in the pond. The entrance is built on top of a stamp mill ruin as a resting place and threshold to the descending stairs then to the bird watch. The timber structure of the roof lightly sits on the ground and allows observing birds from a secluded structure in close distance.
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Upper Centre: Sketch of the inhabitation of the concrete tanks with bricks, greening. Upper Left: Isometric view of garden. Bottom: Section of garden and Bird Watch
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Hidden Bird Observatory
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Left: Site photos of the ponds and its surroundings.
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Bottom: Section of Bird watch and its relation to the pond. Right: Sketch of the structure inteneion of the Bird Watch, the timber pitch roof sits on the ground slightly.
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Gathering Ground A roof on ruin Gathering Ground is built on top of the ruined Man Ming Temple. The project regenerate the space into a place of shrine and drying platform for food or blankets. Timber structure roof will be constructed and lightly toughs the ground. Each of the joints suggest the possibility of curing meat. Whereas the program of activities will change once festival season arrives. Instead of cured food hanged, it will be incense and worshipper that populate the space. At the front of the temple, brick walls are erected to half height that allows bamboo theatre to be built on top of these foundations and serves the festival. Gathering ground as a hub that attracts villagers to come together chat under the timber structure where they cure their own food or dry there own clothes. Every moments of these ordinary life is performed like a drama that signifies the value, beliefs and identity of the village. A roof over the ruined Man Ming Temple, superimposed on the already complex landscape. An open space, flexible and adaptable for programs. The lack of wall presents a space that welcomes everyone, and define
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its boundary not my walls that seperates spaces. If possible the roof should only lightly touch the ground and leave minimal marks on this land. The reanimate of history (temple) and the light-weight structure of the roof create a contrast of materiality and also attitude . The current temple is without roof, the approach is to re apply this roof that convey adaptability so that space within the temple can be read as a whole again.
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Upper: Design Intention of a roof that can hang. Left: A roof that convey open space. 43
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Right: Experiment on superimposition found on site.
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the idea of with material
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Right: Collage study of roof and activities under the roof.
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Right: A perspective view of the roof and the temporary activites under it. Upper: A courtyard view of the roof and the use of fabric in architecture.
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There was once the roof situated around the temple, rather than superimposed on the ruins. Creating a heroic scene at the center of the building, where other functions of the building sits around a courtyard. Upper: Spatial and programatic planning Left: Studying this option on site.
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Upper: Light-weight timber structure on ruined Man Ming Temple, where the joints of timber suggest possiblity og program.
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Upper: A sectional view of gathering ground, structure that lightly touches the ground with fabric that is suspended from the timber structure. 49
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6 The entrance of gathering ground is at the back of the temple, as a place of leisure and gathering together with a roof that convey flexible program. This place can sometimes be changed into a market for sales.
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Courtyard
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Shrine
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Bamboo Theatre space
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Drying space
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Preparation space
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Indoor gathering space
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Drying Deck
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Upper: Section of the Gathering Ground and the ruined Man Ming Temple. Left: Sketch of the intention of section. 53
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Temporality Shrine, Gathering space, Theatre and Drying space The real charm of the village lies in its villagers and it is not architect’s job to enforce a particular program for the villagers to follow. The timber structure provokes a sense of possibility in hanging, suggests program related. These space should be adaptable to the villagers so that multiple programs can be applied seasonally. The following is a suggestion or expectation of how the villagers can inhabitat the place. During festival of the God of Literature, the shrine will be opened and the space will become a place of worship, hanging with spiral incense sticks. The godly statue will be moved to a stand and carried by the villagers, whom circulate the village and ask for god’s protection. Celebration will happen at the entrance of the temple, where a bamboo roof can be built on half height brick walls. Once the festival is finished, ordinary lives of villagers return and the place will be then populated with dry goods. For video, please scan QR code below.
Right: The original entrance of temple into the shrine. Seeing how program can be changed from place of worship to drying space
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Rituals during the festival, where bamboo theatre will be built on top of the half height walls.
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The Gathering Ground is not a destination for the journey but a place for everyone to look back to the north and reflect what the place is about and where you are situated and how the Gathering Ground can become a stepping stone to reintroduce Fu Tei Au Village to Shueng Shui.
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Appendix Interview Content MIng Gor: MG Thomas Chung: TC MG: This is the Temple of the Guardians.
(02:53) MG: Yes, up to three feet, lowest to shoes.
TC: This Great Lord is the guardian of the temple.
(03:15) MG: This pond is in that place, near the lychee garden, there were eight lychee trees, in the current high mountain position. It does not exist anymore. This location is now lowland.
MG: This is a temple of knowledge. The Japanese soldiers bombed the bridge after not crossing the river, so the temple’s roof was dismantled, in order for them to build a bridge to cross the river into Hong Kong. However, the temple was only half torn apart, and the rest was later the nun’s residence. Then the storm destroyed this part. For Temple of Guardians, only the foundation left nowadays.
(04:00)Mingo: There is a stream on the side. (04:10) Teacher: What about this one?
TC: Six ruins?
(04:13) MG: This is a pedestrian road.
(01:17) MG: Probably in this location (pointing to the northeast of the map), there are six families living here, all of whom are the Lui’s family. Most of the fields in Fu Tei Au are theirs. They live there in brick houses. Finally the Japanese also demolished their houses, with their roof torn down. Seeing the Japanese invasion, these familes fled to Shueng Shui Wai.
(04:20) TC: What about this pond?
(01:57) MG: Goose. There were three families raising geese, I was one of them, the other two for Chou family and Wong family. These places are for raising ducks and we used to raise geese along the river.
TC: Have you seen a brick kiln?
(02:20) TC: Did you draw all the houses of that time as your remember? (02:23) TC: No other houses? (02:27) MG: No, there are about twenty families living in Fu Tei Au. (02:35) TC: Do these houses by the river, for example, often flood?
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(03:58) TC: Is there a stream near by?
虎地坳口述歴史
FU TEI AUORAL HISTORY RECORD
MG: The pond is where people raise ducks. (04:24) MG: This pond was not naturally formed and was originally a field. The people fancy its mud which can be material for bricks, take for the railways.
(05:18) MG: I have. It was a dome, about twenty feet tall, built with tiles. The mud were cured in these kilns to become bricks. There is a hard type of brick that is used for railway construction, with a print of ‘KCR’. TC: Have you seen them producing the bricks? MG : Yes, I have seen them carry dirt with their car. TC : Is that possible for the house with those bricks? MG : No.
Right: The record of Ming Gor’s interview in English.Quote from Oral History Record of Fu Tei Au VIllage.
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Right: Mid-term deliverable cartoon set, on setting up video taps by renderings or drawings.
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Upper: Pin-up at home due to virus outbreak in this period of time.
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Upper: Cartoon set for A0 Panels and mark up for changes after discussion.
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Upper: Final layout of A0 panels for pin up at school.
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