亡游 花園 earthly passage garden of remembrance
亡游 花園 earthly passage garden of remembrance ian wong sue choi 黄嗣元 蔡行敏
thesis 論文
The traditional Cantonese funeral procession calls for a public performance of mourning. However, this tradition is no longer common practice today. Though there are still public ceremonial grieving practices, grievers in contemporary culture prefer experiences that are isolated from the distractions of the city, and for many, in solitude.
But in a city like Hong Kong, where spaces of seclusion are rare, mourners are forced to amble against the chaos of urban life to traverse between the various sites of the funeral – from the funeral home to the hillside cemetery, and back to an ancestral hall/ temple/church – all of which are dispersed throughout the city in conformance to the traditional model of the processional funeral.
Earthly Passage is a cemetery in Hong Kong that centralizes funerary sites whilst memorializing and refining the bygone funerary traditions and architecture of Hong Kong. It commemorates the canonical terraced landform cemeteries of the 19th century and upholds the tradition of the funerary procession. Where the processional path was once a result of logistic necessity, this path is purposeful, intentional, figural, and defined; a clear passage through the various sites of the funeral, but condensed into an abstraction of Hong Kong that evokes a procession through the city, with all the distractions filtered out. This journal includes a brief history of Cantonese funerary traditions, as well as the research and studies that inform the project.
PRACTICES 8 TYPOLOGIES & PRECEDENTS 36 abstraction studies 66 SITE 80 PROJECT 98 葬禮傳統 類型學與先例分析 抽象研究 場地 項目
practices 葬禮傳統
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As one of the five main ceremonies in Chinese culture, the funeral is a ceremony to mourn one’s passing. Prac ticed in the 17th and 18th century, the traditional funeral involves a series of ceremonious events that last from several days to over a week.
the traditional funeral 傳統葬禮
11 Farewell and Solace: A Pictorial Account of Hong Kong Chinese Funeral Rituals. Hong Kong Shue Yan University
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Funeral parade in the 1920s. The parade is well organized and involves a large number of participants. It is a spectacle that often attracts crowd.
iii. Large Flower Plaque with honorary words for the deceased
i. Marching band leading the funeral parade while performers play either western metal pipe music or traditional Chinese windpipe music
ii. Pair of paper lamps with the name of family
13 iv. Large picture frame of the deceased in front of the hearst v. Funeral hearst carrying the casket vi. Casket being moved from the family residence to the street through the bamboo structure and ladder that was built in adhoc manner vii. Sometimes, instead of a hearst, the casket is inside a larger parade float carried by funeral workers hired by the family viii. Family members follow behind the coffin in the parade ix. Guests in automobiles following the line of parade at the end iv.i. viii.v. ix.vi.vii. ii. iii.
the contemporary funeral 當代喪禮
the eldest son of the deceased will carry the portrait of the deceased out of the funeral home. The portait is then mounted to front of the funeral hearst which then leads the way for the remaining participants of the procession in a line of several cars. Most cemeteries in Hong Kong are along the hillside, therefore, upon arriving at the cemetery, a carefully orchestrated set of procedures must be arranged to ensure the safe arrival of the casket. Before the burial or cremation, traditional offerings, such as fruits, buns, Chinese rice wine, paper “gold”, and incense are of fered to the deceased as a gesture of respect.
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The contemporary funeral procession is carried out in a manner conducive to bustling life in contemporary Hong Kong. It begins at the funeral home where family mem bers, or figures of importance to the deceased, would perform funerary a series of funerary rituals. After the rituals conclude, the family then personally carries the casket out of the funeral hall where the casket is then loaded onto a hearse by professional funeral workers. Such practice is an adoption of the western culture (as opposed to the traditional custom where the labor escorting the casket is solely entrusted to paid funeral Typically,workers).
15 i. Family members, or important figures to the deceased, escort ing the casket out from funeral hall ii. Family members and guest line up to exit the funeral hall iii. Family member carrying the portrait out of the funeral home iv. Funeral workers moving the casket into the hearst v. Funeral hearst leading the procession crowd to the cemetery vi. Procession crowd arriving at the cemetry vii. Offerings to the deceased before the burial viii. Family scattering soil on the burial site ix. Traditional offerings before cremation iv.i. viii.v. ix.vi.vii. ii. iii.
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The exterior of funeral homes in Hong Kong resemble the post-colonial style: columns and a canopy at the en trance, arches and curved corners in the facade, and large glazed windows. The oldest funeral home in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Funeral Home, boasts a white facade with a neon blade-sign, turquoise windows, and a black granite header with name of the building plated in gold that spans between the golden columns at the entrance. The colors of the building speaks to the traditional color choice for funerals - black, white, blue, and yellow.
The funeral procession has evolved over time but the customs and sequence of the journey remains large ly unchanged. A key difference between the traditional and contemporary funeral is the location of the funeral reception. Where in the past the reception is hosted at the residence of the bereaved, today it is hosted at a funeral home building where multiple funerals are often carried out in separate rooms.
the contemporary funeral home 殯儀館
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18 front entrance of the Hong Kong Funeral Home
19 directory at the entrance hall indicating the rooms of each family funeral
During the three days of the funeral, family members who closely follow traditional beliefs will prepare funerary offerings such as folded paper “gold” for use in fu nerary rituals later in the processional journey.
As the funeral parade is no longer carried out as a spectacle on the streets, artifacts used in the traditional parade, such as the pair of paper lamps, large flower plaques, and the bouqets of flower stands have evolved into stationary displays in the funeral hall.
靈堂
the funeral hall
As guests enter the funeral hall, a funeral master will annouce the arrival of guests and oversee the participants’ engagement in the funerary rituals. The common practice of paying respect includes bowing three times towards the deceased and one time between the guest and the hosting family members.
The funeral hall is one of the key spaces of the contem porary funeral procession. The funerary event happening in the hall can last up to three days. The space is planned in a meticulous manner and is often decorated extravagently to show respect to the deceased. The size of the room and its decorations reflect the status and wealth of the family.
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21 i. Entrance of the funeral hall with the family name on door plaque and paper lamp ii. Interior of funeral hall with a back entrance to the room of open casket iii. Guest pay their respect by bowing 3 times to the decesed iv. A typical arrangement at the front of the funeral hall v. Family members folding paper money/gold to be burned as offering to the deceased vi. Envelope of appreciation as a gift from the hosting family to the guest, typically containing a dollar coin and a candy v.iii.i. vi.iv.ii. vii.
22 typical funeral hall layout
23 typical funeral hall interior
Upon returning home, a bath with pomelo leaves is tak en as a way of cleansing off the bad energy (“chi”) or harmful spirits believed to have potentially latched on to the individual during the visits to funerary sites.
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Depending on the religion, one might assemble a do mestic ancestral shrine for convenient at-home worship. Ancestral tablets are also customarily kept at an ancestral hall (if family has one) or a temple.
Meat is traditionally seen as a luxury and an indication of gratitude. As such the dishes served on such an oca ssion typically include fish, poultry, and pork.
after the funeral 出殯後
After the burial or cremation ceremony, it is customary for the host family to treat their guests with a banquet meal as a token of appreciation.
25 i. Food served at banquet right after the funeral ii. Bathing with the leaves of pomelo upon returning home iii. Domestic ancestral shrine iv. Ancestor tablets may also be kept in ancestral hall or a temple i. ii.iv.iii.
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In Chinese culture, it is important to regularly pay re spects to the ancestors. The annual visiting of family graves during the Grave Sweeping Festival is common ly practiced form of filial piety. Families would bring along offerings such as incense, flowers, fruit, drinks, joss paper money, suckling pig, and any objects believed to be favored by ancestors. The entire affair can take up to a day, and is understood to be one of the many family gatherings throughout the year.
清明節
grave sweeping festival
27 iii.i. iv.ii. i. Crowds hiking to the grave along the hillside ii. Sweeping the burial grave at the terrace side of cemetery iii. Offerings to ancestor at the columbarium where urns are kept iv. Burning offerings at the insinarator by the grave or niches
28 a setting of offering objects (fruits, drinks, joss paper money) placed in front of the grave
29 suckling pig offering
Built in one of the chinese traditional architectural styles, the three-hall two-court design 三進兩院, the walls of the builings are constructed of red sandstone and granite, with two drum platforms at the entrance and a roof top embellished with multi-colored ceramic figures of auspicious animals. Stepping through the doorway, one would find the inside equally awe-inspiring, featuring two well maintained courtyards and an elaborate altar in the rear hall lined with inscribed ancestral tablets.
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Yuen Long, Hong Kong circa 1300
tang ancestral hall 鄧氏宗祠
First built by the early Tang settlers about seven hun dred years ago, the ancestral hall is used for ancestral worship, business meetings, legal affairs, wedding banquets, education (school and martial arts), and traditional festivities.
31 Leung, Andy (angryangryhk). Ha Village Tang’s Ancestral Hall / 厦村鄧氏宗祠. 2016-2017.
32 Tang, Francis. Tang Clan Ancestral Hall. 2009.
33 Lee, Mike. Tang Ancestral Hall Interior: After the feast. 2014.
34 1 3 5A C G I H D E B F 6 7 9 2 4 8 10 2 4 8 10 i. Main entrance. Lintel panel is inscribed with the family name and side panel inscriptions pertain to the origin of the family. ii. The back of the doors, painted with portrayals of “Door Gods.” iii. Red bricks were generally awarded by the courts for official title, hence the use of red bricks signify the status of the family. 1. entrance foyer 2. drum platform 3. entrance hall 4. side room 5. front court 6. central hall 7. rear court 8. side aisle 9. rear hall 10. rear side room
35 iv. Central hall with panel doors closed. The doors act as a symbolic threshold between the communal central hall and the spiritual rear hall. The central hall is often used for business meetings, legal affairs, and celebrations.
v. Moon gates represent wholeness and unity. vi. Side aisle with ceramic tile “flower windows.” vii. Ancestral altar in the rear hall. viii. Ornately carved structural roof beams. ix. Roof ornaments. The fish motif represents wealth. ix.vi.vii. ii. iii.
iv.i. viii.v.
typologies precedents& 類型學與 先例分析
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Due to the increasing shortage of land, this type of cemetery is no longer being constructed. Based on the latest government regulations, the occupancy in each burial plot expires after six years, after which the re mains are legally required to be exhumed, and relocat ed to crematorium or garden of remembrance.
hillside cemetery 山墓
The cemeteries are usually religion-non-specific, thus gravestones of various cultures and their respective ar chitectural styles are often seen together, without signif icant segregation.
Just like the rest of the city, the cemeteries in Hong Kong are extremely dense. Based on Chinese Feng Shui traditions, cemeteries in Hong Kong blanket the face of the city’s hills, overlooking coastal shorelines.
The underlying terrain is expressed through terraced concrete tiers, and gravestones are stacked in rows on each level.
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Chai Wan, Hong Kong Ng Chun Man & Associates 1962
cape collinson chinese permanent cemetery columbarium block I, typology study 柴灣歌連臣角火葬場務本堂第一座
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Cape Collinson Chinese Permanent Cemetery occupies a site area of approximately 198,000 sqare meters on Hong Kong Island. It overlooks the eastern side of Hong Kong, Kowloon, and the Victoria Habor. The cemetery includes a crematorium, three buildings of columbaria (total 61,615 niches), and a hillside land burial site. The next few pages looks at one of the several colum barium buildings through a reproduction of its drawings. Each columbarium has its distinct shape and form. The octagon building houses nine floors of niche spaces with each floor connected to a spiral staircase around the atrium with skylight above.
43 section
44 aerial view of cemetery
45 typical plan
The initial interment period of the public niches is twenty years, which can be extended in ten-year intervals thereafter.
niche grid study 骨灰龕靈位
Due to the shortage of niche spaces, there is currently a waiting duration of approximately three years before urns can be placed into the niche. To cope with the demand, the Hong Kong governemnt has relaxed the regulation on placing additional cremated ashes into public niches (including the relaxation of the definition of “close relative” and the elimination of the limit on number of urns in each niche).
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47 400 mm 25 mm typical columbarium grid
48 New York Times. Columbarium inside Wo Hop Shek Columbarium. 2015.
49 225 mm 225 mm 225 mm 225 mm225 mm mm230mm230mm230 25 mm mm20 200 mm mm210 dimensioned elevation of typical columbarium grid
garden of
50 Gardens of Remembrance were introduced to Hong Kong in the early twenty-first century as a reaction to the soaring costs, and lack, of funerary real estate. As cemeteries and columbariums collectively occupy a significant amount of space, the government of Hong Kong rolled out a push towards “green burials,” where mourners would scatter the ashes of their loved ones in dedicated outdoor spaces coined as Gardens of Remembrance. Although the cost of such practice is significantly lower than the costs of burial plots or columbarium niches, this practice has been met with scepticism and opposition.
remembrance 紀念花園
51 iii.i. iv.ii. i. Man holding device used to scatter ashes ii. Tsang Tsui Garden of Remembrance iii. Opening title of promotional video for green burial site iv. Government representatives promoting green burials
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Miralles and Pinos sought to blend the experiences of the living with what was originally solely a resting place for the deceased, along with a metaphorical and material treatment of the earth and the natural qualities of the landscape.
伊瓜拉達公墓
igualada cemetery
At the time of its conception, Igualada cemetery was a unique typology of funerary landscape architecture that challenged the traditional notions of death and grief.
As much as it is a place for those to be laid to rest, it is a place for the living to come and reflect in the solitude and serenity of the Catalonian landscape.
Igualada, Catalonia, Spain Enric Miralles + Estudio Carme Pinós 1994
The cemetery was designed as a tiered landscape that unfolds into the landscape as one continuous and fluid progression. Eathly materials (the gabion walls, the worn/aged concrete, and the wooden railroad) are embedded into the stone groundscape, transforming the architecture into a natural appearance that cemetery has long been part of the site.
54 main burial plot
55 columbarium niches and stairs to underground spaces
56 columbarium niches along pathways
57 plan of Igualada Cemetery, ArchDaily
58 conditions of building meeting the ground
59 estudio Carme Pino’s, Plan and Elevation of burial plot
60 ascending view on pathway
61 descending view on pathway
62 wall texture resembling the side profiles of columbaria niches
63 earthy materail (gabion stone wall, aged concrete, and wooden railroad tiles) ties into the landscape
64 unfurinihsed chapel space: ambigious exterior-interior conditions
65 aperture and lighting conditions
studiesabstraction 抽象研究
68 miniaturized household ancestral shrine
69 abstraction of household ancestral shrine
70 abstraction of chinese urn
71 abstraction of chinese urn
72 octagon Feng Shui mirror “Bagua” and flatness abstraction
73 volumetric abstraction of octagon mirror
74 abstraction of funeral “gift pocket” envelope
75 abstraction of ancestral tablet
76 abstraction of funeral hearst
77 abstraction of funeral picture frame
78 abstraction of coil incense
79 abstraction of terrace hillside cemetery
site 場地
82 Kai Lung Wan, Aberdeen, Hong Kong Latitude: Longtitude:22°15’13.37”N114°8’28.99”E site analysis 場地分析 Lantau Island
83 Hong Kong, Google Earth Hong Kong Island Kowloon Peninsula NewShenTerritoriesZhen
Chek Lap Kok Tsing Y Ma Wan Peng Chau Cheung Chau Shek Kwu Chau Tai A Chau L Hei Ling Chau Sh TerritoriesNew Lantau Island
ReservoirCovePlover Yi Ap Lei Chau amma Island Sharp Island Double Island Crooked Island Ping Chau Jin Island Grass Island Chau Tung Lung Po Toi henzhen KowloonIslandHong Kong Funeral CemeteryAncestorHomeHall sites of funerary architecture
86 top: bottom:cemetery Hong Kong cemetery
87 top: Hong Kong Funeral Home bottom: Tang Ancestral Hall
Chek Lap Kok Tsing Y Ma Wan Peng Chau Cheung Chau Shek Kwu Chau Tai A Chau L Hei Ling Chau Sh TerritoriesNew Lantau Island
ReservoirCovePlover Yi Ap Lei Chau amma Island Sharp Island Double Island Crooked Island Ping Chau Jin Island Grass Island Chau Tung Lung Po Toi henzhen KowloonIslandHong Kong County Park Local RecreationalPark Ground parks & recreational grounds
Chek Lap Kok Tsing Y Ma Wan Peng Chau Cheung Chau Shek Kwu Chau Tai A Chau L Hei Ling Chau Sh TerritoriesNew Lantau Island
ReservoirCovePlover Yi Ap Lei Chau amma Island Sharp Island Double Island Crooked Island Ping Chau Jin Island Grass Island Chau Tung Lung Po Toi henzhen KowloonIslandHong Kong Mass TransitTunnelIslandRailwayLineHighwayTsuenWan Line Kwun Tong Line East TseungRailLineKwan O Line Airport Express Tung Chung Line Ma On Shan Line South Island Line major transportation routes
92 Sheung Wan Mid Levels Central District Shek Tong Tsui Kennedy Town Ap Lei Chau Lamma Island Aberdeen Hang Wong Chuk Pok Fu Lam Wan Chai Hung Hom Tsim Sha Tsui Causeway Bay Happy Valley Is Hon
93 Sai Wan Ho North Point Shau Kei Wan Cha Kwo LingYau Tong Quarry SBaytanleyKok Chung Hom Chai Wan Shek O Chau Tung Lung nslandgKong Church/ChapelTemple religious buildings
94 Sheung Wan Mid Levels Central District Shek Tong Tsui Kennedy Town Ap Lei Chau Lamma Island Aberdeen Hang Wong Chuk Pok Fu Lam Wan Chai Hung Hom Tsim Sha Tsui Causeway Bay Happy Valley Is Hon
95 Sai Wan Ho North Point Shau Kei Wan Cha Kwo LingYau Tong Quarry SBaytanleyKok Chung Hom Chai Wan Shek O Chau Tung Lung nslandgKong Bath/Spa baths and spas
96 Bel Air Residence Wah Fu Estate Peak Bel Air on the Village Pok Fu Lam Ka LungCCourthiFu Fa Yuen WEstateahKwai PGardensokfulam PlazaCyberport Victoria Road WaterfallBayRoad Chi Fu Road Wa Wah Fu Road Bay Waterfall Wah Fu Salt ReservoirServiceWater Pok Fu Lam County Park Site Other/MixedOpenIndustrialVillageResidentialGovernmentGreenBoundaryBeltInstitutionSpaceUse
97 South Waterfront Sunshine Villa Tin Wan Estate Ka Wo Building Centre Aberdeen Abba House Mount Kellett ShekPaiWanRoad ellettRoad ShekPaiWan Road ahKwaiRoad Tin Wan Praya Road MountKellettRoad PeelRise PeelRise Yue Shi Cheung Road Kai Lung Wan Fresh Water ServiceFreshReservoirWater Reservoir Aberdeen land use/zoning
project 項目
底圖關係
The following pages contain several initial figure ground diagrams of Earthly Passage. These plans are conceived through the techniques employed in William O’Brien Jr.’s (WOJR) Labyrinth (see pg. 60).
The goal of emulating the procedures of Labyrinth is to understand, through a (1) planametric figure-ground, the formal techniques of (2) arrangement, mass & void, (3) connection through the extraction, extension, & eradication of edges, and (4) compacting & bundling; or Independently“bowel-izing.”from O’Brien’s techniques and the limitations of a purely representational, planametric figure-ground, the in-fact, three-dimensional figural voids will vary in height, elevation, material, and texture.
In cases where a path of circulation is implied, the path would depart from simply being a planar, vector network, and will instead be imagined three-dimensionally, with undulation, fluctuations between steepness and gentleness, loftiness and tightness. Collectively, the path forms an unbroken, contunious loop - suggesting the absence of a beginning or end.
figure ground studies
101 terrace/roof plan1
102 arrangement of shapes and figures (voids) within site footprint (mass)2
103 connection of figures through the extraction, extension, & eradication of edges3
104 compacting & bundling of inter-figural connections within the figures (bowel-izing)4
105 inverted figure ground of (3)
106 inverted figure ground of (5)
107 secondary circulation
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This section includes rendered impressions of the final physical model. The idea is to represent the interior voids (rooms, paths, hallways) as mass in conjunction with the terraced exterior massing. model
集结模型
massing
processional experience 路徑景觀
The following pages include several frames from an animated walkthrough of the processional path. The goal is to portray the procession as an experience of movement and to depict experiential qualities of material and light.
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118 more to come 待續
119 SCI-Arc Graduate Thesis 2022 September 10 - 11