Sungang-Quingshuihe: Social & Culture Analysis by Syafiq Azmy

SUNGANG-QUINGSHUIHE (SQ) / SHENZHEN social and cultural analysis

DOCUMENTING

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THROUGH DIALOGUE INVESTING CULTURE

investigation by Syafiq Azmy

SHENZHEN Bei Shang Guan Shen City among cities i. Economy ii. Cultural iii. Political

PROPOSED SITE SUNGANG-QUINGSHUIHE (SQ) “I’ve never been to SQ. Mainly because it is a business district with no benefits to me. As a young teenager, I really need “something to fulfill my demands” Reese Liang, student

DIALOGUE

SZ stands for Shenzhen city. The dialogues obtained below are the compilation of researches through books and inter viewed done with the Shenzhen local residences.

WITH THE

Syafiq Azmy is a student at Savannah College of Ar t and Design. He is currently pursuing his Master of Architecture for 2 years. Here, he’s tr ying to analyze and understand the social and culture that happen in Shenzhen through the method of dialogue.

CITY / SA

So, let’s start with the question of history. Can you tell me a little bit about the history of Sungang-Quingshuihe (SQ)?

As far as I know, since China have a lot of provinces, you cannot tell the exact history especially for a small provinces. You have to learn the history of Shenzhen first in order for you to understand the context of Sungang-Quingshuihe (SQ).

Interesting! Ok then. Tell me everything about the history of Shenzhen?

Let me put in a simpler way. Some people say, Shenzhen is the city without a history. Some of them believe there are history for Shenzhen. For me, Shenzhen began with a small fishermen villages. During that time, there is no development. You could say it is a no man’s land, where there is no tree. It was until the year 1976 where China’s most respected leader Deng Xiaoping changed the policies of China’s towards economic liberalization. He used the strategy of Four Modernization that focused on agriculture, defense, industry and science. He also designated Shenzhen as the Special Economic Zones (SEZ) which attracted large-scale foreign investment. As a results, Shenzhen city have growth almost overnight.

I also heard there is a song called Story of Spring that dedicated to Deng Xiaoping after he changed policies in Shenzhen. Is this true?

Yes. It is said that the Story of Spring song is created in Deng’s honour shortly after Deng’s southern tour in 1992. This song is basically dedicated to Deng Xiaoping hardworks on China especially his effort on Shenzhen as SEZ. I would say it is also has impact on Shenzhen in terms of economy.

Ok. Move on to the next question. What is the social mundane for the people in Shenzhen? Are there more towards working environment or the otherwise?

In terms of job, I do agree that most of the people are towards working environment. This means that, for the rest of the remaining days, they will spend time with their families at home. However, the social mundane depends on the age of people. For example, children they like to play in the park during the evening. Apparently, there’s not much open green space for the children to play due to rapid modernization takes place in Shenzhen. Then, teenager, they like to spend most of the time with the entertainment place like karaoke, bowling and shopping. There are a lot of shopping stores in Shenzhen.

Some of them prefer to buy in Hong Kong. For the adults and above, they like to go bar or just hangout with their friends in open space restaurant. As long as there is a recreation place like park, families will sure go there to relax. So basically, the mundane of the people in Shenzhen are basically the same with the other city in the world.

Its pretty dull and ordinary for the mundane in Shenzhen. Let’s go to the more tricky question. Tell me about the habits for the people in Shenzhen?

Hahaha... (laughing). Indeed, this is a really tricky question. I’m afraid this question will show the negative side of Shenzhen. I would rather say not only Shenzhen but the whole China.

(Giggles)... At last, I got the critical question for you. Do tell me about the habits in Shenzhen?

SZ Ok. But before that I want to say sorry to all Chinese people in China especially in Shenzhen for what I am about to tell in the dialogue here. I hope no pun intended for the Chinese people who gonna read this dialogue. Since there is a lot of habits, let me put this in really clear and simple. I will divide it into eating, talking, opportunity, sales promotion, curiosity, needs, and

signage. Lets talk about eating. A guy named Guy Delisle once visited me back in in 1997. When he finish eating with his translator, the translator will cover her mouth with one hand while using her toothpick in front of Guy. Moreover, Chinese people always talk so loud not only in conversation but also in the phone!

Wow! I never thought before that Chinese people talk so loud. Now I’ve noticed it. So tell me more about the others.

SZ If you standing in line at the bank, do not leave even a small gap between you and the people in front of you. If you do so, people will cut in and queue in front of you. I called it the ‘opportunity’. Owh bear in mind that, this is not apply to the bank only. It apply to everything including on road especially when you drive a car or ride a bicycle. On the other hand, whenever there is a sales promotion, the salesperson will use the loudspeaker to make an announcement. A little bit fancy eh in Shenzhen don’t you think?

I don’t think it happen only in China. I think it happen in all Asia.

I disagree with you young man. I have a theory about that. Since the biggest country in Asia is China, and it has the largest population. Most of the people in China migrate to other countries. This means that, they also carry this habits when they migrate to the other countries.

Make sense! What about needs?

For the needs, I could say that most of the people in China are smoking including Shenzhen. You need to have a space for smoker people so that they will not throw cigarette everywhere. From there, I realized that the smoking place where usually people stand can become a space for the people to engage dialogue or conversation. Maybe it is the time for the urban planners, architects or government to design a special place for the smokers in the city.

Err... I think so.. Hmmm.. (leave me speechless).

Smoking is bad. I say we should banned them from smoking in public.

SZ By the way, the most interesting habits in Shenzhen or I should rather say in all China is the ‘curiosity’.

Sounds interesting. Do tell me the details.

SZ People in all over the China, they like to see something happens around them as it is a paranormal things. For example, if there is a traffic accident, people will stop and see the accident. This can cause a traffic congestion. I can see that Chinese people have a strong sense of inquiry and curiosity.

Son... I’ve seen a lot more than that. You need to fulfill the people needs or demands. If not people will start to berserk or angry which results in revolution.

How about the signage?

One thing I love about me is the signage which you can find in the street. These signages provide a beautiful scenery especially during the night and I’m proud about it. By the way, just for your information, Shenzhen is also

the filthiest place especially in toilet. You can see shit stay in toilet bowl.

Whattt!!! Ok..... (while imagine it). But I can feel that signage is the main stream or strength of Shenzhen. Let’s move on to the next question. Can you tell me the culture in Shenzhen?

Honestly, there is no specific culture in Shenzhen. This is because most of the people that lived in Shenzhen came from outside Shenzhen. It shows that, Shenzhen nowadays made up from different culture. Later on, these culture mix together successfully which, create diversity among the people in Shenzhen. If you are a seafood lover, you can find fresh seafood in here since Shenzhen is located near the Pearl River Delta. But you can also find Beijing cuisine and other China’s famous cuisine in here. I could say investment in food market is really good. If you ask me clothes or attire, I will not say it as culture because you literally can find the most expensive branded shirts or t-shirts in here cheapest than original price. Owh you can even find the cheapest rolex if you know what I mean. I forgot to mention that the main language in Shenzhen is Mandarin eventhough there are more than hundreds language.

Hahaha.... I know. Don’t worry (continue to giggles). Well is that all? I’m sure there’s more apart from what you mentioned in above.

Look son. If I were you, I won’t be asking about cultures because clearly there’s no point asking about cultures. Instead I will ask about the traditions and belief in Shenzhen. In that way, I can tell you more.

Thats good! Tell me everything I need to know about traditions and belief in Shenzhen?

Of course! In my notions, traditions and belief have the same meaning. Most of the people in China believe in Buddhism. The second one fall to Taoism. But not all the people in China even in Shenzhen believe in religion. Again, it depends on individuals.

What about the way of thinking? Are they still thinking in the orthodox way?

Absolutely not! Chinese nowadays expose to a lot of things. I can say that most of the people already start to think logically with the aid of facts and knowledges. This is called metamorphosis consequences formed through rapid urbanization in Shenzhen. I’ve seen the changed took place for the past 40 years. There is also belief that even Chinese people nowadays believe. It is called ‘Feng Shui’ and ‘Yin Yang’.

What is exactly this belief so called ‘Feng Shui’ and ‘Yin Yang’?

Basically, feng shui is an ancient art that took place during 3000 years ago in China. It is actually a complex knowledge that teaches you how to balance energies of any given space in order to assure good health and fortune for people. The word feng means wind while shui means water. People in Chinese believe that the combination of wind and water will bring good health and fortune. If the feng shui is bad, it will cause the person misfortune. Feng shui mostly based on the Taoism vision and understanding of nature which the land we live now has the energy called Chi. Yin and Yang is different but it play a strong relationship with feng shui. Both feng shui and yin and yang reciprocate with each other. In order to make feng shui happen, one must to know the yin and yang. Yin means passive energy which is the relax energy

in feng shui. Usually yin is the calm color, soft music, sound of waterfall and soothing environment. In architecture, bedroom and bathroom usually integrated with yin. Opposite from Yin, Yang is the passive energy. This energy consist of strong, vibrant and bright colors. Usually people use Yang in kitchen light. As a results good feng shui consists both balance yin yang energy. Do you know that if you learn architecture or interior design in China, you have to take feng shui class? It is the mandatory class.

Really? I don’t know that. Now I know about feng shui and yin yang. Thank you for the long explaination. I learn a new knowledge today about Chinese beliefs. I heard Chinese people believe that the number 4 brings bad luck. Is it true?

No problem at all. For the number 4, it is true. If you look at the building floor in China, there won’t be a 4th floor. Instead they change it to 3A-th floor. This shows that traditions and beliefs still play important role in architecture as well as in daily life.

I see. So if I want to develop or propose a building, I should change the 4th floor to 3A-th floor. Let me shoot you another question. What is the main issues that you see in Shenzhen nowadays?

Look son, for the past of 40 years there are lot of issues that occured in Shenzhen. I’m not gonna lie to you. The number one issue gonna fall on rich people. Clearly, with the rich people occupy most of Shenzhen, it will create imbalance society. This imbalance cause a lot of beggars and homeless roaming throughout the Shenzhen. Not to mention that air pollution caused from cars should be minimize or eliminate as soon as possible. I can’t breathe properly in here. There is also traffic congestions in Shenzhen. Pheww... I don’t know what will become to

me another 50 years to come. I do hope somebody gonna proposed a good and efficient transportation by increasing the routes and reducing the waiting time to get on the public transportation. Moreover, I do need to see somebody exploits the diversity of the cultures in Shenzhen.

I can see you are suffering now. Be patience. I will try my best to reduce your suffering. I will ask you the final question before I end this dialogue. What is your expectations for Shenzhen in future?

Thats a good question. For me, all I want to see is how Shenzhen prosper to be one of the most sustainable city with good transportations as well as cultural center. I also want Shenzhen to have more entertainment park because the theme park which are Splendid China and Window of the World consider failed experiments. This is due to the local people are not interested to go the park. They don’t even bother to look at it. Since Shenzhen has a lot of investors, make them invest something into culture, entertainment, leisure and education instead of business purpose only. By doing this, I can now rest assure and my promise that I made with Deng Xiaoping will be fulfill. One day... I hope... One day... In the mean time I shall wait for it to happen. Deng Xiaoping... Finally your vision will be realize.

Thank you so much sir for your time. I really appreciate what you did to me today. Don’t worry. Rest assure. I will help you fulfill that.

You are welcome son. Thank you for understanding me. Don’t forget to document all our dialogue and show to the people. Let them open up their mind. And let the future generations know our dialogue so that they can learn one or two things from here.

“ I W I LL SI R. W I T H T HAT T HE DI ALOGU E E NDS”

PHOTOSPEAK 1 CONTEXT 97’ /

A L L P H OT OS CRE D IT T O G UY D E L IS L E IN H IS BOOK SHE NZ HE N: A T RAVE LOGU E F ROM C HI NA

PHOTOSPEAK 2 CULTURE 97’ /

A L L P H OT OS CRE D IT T O G UY D E L IS L E IN H IS BOOK SHE NZ HE N: A T RAVE LOGU E F ROM C HI NA

PHOTOSPEAK 3 HABITS 97’ /

A L L P H OT OS CRE D IT T O G UY D E L IS L E IN H IS BOOK SHE NZ HE N: A T RAVE LOGU E F ROM C HI NA

PHOTOESSAY 1 CULTURE PRESENT / “HUMAN PLUS D E S I R E TO E AT EQUAL TO FOOD THEREFORE FOOD IS C U LT U R E ”

A L L P H OT OS CRE D IT T O

http: //w w w . s zcchina. com/blog/s uke-res taurant-s henzhen. html http: //w w w . s zcchina. com/blog/enjoy-chaozhou-cuis ines -in-s henzhen. html

PHOTOESSAY 2 CULTURE PRESENT / “INVESTING C U LT U R E TOWARDS L AT E S T LIFEST YLES” HIPSTER FASHION OR CAPITALISM EXPLOITS?

A L L P H OT OS CRE D IT T O

http: //w w w . s zcchina. com/blog/forever-21-s tore-opens -in-s henzhen. html http: //w w w . s zcchina. com/blog/mango-s tores -s henzhen. html h ttp:/ / ww w . s zcchina. com/blog/w al-mart-new -s tore-to-open-in-baoan-s henzhen. html http: //w w w . s zcchina. com/blog/zara-s henzhen. html

PHOTOESSAY 3 CULTURE PRESENT /

DAPENG GEOPARK SHENZHEN SHENZHEN NANSHAN MOUNTAIN SHENZHEN DONGCHONG BEACH [SURFING] XI CHONG BEACHES WUTONG MOUNTAINS [HIGHEST IN SHENZHEN] DA PENG OLD FOTRESS SHENZHEN YANGTAI MOUNTAIN SHENZHEN HONGFA TEMPLE SHENZHEN MINSK WORK SHENZHEN SHENZHEN OCT LOFT CREATIVE CULTURE PARK YUNNAN SHILIN STONE FOREST CHINA MINGHUA SHIP IN SEA WORLD SHENZHEN OCT EAST SHENZHEN - PERFORMANCE - ADVENTURES SHENZHEN OCT EAST - HOTELS - RECREATION THEME PARKS SHENZHEN SPLENDID CHINA WINDOW OF THE WORLD SHENZHEN AVATAR AND ZHANGJIAJIE - WONDERLAND CHINA SHENZHEN NANSHAN PARK INTERNATIONAL GARDEN AND FLOWER EXPO PARK FAIRY LAKE IN SHENZHEN

IS CULTURE DEFINE AS TOURISM? SHOULD WE ADD ANOTHER CULTURE OR TOURISM? SHOULD WE MAINTAIN IT WHAT WE HAVE? OR THE OTHERWISE?

A L L P H OT OS CRE D IT T O

http: //w w w . s zcchina. com/blog/mins k-w orld-s henzhen. html h ttp:/ / www.sz cch in a .com/blog/s henzhen-dongchong-beach-the-bes t-s urfing-place-s henzhen. html h ttp:/ / www.sz cch in a .com / b log/ sh en z h en-nans han-mountain-one-of-the-mos t-popular-mountains -in-s henzhen. html http: //w w w . s zcchina. com/blog/zara-s henzhen. html

PHOTOESSAY 4 CULTURE PRESENT /

CULTURE OF SIGNAGE? OR

SIGNAGE OF CULTURE?

PHOTOESSAY 5 CULTURE PRESENT / POLITICS OF OPEN SPACE

“ OPEN SPACE DEFINE AS STREET,

PEOPLE UTILIZE THE STREET, NEW ACTIVITIES CREATED IN THE STREET, EVERYBODY HAVE THEIR OWN BENEFITS, WELCOME TO THE POLITICS OF OPEN SPACE!

”

WRAP-UP INVESTING SOCIAL CULTURE / In this analysis, the main findings can be seen as the exploitation towards the social and culture in Shenzhen. This exploitation means investing. Since the social and culture is made up from different people that came from different regions or provinces, investing seems to be the better solution. Needs or demands of these people should be put as priorities in designing the masterplan for SQ - Shenzhen. Investing in SQ - Shenzhen can be divided into three; retain, moderately or exaggerately. Looking at the present situation, investing in social and culture should be moderately due to rapid modernism that occured in previous years. Programs in terms of culture can be the activator that can nourishes the SQ - Shenzhen. By creating cultural activities, people can experience the cross-pollination through the diversities exist in SQ - Shenzhen. By turning the SQ - Shenzhen into Cultural - Economic District, benefit can be gain by all sort of people especially for investors, government, businessman, tourist and most importantly the local people in SQ - Shenzhen. The chain of profits will continue go on if the chain of activities are created. Thus, investing in cultural - economic programs is the solution.

Investing in Social & Culture, Culture is CONCEPT, A concept of CROSS-POLLINATION, Social is CONTEXT, A context of MUNDANE, THEREFORE CONCEPTUALIZING THE CONTEXT? or CONTEXTUALIZING THE CONCEPT?

REFERENCES /

SPECIAL THANKS TO :

KAICAI ZHUANG YONGYI LIANG

1. Delisle, G. (2003). Shenzhen: A Travelogue From China (p. 148). Canada: Drawn & Quarterly. 2. Tchi, R. (n.d.-a). Feng Shui. Retrieved from http://fengshui.about.com/od/thebasics/qt/fengshui.htm 3. Tchi, R. (n.d.-b). Yin Yang. Retrieved from http://fengshui.about.com/od/thebasics/qt/yinyang.htm 4. Weijin, Wang and Chung, T. (Ed.). (2010). Refrabicating City: A Reflection (First., p. 299). New York, United State of America: Oxford University Press.

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