Individuality And Sociality Of Neighborhoods The Case Of Hutong-Courtyard Model In Beijing Xiaoyu Xu
This essay focuses on the tension between individuality and sociality in the neighborhood, and takes Hutongcourtyard neighborhood in Beijing as a model to examine and explore the principles in relation to space. 2016
Introduction 2 Hutong And Courtyard
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Identity,Territory And Individuality Performance And Sociality Conclusion
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Reference
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Appendix
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birdview of hutong area in 1980s
Introduction The tension between individuality and sociality is crucial in forming a living neighborhood, because this tension creates relation and movement, which generate culture. In such respect, I take the hutongcourtyard neighborhood as a model to examine the traditional spatial qualities and spatial factors that facilitate individuality,sociality,and the tension between them. In this essay, I first discuss individuality related to identity and territory, then analyze social interaction as the presentation and performance within a social structure, according to goffman's theories; finally, I will conclude the analysis by discussing the tension between the two, which relies on management of inaccessibility, it is about distancing and transitions.
Hutong and courtyard Historically, the city beijing was established as the capital of china in the 10th century. The hutongsiheyuan urban fabric was originally planned in the 12th century as habitat for officials and servants for the imperial palace, which grow into a denser and bigger city with various political, religious and commercial functions. Hutong is the type of alley or street in the old city of beijing. A typical hutong nowadays is 3-5 meters wide and can span 300 meters, though some of them use to be 10 times wider when first built in the 12 century. The old city of beijing was planned with a central axis situating the forbidden city, and quadrant grids of neighborhoods constrained by the city walls. Within the square neighborhoods(named lifang in chinese), the hutongs are the main structure of road. In most cases, the hutongs connect west and east side of each lifang, within which the south-facing courtyard dwellings can be arranged. By the year 1949 when p.R.C. Was established, there were 3050 named hutongs in the city, with 2 million 2
population. Over 6 decades of urbanization process, there are only 459 hutongs by the year 2002, while the population of beijing as a whole increases to 21 million.
To understand hutongs, one has to understand courtyards. The earliest hutongs were designed as fire separation tunnels and transportation passages between courtyard houses. A courtyard is surrounded by buildings on all 4 sides, usually one story high, two storeys when the building is facing the street, which is wider than the hutong alleys. The courtyard is the unit of home, meanwhile it also suit for public functions such as schools and temples. As a residential unit, the size and the number of courtyards show the socio-economic status of the family. Traditionally, for ordinary people, the courtyard is not only a space for living, but also for production of manual products such as food or tools. For rich family whose home comprises several folds of big courtyards,the courtyard have more symbolic functions. Traditionally, one courtyard contains one family, which can contain several generations. After Qing dynasty, many courtyards are shared by several families from all kinds of occupation, age, and social status. Today, lots of courtyard buildings are occupied by more than 4 families, and the yard is subdivided by extensions of each family. In some cases, average living space drops to merely 4 m2 per person. The 'siheyuan' becomes 'dazayuan'(mixed courtyard).
Identity, Territory, And Individuality In most modern residential buildings, there are barely any differentiation among family units. From the outside, balconies and windows are unified in a simple facade, and from the inside, entrance doors tend to be anonymous, only the number gives a hint. Many architects have realized this problem, and has made some attempt, such as to make every balcony look slightly different from each other. However, these attempts stops at a superficial level without having further influence on the social effects. In this section, I will take the family as the unit to discuss individuality from two aspects - identity and territory.
Identity Individuality is developed after having an identity. In general, identity is about the definition of the self. This self can refer to that of a person, a group, a place, or an object. The basic meaning of identity refers to where one (a person or a group) belongs, and what is expressed as ' self-image ' or/and 'common image',what integrate them inside self or a group existence, and what differentiate them from 'others'(zagorka golubovic 2010). In social anthropology, what is often discussed is social identity, referring to social roles and social status. From my understanding, 'identity' refers to entities that are not dependant on the context, whereas 'roles' exist only in a relationship context. Here, we will not discuss much on the identity relations and roles, but focus on 'sense of belonging' as the meaning of identity.
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If we consider one hutong as a neighborhood, dwellers who enter their home from this hutong are given a sense of belonging, consisting both individual identity and common identity. Identity exists on several levels, forming an identity pattern. First of all, every hutong has a name, which is unique among all the hutongs. Names can come from the function of the hutong, such as 'big market hutong''silver bowl hutong'; according to the shape, such as 'earhole hutong', and so on. Some hutongs are named after key figure in the hutong, such as 'Tofu chen Hutong' (Chen is a person who is known for making good Tofu). Many names are dialectical phrases decided by the dwellers, displaying their common interests and taste. The unique name of a hutong creates a common identity for dwellers in the hutong, differentiate them from people in other hutongs. The name has many cultural and social meanings since it not only provides a reference of location, but also associates individual inhabitant with the key element, events, neighbors and the history of each hutong.In other words, the name intrigues gossips, which is helpful for starting conversations between acquaintances or strangers because it provides multifold information. For instance, standing in a queue in front of the public toilet, two people who do not know each other can break the ice easily by simply asking which hutong the person belongs to. Another level of common identity is at the courtyard level. People sharing one courtyard becomes one social group, a basic neighborhood unit composing the bigger hutong neighborhood. The courtyard as a concept is the common identity for them. In terms of social relationships, a courtyard can be seen as a community itself, and a social group in relation to the neighboring courtyard groups. The configuration of people of each courtyard is different, so every courtyard has its own story. People from different courtyards locate individuals by the courtyard he or she belongs. Since each courtyard does not normally have a name (though they have a number), people refer to a courtyard using the name of a person who is familiar to all the neighbors in the hutong, thus developing an identity structure that gives every individual unit a location in the community.
scene from drama 'Wotou Huiguan', 2009
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courtyard a
courtyard b
courtyard c
families hutong xx
hutong yy
photograph of hutong life,internet left: structure of identity in hutongs
Territory
Primarily, the concept of territory is about owning the land. In a more abstract sense, territory means setting up a boundary between the self and the other, and protects the sacred self. Territory creates an emotional attachment to people when the ownership has continuity in time. The one-storey building pattern in the hutong areas relates every person to the land,which is more like an emotional territory than a physical territory now. Although ownership of courtyard land is complicated, individuals still use the land as if they own it. This is true particularly for those who have been living in one house for many years. Due to the agriculture tradition, chinese people have an emotional attachment to the land. Also, the earth, the soil, influence human bodies for chinese in a subtle way. Some hutong dwellers say they feel uncomfortable to stay in the high-rise building for a long time because they cannot receive the diqi(energy from the land). Another example of such emotional territory is the trees. In most courtyards, there is one or more trees which grow into huge shades over the long period of time. There is a saying in chinese which means,'one generation plants the trees in whose shade another generation rests. ' The tree is the connection between predecessors and offsprings. The emotional territory maintains attachment of the individual to the space. By creating a sense of belonging and owning at the same time, the emotional territory becomes part of one's identity. Compared to the emotional territory, the spatial territory is particularly important to forming the individuality of each family, and further creates boundaries which invite social interactions. The possibility and ease to manage the territory contributes to the tension between individual claims and collective good. The subdivided courtyard is the common space for communal use and social interactions providing access to each family's door. People build storage or kitchen sheds as extension to their space, expanding their territory. It is also common for people to put their private items on the surface of their territory, such as soap on the windowsill facing the common courtyard, creating a communication between private domain and common/public domain. Any individual change to their own territory will affect the common space immediately, creating efficient communication between individual and the common. For instance, if one family changes their door, the rest in the shared courtyard can immediately receive the difference and react to it. 5
Performance and sociality Keesing defines a social group as a collectivity of individuals who recurrently interact in a set of connected identity relationships. The community can be seen as as a social system, a system of identity relationships and groups. Social interactions are crucial in forming culture, because ideas get communicated during this process. We will look at face-to-face interaction and see how it is related to space. According to erving goffman, social interactions are based on presentation and expression of the self. The important thing in terms of space is to provide settings to enable occasions for the performances in order to get messages through one another. The place where everyday-life interaction is performed include front region and back region. The front region is where performance take place before an audience, while the back region is the area for performers to retreat and recharge. Particularly interesting situations are the transitional area from the front region to the back region.
Constructing Settings Settings provide space for social occasions, and without a setting, social interactions cannot happen easily. The courtyard as a collective housing unit is a micro society. There is a diversity of social interactions, neighbors involve each other in solving problems, making invitations for dinner, food and good exchange, talk, and verbal conflicts. The main quality of the hutong and courtyard spaces is the introvercy, characterized by the one-storey walls which serve as a) the boundary of a courtyard, b) the separation between neighboring courtyards, and c)the enclosure element of the hutongs. The acoustics in the hutongs and courtyards create 'peace in the noise'. The courtyard is surrounded by one-storey buildings on four sides facing towards the courtyard; it is an introvert space. The hutong is a long and narrow alley enclosed by one-storey high walls, with a tranquil acoustic effect. On the one hand, the walls block sound from the main street, on the other hand, bricks and big trees absorb noises. In this way, acoustics become a factor in forming a setting for performance, in order to make speeches and conversations easily heard by the audience, just like the acoustic requirements in a theatre. This may explain why indigenous hutong inhabitants are so talkative and humorous, since the hutong provides many accessible rooms for practicing conversations. The tranquil quality is also inviting nature as actors, the sound of birds,insects,wind blowing trees can all be heard, relating individuals to the nature. The hutong space not only creates a harmonious symphony, but also conveys information of behaviors, such as people entering the room, or the sound of cooking. In fact, the hutong structure is a theatrical network of acoustic chambers, keeping people aware of the happenings in their surrounding. This introvert acoustic environment can also create intrusions and violations. The windows are not very soundproof, so within the courtyard, the sound condition makes a co-presence situation. When one shouts at your name, you cannot pretend you did not hear it. Thus people sometimes speak indirectly with subtle metaphors to indicate their complaint or disdain towards the neighbor, if there is conflict between them. This might be a leading aspect to the rich metaphors and slangs of beijing dialect. Wind is another factor. One of the reasons why the courtyard buildings are shut from the hutongs, with only one door at the south-east corner open to the hutong, is to prevent winter wind which comes from the north and the west. The network of long narrow hutongs is in the grid pattern, and the intersections 6
are mostly in t-shape or l-shape, reducing the speeding of the wind, and the network softens the wind as a filtering system. Blocking the wind is also related to fengshui theory, which directs the location of buildings in order to avoid confronting the qi of bad luck.No matter which theory, the wind in the hutongs are not very harsh and strong if you compare it to the modern urban spaces in beijing. The calmness provide a good weather condition for performances in the hutong spaces.
Front region , back region Hutong area can be divided into hutong spaces and courtyard spaces. The hutong spaces serves as circulation space as well as recreational spaces.The courtyard belongs to the private domain. In terms of frontstage and backstage, it seems that the more public hutong is the front region, and the more private courtyard is the back region, but it varies from person to person. Within the courtyard, since the distance between people's personal domain is smaller than in the hutongs, social interactions are more profound, more intimate, continuous in time, frequent, and full of friction and conflict. In the hutong, a person can switch his role from the roles in the courtyard, because the people he is faced with is different, and he can be in different relations. Depending on the specific type of relation, both the courtyard and the hutong can be the front region or the back region. A person who quarrel in the courtyard may find peace in the hutong by playing chess with others under the tree.
Conclusion In this essay, i have discussed how individuality and sociality relate to constructing a neighborhood. In the first part of the discussion, collective or common identity creates sense of belonging, emotional territory and spatial territory create sense of owning. This two combines in forming individuality. The structure of social group exist in different levels in terms of the unit of community, and there are social interactions within each unit, between units on the same level, and between units on different levels. In the second part, i examined the spatial factors that contribute to creating settings for self presentation and performance in terms of social interactions. Acoustics and wind condition are some factors that are important but often overlooked. The spatial structure of street-hutong -courtyard-home provides continuous out-door spaces, and creates levels of publicity and privacy. Facilitated by physical qualities such as sound and wind, these spaces create a structure of diverse settings in everyday interactions. The tension between individuality and sociality lies in inaccessibility. This can be found in both two discussions. Identity and territory creates boundary between the self and the others/outside. Identity provides resources for social interactions, and managing the territory involves communication with others. Gates, turnings, steps, walls, doors are thresholds between the levels which provide a range of spatial tools for managing inaccessibility. With these tools, the process of distancing others from oneself can proceed more easily. Of course, there are other influential factors to forming a socially-active neighborhood, such as ethnic personalities and density.Yet this brief examination of hutong neighborhoods in such a perspective has revealed some fundamental links between space and the social structure. 7
Reference Golubović, Zagorka. "An anthropological conceptualisation of identity." Synthesis Philosophica 51.1 (2011): 25-43. Goffman, E. 1987. Introduction. In The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Penguin Books (15 p.) Goffman, E. 1966. Chap. 1. In Behavior in Public Places: Notes on the Social organizations of gatherings The Free Press (26 p.). Gullestad, M. 1986. Symbolic Fences. Ethnos 51 (1-2) (22 p.). Yang, Qingqing. Space Modernization and Social Interaction. Springer, 2014.
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Appendix First we shape the buildings, thereafter the buildings shape us. The built environment shapes us in physical, emotional and social ways. Nowadays, urban people in china suffers harsh environment and stressful lifestyle. Consumerism breaks down the‘us’ into ‘me’, and there is a sense of loss in the mutation from a socialistic society to an increasingly individualistic society. This is due to the large scale urbanization process which give rise to the unbalance between economic development and social development. To a large extent, what’s been lost in our culture is the neighborhood and the sense of belonging embedded in it. Traditionally this sense of belonging comes from the ownership of the land, which is gone now due to the socialism land policy of china. It also comes from the traditional social structure that is based on clan or family, which is torn down as urbanization moves people from their hometown to bigger cities, some as immigrants, others as migrant workers. Although social change in macro scale is difficult to operate, the counterpart - urban fabric and space is operable in constructing neighborhoods.
In my view, a neighborhood is a community where the members live within walking distance. Yet neighborhood has a wider meaning than simply a community- it contains the physical dimension of space that sustain the people and the social system. The form of a neighborhood is shaped by culture through a long time of accumulation of social processes and constantly influence the community who inhabit the space. The social processes such as exchange,conflicts,and control, are created in real space and time, based on the social system, which is a system of identity relationships and groups. In this sense, identity is the core element in the socio-spatial process but is often overlooked or misunderstood. Thus the research structure is clear: identity identity relationships-social system-neighborhood.
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