China's Urbanization: Art and Architecture

https://www.amusingplanet.com/2016/02/the-urban-villages-of-china.html

In order to modernize and follow the steps of other Chinese major cities, Guangzhou’s government decided to demolish all the villages in the city and turned them into skyscrapers. The photographic caption is divided into two portions, with the migrant worker located in the foreground and his point of view as the leading perspective. What one witnesses from that seized perspective are the village houses in contrast to the skyscrapers in the background. The focal view point and the central position of the migrant worker invite us to consider issues of lost one’s home, thereby one’s identity. (the revised paragraph sounds much clearer now)

The photographer purposefully positions the man against ruins and invites viewers to look through his perspective. From the man’s cheap outfits, one might be able to identify he is him as a migrant worker. His sluggish gesture echoes with the ruins, filled the image with sadness and desperation. Instead of turning his head toward or smiling at the camera, the man turns his back toward the photographer and stares at the buildings on the other side of the river. Positioning the person against the ruin, the photographer establishes his point of view and invites us to look at the buildings in the middle ground.

Departing from the man’s lens, through migrant worker or local resident’s point of view, one may see a couple of buildings under demolition. Some of the building’s remnants are lined up to each other showing signs of the vanished villages in the city. The assembled layout of the remnants reflects the history of the villages. After the government announced the privatized land-use, all landowners started taking advantage of their land by building as many buildings as they could. These constructions the landowners undertook in order to respond to the policy becomes the iconic architectural element for the villages. Besides its historical value, this assembled layout of villages in the city also indicates its cultural function. The proximity between buildings and shared street function as a means to enhance the villages’ community spirit. However, one can barely feel reassured of the closeness nor the history of the village. The disappearance of the assembled layout indicates the imminent threat of demolition that will destroy and erase villages’ historical and cultural values. (if the point of view has been the focal argument, please explain why establishment of that perspective?)

Following the man’s point of view and looking upward, the high-rise apartments at the background make a clear contrast to the villages in the middle ground.  These newly built skyscrapers appear to be monotonous and uniform. The windows and architectural structure for each apartment’s floor look all the same. One can barely distinguish these apartments from one another. Full of stillness and lifelessness, the distant skeleton branches prevent people from having close interactions with their neighbors. Compared to the assembled villages in the middle ground, these apartments lack of historical and cultural values.

To the man, a migrant worker, the modern apartments represent the end of affordable housing to him. Villages in the city used to be the only cheap option for migrant workers to live in Guangzhou. Now, all the villages will be torn down under the government’s policy and be replaced with high-rises. While the citizens and the government are cheering for the urban development, the migrant workers are the ones who are left behind. Staring at the modern apartment at the far end, the man realizes his economic shelters are start vanishing and will soon be replaced by these skeleton branches. At that time, the only place he can find traces of past villages are from the ruins like the ones he is sitting on now.  

Overall, the photographer presents the vanished villages in the city through a migrant worker’s point of view. By dividing the image into two portions, the audience are able to visualize a transition for village in the city. The villages under demolishing will soon turn into ruins and will eventually be replaced by high-rises. The shameful decision of Guangzhou government marks the disappearance of the village identity and has brought up multiple societal concerns. Inviting the landowners to live in high-rise apartments with better living condition seems to be beneficial for landowners. However, these landowners have been collecting rent for most of their life. They have no prior working experience and are not capable of finding a new job or adapting into the society. Similarly, the migrant workers are gradually being excluded from the city. The fast urban development of Guangzhou brings up the housing prices, and the migrants will not be able to find any affordable housing as cheap as the ones in villages. I hope the government can be more aware of the aftermath they caused by demolishing villages in the city and support the victims accordingly. (the conclusion could be tightened up more)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Peace Hotel is originally named the Sassoon House, built be British-Jewish businessman Sir Victor Sassoon. At the time of its construction, it was one of the tallest buildings in the Eastern Hemisphere. Because Sassoon’s business is mostly based in East Asia, the building still bears strong marks of European aesthetics, establishing Western dominance on the Bund. However, as is the littoral space itself, the Peace Hotel is never truly British, or even entirely Western, even in its early days. (what argument could be made, if so?)

The outside of the hotel, as can be seen on the photo, is strongly influenced by the Art Deco movement that was popular in the late 19^thand early 20^thcentury. The base of the outside façade is made from granite bricks, a common element in Art Deco buildings. The windows and exterior walls are lined with geometric lines and shapes. Most prominent in the building is the bright green 19-meter high pinnacle on top of the building. The pinnacle and its surrounding ridges are in the Gothic Revival style, sought to introduce key elements of the medieval Gothic style with modern craftsmanship. The Gothic element here is a pointed pinnacle instead of rounded dome as the highest point of the building, while the Art Deco element provide the vivid green color, therefore showcasing different styles on the same building. (what does the detailed deco indicate or support for?)

The eclecticism extends to the interior of the building, where Sassoon built nine suites with themes of nine different countries: Germany, Japan, France, Great Britain, China, United States, India, Spain, and Italy, (again what does the architecture indicate) the most luxurious one being the English suite, inhabited by Sir Victor Sassoon himself. In these nine countries, Sassoon included both European countries and Asian countries. This illustrates his desire to unite the aesthetics both from around his home country and from other places he might call home. This is especially true for the Chinese suite because there is rarely anything in the traditional Chinese style on the Bund, ironically. Sassoon manages to make this littoral space even more international and eclectic through the suites in different styles. (if this is the argument, then introduce it at the beginning of the paragraph)

Even the residents of the Peace Hotel underline the specialness of the stylistic amalgam of the interior and exterior of the building. Among its most celebrated guests are George Marshall, Sun Zhongshan, Charlie Chaplin, George Bernard Shaw, Queen Elizabeth, President George H. W. Bush, and so many more. From this list of notable guests, it is clear that the Peace Hotel is not only a politically significant hotel in Shanghai, but also attracts actors, writers, and elites from all walks of life. (again what does this say?) On top of that, all of those guests can find a piece of their home in the hotel, whether it be a piece of furniture or decoration.

Another key feature among the peoples of the Peace Hotel is the Jazz Band. Comprised of a group of local Shanghainese men above the age of 75, the band plays classical “old Shanghai” Jazz numbers every night. Jazz music, originated from the US, is combined with Chinese lyrics praising the beauty of Shanghai. The songs are played by old gentlemen who have lived their whole life in Shanghai, with instruments imported from Europe. This performance becomes a unique feature of Shanghai because it illustrates how Shanghai has taken in different cultural identities through trade in the littoral area. The new and unique treaty port culture is formed upon this merging of different cultures.

Shanghai Club 

The Shanghai Club was originally built in 1861 by the British. This original design consists of a three storied neoclassical style building made of brick. It was torn down and rebuilt in 1910, by a British architect named BH Tarrand. This new design was a six story building, built in a neo-classical style with touches of English Renaissance and Baroque components. The building was also built was built by Chinese workers with Chinese material and consist of many foreign countries architectural designs and influences. (what does the (re)built from one to another indicate: we need to make an argument here)

The exterior features of the building consist of 6 Suzhou columns on the facade, 3 horizontal divisions by strong bands similar to columns, pedimented windows, carved floral swags, and two Indo-Sarecenic style turrets on the corners of the building. The buildings exterior features are a mixture of many different styles that originated in many different countries. There are the Indo-Sarenic turrets which represent India’s influence over British architecture and in turn architecture in Shanghai built by the British. There is also the Greek columns made out of Suzhou, which is a material only found in China representing Chinese influence on the architecture. There were also other Chinese materials used and many other elements of Italian, French, Dutch, and Indian design. The blend of these elements and styles into this one building is symbolic of the foreign influence on Shanghai during this time period and even today. (make the claim at the beginning of the paragraph and serve as leading idea. then explain how each architectural transition participates in the identity making of the bund)

The interior was designed by a Japenese architect named Shimoda Kikutaro, which in itself is another symbol of how Japenese concession of Shanghai, and later the Japenese occupation of Shanghai influenced Shanghai architecture and art. The interior consists of a grand hall, class ceilings held up by 17 foot high Ionic columns, news room, billiards rooms, 40 bedrooms, barber shops, multiple dining halls, marble floors, a library with more books than the Shanghai library at the time, and the most famous feature, the long bar. The long bar was at one point the world’s longest bar and within the bar itself there was a hierarchical structure. The end closer to the bund was reserved for the wealthiest and most elite men in the world, the farther away from that end one sat, the less wealthy and elite he was. The hierarchy inside the club is ironic because even within the most elite in the world there was a hierarchy. While the members inside of the club were experience a minor sense of hierarchy, outside the club the local Chinese were dealing with a huge amount of hierarchical bias and discrimination. In fact, no Chinese were allowed in the club unless they were servants and many of the Chinese were not even allowed in entire foreign concessions. (again highlight the issue of hierarchy at the beginning of the paragraph, then use architectural evidence to support the argument)

Throughout its history the building has been used for many different things. It functioned as the Shanghai Club until the Japenese occupation of Shanghai in World War II. At that time it is unknown what it was used for. Then, once the communist party took over in 1949, it was repurposed into an international seamen’s house for foreign sailors. After that, in 1971, it was turned into the Shanghai Dongfeng hotel but saw little success and was turned into China’s first KFC in 1990 (what does the transition speak for). Now, it is apart of the Hilton Hotel group and is called the Waldorf-Astoria, many of its historical elements, including the long bar have been brought back and renovated. The history of how the building itself has been used is also representative of the foreign influences of Shanghai over time, most noticeably, the KFC and the Waldorf-Astoria. The KFC is a direct result of foreign, in this case American influence, on Shanghai culture and buildings. This historic building, which was originally built by foreigners, was now being used for commercial profit by another foreign company. The KFC was very expensive and a big deal to many people in China and allowed the spread of certain elements of American/Western culture to spread within China.. Similarly, with the Waldorf-Astoria, the building is now owned by another foreign power and being used for profit and mostly by foreigners. Not many locals stay in this hotel or use its services. (reorganize these material and allow them to support your claim)

The architecture of the original building and the buildings history and purposes are symbolic of foreign influence on Shanghai. The architectural elements were a mixture of many foreign countries and this was representative of how many different foreign countries influenced not just the Shanghai club but (the treaty port culture in Shanghai in general) many other buildings architecture features in Shanghai. The different purposes of the building throughout time is symbolic of how foreign countries have used the building for its own personal or commercial gain while spreading its own influence in culture throughout Shanghai. 

 

Buildings located on the Bund in Shanghai, China are pillars of the city’s global history. Elements including the concept of each buildings, construction materials, and outside versus inside building appearances reflect ideas of historical significance and change/continuity through time. The Russell & Company Building in Shanghai, China captures, and sequesters, Shanghai’s history in its outward facing exterior. Like many elements of the built city landscape, the Russell and Company building has persisted through time, yet components of this structure have been molded by the evolution of the Chinese state; this evolution and subtle changes alongside posit the Russell and Company building an important component of Shanghai’s global history. (specify the notion of “global history” as the bund as the treaty port speaks for a special identity and history)

Historical photo of the Russell and Company Building, late 19th Century – 1881. Eric Politzer, 2007

            The Russell and Company Building’s original exterior reflecting modernization attempts from Chinese stakeholders, while still incorporating neo-classical European elements. Built in the late 19^th-century under architectural designers Morrison & Gratton, the building reflected neo-gothic and neo-classical elements, in addition to red brick design and colorful window awnings. Pictured above, we get a vague sense that the building was unlike other buildings along the Bund at the time. The red brick colors and window awning elements separated the Russell and Company building from different monolithic buildings, such as the HSBC building and the Customs House; both these buildings are washed out by their granite exteriors and harken back to ideas of neutral monument and building palettes provided by buildings and monuments in Tiananmen Square. At the time of construction, the Russell and Company building reflected attempts at modernizing China, but once the ownership of the building transferred from American stakeholders to Chinese stakeholders, the building’s outward expression changed, too. (if the intention of modernization in terms of the architecture is the focal point in this section, then use all the visual elements to support whether the attempt of modernization is achieved or failed and why)

A “modernized” Russell and Company Building, now the China Merchants Bank. Tour-Beijing. com

            Chinese ownership of the Russell and Company Building changed the structure from colorfully unique to neutral and ordinary (what does the transition speak for: need a topic sentence that introduces a topical idea). The building was purchased by the China Merchants Bank in the early 20^th-century. At this time, the building was re-worked and renovated to better adjust the building for its new purpose of banking (define what is the “new purpose”). Above, we see that the building adopted a neutral, gray color scheme, devoid of color and devoid of unique building character. Though the exterior is not dominated by granite blocks, there is now a monumentality of the exterior, which allows it to blend into the larger Bund landscape. The transition from red-brick color to painted grays may be reflecting shifts in the Chinese state’s view of their built landscape (if this is the focal point, then introduce it at the beginning of the paragraph) or shifts in the use of the building. It would be erroneous to assume that the burgeoning communist state alone was the driver in “neutralizing” the Russell and Company Building’s appearance (or rendering the colonial impact); it very well may be the case that the shift into a Chinese bank induced desires for building owners to want the building to blend in with other banking buildings on the Bund.

 

Aspects of changing ownership and state influences are omnipresent in consideration of our built landscape. The Russell and Company building demonstrates both ideas beautifully. For a building which was once lauded as unique and exemplary, with regards to modernization, the reality of it now being lost in the larger strip of the Bund has allowed us to understand that the Bund consumes all potential for buildings to stand out. We understand that each building was constructed with competition for riverfront access in mind; this doesn’t necessarily allow for uniqueness of the structure to come through. Instead, it would make sense for individual building elements to allow for each building to shine, but if we consider all buildings together, there ceases to be uniqueness; the only uniqueness is the Bund itself, for its history of a littoral landscape makes it contrasts against other built landscapes, particularly the Pudong, another critical aspect of the Shanghai city identity. The Russell and Company Building is now consumed by the Bund’s littoral identity, yet in doing so, there story of the building’s consumption is telling of how the Bund has shaped up to be the iconic, yet monochromatic, historical landscape we see it as. (if littoral identity or space is the key issue, then may make it as the overarching central thesis)

 

Citations:

Politzer, Eric , “Number 6 on the Bund: Looking back. New facts about an old building” (2007)

http://www.tour-beijing.com/blog/category/shanghai-travel/shanghai-attractions/page/7

 

 

The Bangkok Bank is a branch of Bangkok Bank Public Company Limited, was formerly the Great Northern Telegraph Company and has had a presence in Shanghai since 1931. Although the owners of the building have changed over decades, the architecture itself has remained one of the classic buildings on the Bund. It reflects the potential negotiation between the local Chinese and the foreign Thai from the age of treaty port culture through its design plan, material structures, and facade.

The initial engagement between the foreign Bangkok bankers and local landowners found visual evidence from the design plan of the towers and flags. From the design plan’s architecture, viewers see that the bank is designed as bilaterally symmetrical with an extended tower and a national flag on each side of the building. The towers, designed with a European Renaissance style, indicate potential interaction. (I’d like to learn how and why the towers in renaissance style would promote interactions) The towers are located on each side of the building as though they are two negotiators. The connecting structure between the towers simulates two negotiators placing their arms on each other’s shoulder, displaying a reached agreement. In addition to the towers, the flags, Chinese on the left, Thai on the right,  indicates the identity of the two negotiators. With the interactions simulated by the towers and national identities defined in terms of the flags,  the symmetrical layout of the two reflects the amicable relationship between the native and the foreign.

To further refer to the idea of negotiation, the Bangkok bank architecture  shows credibility to local landowners. The Thailand bankers’ reliability and dedication will find visual evidence from the bank’s material structures, the black rooftop  and white facade. The black enamel rooftop, presented in a rococo-style, simulates a gentlemen’s tophat. The white walls, built in masonry, provide the appearance of a neat dress shirt. The black rooftop and the white wall integrate perfectly creating the image of a well-dressed authoritative gentleman who will treat the banking business seriously. The combination of the black rooftop and white walls (color is addressed and how about the materials itself?) gives the building a sense of solemnity and elegance. The material structure of the Bangkok Bank asserts the intention of continuing engagement of the Thais with the Chinese.

Successful cooperation finds visual evidence in facade’s focal point, the Garuda. This bird-man creature is the national emblem of Thailand and is awarded by the Thai Royal family to outstanding companies. The body of the Garuda is red like the Chinese flag, indicating Thai people keep the needs of the local Chinese in mind. Around the body, the Garuda extends his golden wings, a sign of limitless future opportunities with the Chinese. Overall, the Garuda displays a gesture of flying in the sky, signaling the triumphant collaboration with the local Chinese. In addition to the physical features of the Garuda, its position on the facade also indicates architecture choice. Garuda is being geometrically arranged at the lower central axis of the building. The placement meets with the viewer’s eye level and will become the most eye-catching feature of the building. Being the focal point, the Garuda symbolizes a successful bridge between the Thai and Chinese. The facade of the Bangkok Bank  presents the successful engagement of the Thai in Shanghai.

Overall, the Bangkok Bank on the Bund exemplifies a successful communication and documents the history of Thai interactions within China. Through its design plan, material structures, and facade, this bank building articulates the diligence Thai foreigners maintained in order to win the trust of the Chinese during the age of  the treaty port.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chen Qiulin’s photograph, I am an angel, is a piece of performance art that displays the photographer’s  discomfort toward the demolition of Chinese houses. The two subjects first stand out to the viewers are the angelic female figure and the ruined house. By introducing the human figure and the site, Qiulin highlights the contradiction between the purity of the woman and the dirty environment. The picture creates a dialogue between the people’s ideal living environment and the government-made living condition. Chen utilizes this picture to evoke the idea that people are the victims who pay the price for government’s impudent destruction. (wonderful ideas. Is it possible to centralize a specific one that you’ll analyze?)

The photographer choose to locate the pure woman within the impure destruction. Picturing from a distant angle, Chen makes the woman appear smaller, which seems she is overwhelmed by the rubbles. The angelic identity implies the Chinese culture, which is smothered by the demolition. The decision made by government of demolishing Chinese houses has severely damaged the culture value within the house. Although some culture will still be remembered by people from the history book, it has no place to be shown in the real life. When people come and visit the site, things that are obvious to their eyes are the rubbles and ruins, and the culture value of the architecture has became unnoticeable like the small angel that stays at the corner. Through Chen’s purposeful composition, he picture implies that the impurity environment created by demolition is blinding people’s eyes from seeing the remained purity, Chinese culture. In other words, the Chinese culture is disappearing due to the impact of demolition. (if the female figure surrounded by the rubble is the focal point of the composition, then address their relationship. try not to go too far and too general, such as Chinese culture or cultural values) 

Although inside the house, the woman is not looking at anything around her but string at the sky through the hole on the celling. Qiulin designs the look of the woman in order to draw a contrast between the ideal in woman’s mind and the reality she refuses to look at (good point: social reality through the female gaze). At here, the woman can simply represent a normal Chinese girl (how about named as angel?).  The girl is going to her classroom where is her favorite place because, in the classroom, she learns knowledge and has wonderful conversations with her classmates. Now, because of the demolition, the classroom disappears (if so, then you may focus on the visual term of “site”) and is turned into ruins. There is no more education for the girl, and all her friends go away. Staring desperately at the sky, the girl knows her classroom will never return, and she just wants to leave this place.

(in addition to …. ) The brown and black color on the rubbles creates a gloomy atmosphere, highlighting the despair of reality. The White color light from the windows represent hope, but the windows are all too tall for the girl to reach. Qiulin applies the use of color to clearly portrait the sadness of the people affected by demolition and shows their good old memories will never return just as these unreachable windows (may use this statement as topic sentence).

The photographer gives special attention to the debris in this abandoned house. Qiulin strategically let the rubbles take over half of the picture. Following her point of view, we witness a catastrophe. The ruins present a devastating condition which can be drawn parallel to the aftermath of an earthquake or a terrorist attack. Unfortunately, this is all the artwork presented by the government. Giving debris the focal point, Chen criticizes the government’s demolition decision is an absolute disaster. From people’s point of view, the Chinese government is just like terrorist who are destroying Chinese architecture along with the beautiful memories in people’s mind. (may organize the figure and the ruins together)

By picturing the girl from a distant angel, using colors, and giving debris the focal point, Qiulin has successfully given life and meanings to this picture. The losing of the Chinese culture (try not to make general statement), the despair of people, and the barbaric action of government altogether illustrate that people are the victims who pay the price for government’s impudent destruction. I hope the government will recognize their mistake one day. Although the buildings they demolished will be replaced by fancier architecture, the memories these buildings carry are priceless and can never be replaced.

Citation:

https://www.christies.com/img/LotImages/2017/ECO/2017_ECO_15077_7025_000(chen_qiulin_i_am_an_angel_no3).jpg?mode=max