China's Urbanization: Art and Architecture

Credit: Vector Architects, Hybrid Courtyard, Baitasi (Pechino)

The image above captures, in clear detail, last week’s topic. The foreground shows a network of hutong arrangements in Beijing, while the background, lingering above, has a number of skyscrapers and high-rises. The contrast between residences beckons to issues of a modernizing society. Several elements elucidate this contrast, from the fish-bone network of the hutong to the blurriness of the skyscrapers under a cloak of fog/smog. Together, this image is aiming to demonstrate an eerie arrival of modern architecture; in that vein, in order to maintain a city’s distinct culture, what are ways these creeping ploys at modernization can maintain a city’s dynamic? From this image alone, it would be difficult to prescribe.

The structuring of the foreground and the background illustrates a means of a creeping future juxtaposed onto a sprawling past. There appears to be intentionality in the photographer’s depiction of this built landscape. A similar image could have been captured once the fog burned off during the day, yet, with the fog/smog cloak containing the skyscrapers, it seems as if these residences are a bleak omen for the future of the city. As the fog/smog cloak approaches, it will consume the hutong network below it, acting as a metaphor of the skyscraper’s encroachment onto the traditional residential network of historic Beijing. The hutong network is protected, but as the fog approaches, just as modernization does in the city landscape, the hutong will be suffocated. (if the fog/smog used as visual symbols, you may introduce it at the beginning of this paragraph)

This vantage point depicting the hutong against the larger apartment structure provides another example of a departure from tradition. In considering the layout of the traditional hutong structure, Liangyong Wu’s architectural analysis titled “Traditional Courtyard Houses and a New Prototype” describes the intentionality of these landscapes. In simplest terms, the network of alleyways, streets, and corridors collected within the hutong provides flow for the larger residential layout. There is a cognizant understanding of each street, with the ability to connect with neighbors and form an individual and communal identity. In stark contrast, the skyscrapers of Beijing’s modernized residential landscape hesitate to provide the similar aspects of flow and identity. The photographer of this image has captured the ostensibly chaotic, yet strikingly beautiful, network of hutong in the foreground. The vantage point favors this view over the view of Beijing’s skyscraper, which, from the view captured, provides a wall.(good point) We don’t gain a view of this particular built landscape’s arrangement. All we see, from a direct view, is the impermeable front that the buildings provide. While there may be intentionality in how these structures are designed and laid out, the vantage point of the image ceases to elucidate any of this information.

The fabric of Beijing’s built landscape has been hemmed under the influence of 20^th-century modernization and industrial advances. The radicalization of the built landscape has provided stark contrasts between the traditional and the modern. China’s hutong network is under the influence of modern architecture, highly influenced from the West. To preserve traditional practices and customs, architecture must reflect earnest efforts to do so. In the image above, there is no sense of effort in maintaining a city identity of traditional customs and practices; instead, the built landscape is dichotomous, with the past under siege of the present. The photograph aims to show the ignorance of the modern built landscape with respect to traditional built forms, and, to some degree, this image aims to evoke a consideration of how cities progress into the future. (a wonderful work)

 

Image source: http://www.abitare.it/en/habitat-en/urban-design-en/2017/12/31/pechino-hutong-modernizzazione/?refresh_ce-cp

 

Liangyong Wu – “Traditional Courtyard Houses and a New Prototype”

Jeff Widener’s photograph, Tank Man, is a picture captured during the June Fourth Incident in 1989, which displays  a student’s peaceful protest against the cold-blooded Chinese government. The photograph draws a comparison between the two counterparts (composition): a line of loaded tanks symbolizing the well-armed powerful Chinese government and a helpless student protester holding a black shopping bag. The picture revives the history of 1989 at Tiananmen Square, in which the vulnerable student protesters calling for individual rights and freedom were answered with firearms and armed vehicles deployed by the government.

From the man’s point of view, the image portrays the desperation of the protestor which forces him to sacrifice himself against the government he once had faith in. Facing four gigantic tanks which can easily take his life away, the white-clothed man shows no sign of retreat or asking for help, but, instead, stands still and ready to face the machine with his vulnerable body (human body and material tank). The man’s decision shows his realization of the limited power and right of a protestor and disappointment toward the current political situations as he assumes that no one in his group will be able to help him and that the government will not show empathy to him. Furthermore, the man’s brave action displays a contrast between the ideal and the reality (further clarification), a conflict in the man’s mind between his eagerness of achieving success with his protest and the impossibility of completing this mission, which further highlights the protesters’ despair.

From the government’s point of view, the picture shows the cold-blooded quality of the government who is willing to sacrifice his people in order to gain authority. The communist party responds to the people’s demand with threats, demonstrating its power by pulling out armed vehicles. In reality, tanks often are used in war against foreign countries in order to protect a country’s homeland and people. However, the Chinese government in 1989 did the exact opposite. They turned the people into enemies and killed them without any hesitation. In the governor’s eyes, the man seems to be more like an emery instead of a citizen as the tanks show no sign of ceasing and there is no officer standing by who tries to help the man.

Last but not least, the image loomed with an atmosphere of ironies as the incident took place at Tiananmen Square (site, location, or space). The founding idea of Tiananmen Square is for embodying the notion of people, which is designed thoughtfully for large assemblies and community gatherings. Unfortunately, the picture displays a different story: Tiananmen Square is no longer built for the people but for leaders to demonstrate their power and authority. Under the changing political discourse, the people who are trying to remind the government about their identity are treated with suppression. As shown by the white-clothed man in the picture, many people’s patriotism has already faded away from the government’s upsetting regime and barbaric behaviors and now is replaced by defeatism and betrayal.

Jeff Widener took “Tank man” purely by accident while he intended to capture some pictures of Tiananmen Square. Although taken coincidentally, the photo unravelled the ruthless act of the Chinese government, raised heated discussions worldwide, and became a dark history that the Chinese government strives to erase. Having been born in China and lived in Shanghai for the past 19 years, I have never heard anyone talk about the June Fourth Incident. I feel surprised and, in some way, betrayed by the  government who shapes a figure to the public that does not correspond with its past. According to a Chinese proverb, “paper can not wrap fire,” the past wrongdoings of the Chinese government will eventually be discovered by the new generations, and will the government still be able to unify the country when the truth is being unfolded? Everyone makes mistake, and “failure is the mother of success.” The Chinese government ought to openly educate its people of the past and give people the right to know in order to fully embody the notion of people.

Howard, this is a good start in terms of visual analysis. you have well organized the materials with the structure of the theme and visual (counterparts via composition, confrontation via human body-military tank, and individual and official points of view), for instance.  tighten up the sentence syntax and make the writing sound concise, clear, but persuasive.

Online references and citations:

https://www.dw.com/zh/坦克人摄影师讲述照片背后的故事/a-17678678

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Tiananmen_Square_protests

https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1031945/shooting-tank-man

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’ve discussed, at length, the role that Tiananmen Square’s size plays in establishing the Square as a socio-political gathering place. We have also discussed the iconography of different monuments surrounding the Square, as well as the structures tucked inside the Forbidden City, adjacent to the Square. The stark differences in construction of buildings around the Square compared to those inside the Forbidden City not only demonstrate ideas of imperialism and socialism, but I believe the shift in building practices are also signifying ignorance of China’s specific geography and the implications of being situated in a tectonically-active region of the world. The adoption of socialist architecture follows closely with the strict adherence of state and collective identity (strong statement)

Modeled with influences from the Soviet Union, buildings around the Square are monolithic in nature. The Great Hall of the People, shown below, towers in size. Elements of the structure, from the neutral colors, cement facade, and tall and repeated columns, harken to eastern European architecture, where emotion and culturally-significant colors, icons, and elements are stripped away; all that is shown is a neutral with state icons (flags, symbols, etc.) (and monumental)

The comparison between socialist architecture and imperial architecture becomes interesting when we consider building elements that reflect China’s relation with the natural world. Structures such as the Great Hall of Supreme Harmony incorporate aspects of Chinese culture into the design, and, to a high degree, are antithetical to the structure, design, and influence of socialist-era buildings surrounding Tiananmen Square.

Though there is a noticeable shift from imperial architecture to socialist architecture, we have not discussed the importance of these shifts beyond discussing shifting ideologies. I believe the departure from imperial architecture to socialist architecture reflects a shift from connections to the natural world/environment to an emphasis on state ideology (good comment). China is situated in a tectonically-active region of the world. To accommodate the natural world in this capacity, imperial structures in the Forbidden City incorporate a building/architecture element called a duogong, which evenly distributes weight across a complex, crossing wooden tie. This design allows for weight to compress the wooden structures, preventing splintering, shattering, and breaking under intense shaking. Duogong elements are found at the top of imperialism-influenced structures, and the clear exhibition of these building elements reflects, to some degree, China’s historic connection to geography. As with other elements in imperial-influenced structures (colors, statues, iconography, etc), the incorporation of design is intentional and substantial. In socialist-influenced architecture, the connection to land and culturally-relevant icons in design are stripped. Instead, the only icons that persist are reflecting state-driven ideologies. The intentionality behind these structures, including the Great Hall of the People, the Monument to the People’s Heroes, and Mao’s Mausoleum, is reflecting state-shaped ideologies. Rather than emphasizing traditions, there is an emphasis on the state. The only colors that decorate the otherwise neutral, concrete, emotion-less structures are a blazing red, symbolizing the People’s Republic of China.

A bird’s eye view of Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City shows two contrasting, yet oddly similar, landscapes. The former harkens state-driven architecture, while the latter reflects culture, tradition, and connection to place. In our understanding of China’s architecture, we can begin to understand the importance of imperialism and that of socialism; by identifying present building designs and/or the lack-thereof, we can, again, comment on ambitions/goals/intentions during the respective time period. We could hypothesize that imperial China was rooted in historical identity, while, more modern socialist China was rooted in state identity.

comments: the work sounds strong and persuasive as the argument is clear and the visual supports. I see the persuasion when one discusses architectural issues via its language terms. in a short work like this, however, you may concentrate on the focal claim of comparison and contrast between the imperial and the socialist through a number of architectural elements, as we don’t have space to cover everything. there is also clear cut between the imperial and socialist as architecture calls for multifaceted reading potentials. any citations from the reading or other sources?

In this oil paint by Ai Weiwei titled “Mao,” the artist aims to protest the authoritarian regime of Mao through the disfigurement of his portrait. In Communist China, the portrait of Mao is considered a “sacred” image that can only be venerated by “the people.” It has been hanging on the gate of Heavenly Peace in Tiananmen Square ever since the victory of the Communist Party of China. As a prominent protest artist in China, Ai Weiwei made this portrait for the Andy Warhol Museum’s “Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei” installation, trying to combine Pop Art and political criticism.

(in this paragraph, you may take out unrelated info and make ai weiwei’s work as well as his purpose closely connected)

This portrait of Mao, compared to the one hanging on the Gate of Heavenly Peace, is also less of an idealization and glorification of Mao’s image. In Ai’s rendition of Mao, he has a visibly wider face, with more blush, shine, and wrinkles on his face. He also has a bigger smile showing his teeth in the contemporary art portrait. In addition, the viewer can barely see Mao’s eyes because he is squinting from smiling so hard. Eyes are the windows of the mind, so by preventing the viewers from seeing Mao’s eyes, Ai is taking away part of Mao’s mind. This combination creates a slight sense of idiocy in Mao’s smile, which is in drastic contrast with the loving yet dignified gaze in the official portrait of Mao. As we discussed in class, the official portrait is an idealized image of Mao intended to glorify/magnify him and in turn the Communist leadership of China. Thus, by painting a more realistic portrait of Mao, Ai is trying to de-glorify Mao and the ideas he represents.

By placing black, semi-transparent bars over the entire portrait, Ai Weiwei criticizes the glorification of Mao by the Communist China. Those black bars are reminiscent of electric fences that often used around military compounds to strictly prohibit people from entering. In this sense, Ai is highlighting the barrier that exists around Mao’s figure. This barrier maintains the distance between Mao and the common citizens with a militant connotation, guarding both his dignity and detachment as a leader figure. On the other hand, these bars are semi-transparent, making it look like a TV program with bad reception, or a printer malfunction. By having a not-so-clear picture Mao, Ai is highlighting the distance or miscommunication between Mao and the people, that Mao’s ideology is not so clear to people today. Therefore, there exist a duality in those black bars that simultaneously criticizes the powerfulness and powerlessness of Mao, and hence the Communist government of China.

In his work titled “Mao,” Ai Weiwei expresses his criticism against Mao Zedong and the Communist Chinese government through the de-glorification and obstruction of Mao’s image (conclusion can be made here, as the rest could sound redundant) .

Although he keeps the structure of a front-facing portrait in front of a pastel background, Ai changes Mao’s expression to strip away Mao’s solemnity. The most striking part of the piece, the black bars, signify both the strength and the weakness of the message that this portrait traditionally sends.

reading comments: the claim of de-idealization and de-glorification is strong. I assume that the artist makes a connection between his work and Andy Warhol’s. in that case, mao’s portrait would serves as the subject and pop art as the form. The components of the art form, as you have identified, could include composition, color, sense of satire, costume as well as configuration. In deed, the bared frame is very important, the artist bared the leader from being idealized and glorified.

Yin Zhaoyang’s oil painting, Utopia-the Flags on the Square (2003), displays that the political environment has become more decentralized and open-minded after the Chinese Economic Reform in the late twentieth century. Through the illustration of the size of Tiananmen, the throng’s dispersed orientations, and the eight red flags, Yin conveys the idea that Tiananmen evolves from a political symbol of the absolute and centralized power into a sightseeing spot representing more of the cultural aspect of China

(message crossed from the artwork and the artist, got it).

The scale of Tiananmen in this painting makes Tiananmen relatively inconspicuous. Compared to the dense crowd and the bright red flags in the foreground, Tiananmen constitutes only the background of the artwork. Since the scale of the architecture is small, one can barely identify Mao’s portrait and the party’s slogan on Tiananmen. In this way, Yin indicates that Tiananmen does not emphasize its historical meaning as a prime site of political gathering anymore. Tiananmen in this painting blends into the wall of the Forbidden City in the background, restoring its original architectural function as a gate for the palace. To show the integrity and balance of Tiananmen with the palace, Yin adds other palace buildings with similar structures to Tiananmen behind the walls of the Forbidden City. Tiananmen thus displays its pure architectural function as one of the gates in the Forbidden City representing the long history of imperial China.

Yin further explores the notion of Tiananmen as a sightseeing spot rather than a place for political worshiping or demonstrations through the depiction of the blurred and dispersed crowd on the square. Yin employs the Richter painting style, which blurs the crowd into colorful moving patches. This vagueness leaves room for spectators to contemplate the diverse identity of visitors as they can be teenagers, elders, or foreigners. Instead of having a uniform orientation facing the authoritative symbol Tiananmen, the throng is dispersed and freely moving on the square. The crowd, therefore, embodies the gradually opened political environment and pluralistic society at the beginning of the twenty-first century. As visitors blithely bustling around the square without a common political identity, the political significance of Tiananmen becomes less important for them.

(this is a strong paragraph)

The orientation of the majestic red flags among the crowd posits the freedom of Chinese spirits and an open-minded society after the Chinese Economic Reform. The eight flags (why eight flags?)  are idealized in Yin’s painting as the title Utopia-the Flags on the Square indicates. The flags on each side flutter in two different directions. The vividly fluttering flags that violate the laws of nature thus indicate the people in China does not necessarily need to follow one static and centralized rule but can have free and different political identity. The bright red flags are blank without any political symbol on it. This characteristic further explores Chinese cultural identity as the color red here stands purely for the traditional color of Chinese red. Since the title includes “Utopia”, which defines the idealized social and political scheme, these flags mark the bright future of China as becoming more and more liberal. 

By embracing the insignificant scale of Tiananmen, the dispersed orientation and diverse identity of the crowd, and the idealized red flags on the square, Yin’s painting signifies Tiananmen’s diluted political symbol. This painting was created in 2003, twenty-five years after the Chinese Economic Reform. At that time, China gradually opened its door to the international market and embraced globalization. Yin evokes the positive feelings of the changing political environment as China progresses into the new era of modernization. 

reading comments:  have learned about possible meanings of the artwork through your analysis. if the central message is “utopia,” then the artist paints or visualizes the utopia in terms of composition, the flags, the gate of heavenly peace, the dotted masses …. you have nicely touched those elements. could turn the writing/analysis more formal.