Kam Reconfiguration of 'the Stars and the Queen'

A Quest for the Interrelationship between Architecture and Civic Awareness in Post-colonial Hong Kong
1. Auflage 2015
ISBN: 978-3-8452-5191-2
Verlag: Nomos
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 191 Seiten, Format (B × H): 153 mm x 227 mm

After 1997, the once symbolic infrastructures of the British Empire seemingly became eyesores to the new Hong Kong authority. In a ?post-colonial? era, is the transformation of former colonial structures an act of de-colonisation, or does it mark the beginning of neo-colonialism? Buried with the ruins of annihilated colonial heritage were their complicated and contradictory representations. The Queen?s and the Star Ferry Pier complex was the spot where colonial governors disembarked from the Royal yacht on reaching the colony and also hosted the city?s first wave of social movement directed towards colonial suppression in the 1970s.

The attempt by and success of the post-colonial authority in transforming colonial space, and the public who is aloof from taking action on losing their ?site of memory?, are seen as driven by different forms of ?colonial legacy?. This book inspects that legacy?s texture by disentangling the interrelationship between history, historiography, identity, architecture and civic awareness.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Kam, Liza Wing Man

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Architektur Architektur: Allgemeines
• Geisteswissenschaften Architektur Geschichte der Architektur, Baugeschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Cover;1
2; What this book is not;22
3; I Some terms and definitions;24
3.1; Post-colonial Hong Kong and colonial legacy;24
3.1.1; The broader field of post-colonial studies: geographical and temporal specification;24
3.1.2; Temporal specification;25
3.1.3; From a British territory to a Chinese territory- what about Hong Kong?;27
3.1.4; Aspects of focus;28
3.2; Colonial space and architecture as ‘site of enunciation’;29
3.3; ‘Lieux de mémoire’;30
3.4; Public Participation;31
3.5; The Production of Space: three different spatial codes;32
3.6; Narratives;33
4; II Hypotheses;35
5; III Main Research Questions;35
6; IV Research Design, strategy and methodology;36
7; V State-of-the-art and relevance;38
8; VI Structure of the work – Chapter overview;40
9; Introduction;42
9.1; Prologue;42
9.2; Background;42
9.3; Obscurity along the timeline – the ‘proclaimed’ Hong Kong History;43
9.4; The pier complex as ‘lieux de mémoire’;45
9.5; Public participation in Hong Kong: a novelty, a token, and a dream;46
9.6; The Production of space: the different spatial codes embedded in the same pier complex;48
9.7; Your (my) memory versus my (your) interpretation to the space;51
9.8; Colonial legacy on public and post-colonial officials – the steady but ponderous public and the lethargic authority;53
9.9; Colonial legacy: hindrance on the way to ‘decolonisation’;55
10; Chapter 1 Obscurities along the timeline;56
10.1; 1.1 History versus Memory- the colonisers’ history and the colonised populace’s memory;56
10.2; 1.2 ‘History’- political indoctrination to the Hong Kongers- colonial narration Vs Chinese Nationalism;59
10.2.1; 1.2.1 The Ultimate Encouragement to Aloofness;60
10.3; 1.3 The multi- faceted perspectives on connotations of colonial heritage;62
10.3.1; 1.3.1 Colonial heritage- Is the concept equivalent to a celebration of colonialism?;62
10.3.2; 1.3.2 ‘The core value’ did not come out of nothing;64
10.4; 1.4 Obscurities along the timeline;65
10.5; 1.5 Whose history?;68
10.5.1; 1.5.1 English language as a ‘tool’, not a medium of contemplation;69
10.5.2; 1.5.2 Not British, not Chinese- a colony;70
10.6; 1.6 The eradicated civic history;71
10.6.1; 1.6.1 Come forward and say ‘No’;72
10.6.2; 1.6.2 Chinese language ‘as worthless as mud on the ground’;74
10.6.3; 1.6.3 Pinnacle Island- ‘Defending Diayutai’;74
10.7; 1.7 The eternally lost opportunity to learn from the past;75
10.7.1; 1.7.1 Queen’s Pier as backdrop- The shift in focus of social movements before and after 1970 s;75
10.7.2; 1.7.2 Removal of the backdrop;76
10.8; 1.8 Could that really be a ‘definitive disenchantment’?;76
11; Chapter 2 Inception Point- a belated awakening;79
11.1; 2.1 A lesson should have been learned from ‘an overturned car ahead’;79
11.2; 2.2 Tamar as a buried bomb- Why Tamar? Why…?;80
11.3; 2.3 Tamar Government Headquarters- from concept to realisation;83
11.3.1; 2.3.1 A new government- A new headquarters?;83
11.3.1.1; Do we really need a new headquarters?;83
11.3.1.2; What does the public really think?;85
11.3.1.3; How much do we know?;87
11.3.1.4; Planning procedures in Hong Kong;88
11.3.2; 2.3.2 The Sites- Tamar and the Government’s Hill: ‘HMS Tamar’;89
11.3.3; 2.3.3 LEGCO building- wicked symbol of colonialism?;92
11.4; 2.4 Public participation- where indeed are the 'world-class Hong Kongers'?;96
11.4.1; 2.4.1 Along the ‘Participation ladder’: ‘Citizen Participation is citizen power’;98
11.5; 2.5 Conclusion;103
12; Chapter 3 Yet it is too late again- The piers memories;105
12.1; 3.1 From the Tamar silence to the bustling piers;105
12.2; 3.2 The perceived site for power display – the conceived ceremonial backdrop – the lived social action space;106
12.3; 3.3 Metamorphosing ‘spatial practice’ and the expanding ‘representational space’;110
12.4; 3.4 The plugged ears of the Hong Kong Government;111
12.4.1; 3.4.1 Star Ferry Pier Clock Tower (15.12.1957- 12.12.2006);111
12.4.2; 3.4.2 The empowered: ‘Sorry, it’s too late’;112
12.4.3; 3.4.3 Public’s actions- ‘we have tried our best’;114
12.4.4; 3.4.4 ‘Our Pier’- Queen’s Pier (1953-2007);117
12.5; 3.5 Conceptualisation of the two Piers- representations of space (Pg.43, Lefebvre, 1974) and its irritations to the ‘post-colonial’ empowered;120
12.5.1; 3.5.1 Star Ferry Pier and the Clock Tower;120
12.5.2; 3.5.2 ‘For whom the bell tolls’- memories with the Clock Tower;122
12.5.3; 3.5.3 ‘God (couldn’t) Save the Queen?!’;123
12.6; 3.6 Conclusion;124
13; Chapter 4 What is it if it was not about memories?;128
13.1; 4.1 The struggle between sense of righteousness and powerlessness- the cases from the elder age group;130
13.1.1; 4.1.1 ‘I am not the radical type’;136
13.2; 4.2 Chow: ‘the two piers are, to me, almost purely political’;139
13.2.1; 4.2.1 Transforming the sense of ‘powerlessness’ to actual actions;143
13.2.2; 4.2.2 No dismissal possible;144
13.2.3; 4.2.3 Moving the base camp from Star Ferry Pier to Queen’s Pier- innovative actions ‘for’ and ‘in’ the space;145
13.3; 4.3 Colonial legacy- from interpretation to the space to behavior in the space;147
13.4; 4.4 Conclusion- It’s not about memory;149
14; Chapter 5 Following the Stars and the Queen – the steady, ponderous public and the lethargic empowered;152
14.1; 5.1 The emergence of the young ‘radical’ activists- what the Stars and the Queen are ‘swapped for’;152
14.1.1; 5.1.1 Cheng: From the sense of powerlessness to ‘getting involved’- standing next to the minorities;154
14.1.1.1; Sense of Powerlessness;155
14.1.1.2; Turning point: everyone’s conscience to ‘8964;156
14.1.1.3; ‘Ascetic parade’ in the public’s eyes;160
14.1.1.4; Discussion shifted- from 'fear' to 'values';161
14.1.2; 5.1.2 So: Reflection on direct actions – jumping from being an ‘enthusiastic spectator’ to ‘walking, kneeling and requesting a fair treatment to the suppressed group’;162
14.1.2.1; ‘Fighting for the right of being the public space users’;163
14.1.2.2; Planning as ‘the professional’s business’ in the past – the emergence of the ‘participatory planning’ concept;165
14.1.2.3; Broadening the realm of knowledge and arousing the public's interest to discussions on urban development;166
14.2; 5.2 Statistics on the trend: going on the street and speaking up for oneself;167
14.3; 5.3 ‘Development as the absolute principle’ – eradication of pluralism – the catalyst for the society to react;168
14.4; 5.4 Fighting against the intangible violence: ‘the table is tilted – we stand up for the minorities only to achieve a ‘comparatively fairer state’;169
14.5; 5.5 The lethargic empowered;170
14.5.1; 5.5.1 ‘Tracking the trace of the old ruts’ and play safe ‘Policies do not emerge all of a sudden through ‘eruption from a piece of rock’’;172
14.6; 5.6 Colonial legacy – the ultimate hindrance to develop the contributive tension between the authority and the public for contributive discussions;177
15; Chapter 6 Colonial legacy – hindrance on the way to ‘decolonisation’;179
15.1; 6.1 Colonial legacy: history education – colonised populace ‘dare to be angry but dare not to express’;179
15.2; 6.2 Colonial legacy: manipulation of the notion of ‘participation’;181
15.3; 6.3 Colonial legacy: Imposition of spatial code: the ultimate dominant ‘spatial practice’ and the recessive ‘representational space’;181
15.4; 6.4 Colonial legacy(s) interplay: demonstrating the power of both the colonisers and the people – deciphering the colonial spatial code of the piers;182
15.5; 6.5 Colonial legacy: the ponderous public and the post-colonial government- ‘tracking the trace of the old ruts’ and play safe;183
15.6; 6.6 Final words: Colonial legacy as an ultimate hindrance to decolonisation;184
16; Bibliography;188