Sustain the living community : discovering the spirit of place for a historic street, the case study of Shangbu Road, Jiangmen City, China

Abstract

hangbu Road (上步路), the study street, is located in Jiangmen City, Guangdong Province, China, where is an important coastal trading port city of the Pearl River Delta area (珠江三角洲) and the hometown of over 4 million oversea Chinese. Benefit from its superior geographical location (with excellent waterway access) and the investment from oversea Chinese, a district mixed with traditional dwellings, east meets west style Qilou buildings (騎樓, shophouse), and oversea Chinese residences were eventually formed in the 1920s-1930s, which is now called Changdi Historic District(長堤歷史風貌區). Until now, there are more than 2000 historic buildings concentrate within this district and most of them are still on use. The area became a unique and excellent representative of the local history and living culture of Jiangmen, which comprises diversified tangible and intangible cultural heritage. As one of the traditional commercial Qilou-streets with continuous business activities, Shangbu Road is an integral part in maintaining the authenticity and integrity of this historic district. However, with the rapid development of urbanization and the transfer of the city centre to the north part, Changdi Historic District became a degraded living and commercial area for low-income migrant workers and local aged people. Since the indigenous residents moved out, there comes a series of problems. For example, the historic buildings are facing the threat of deterioration or reconstruction, the district lacks of management and improvement, the social cohesion is diminished and the traditional knowledge and skills are vanishing. In recent years, with the government and the public’s rising consciousness to protect the heritage sites, Changdi district was designated as a historic district and conservation area of Jiangmen in 2011, and the government has attempted to revitalize it since 2012, but so far without much success. The completed and ongoing renewal and renovation projects for some streets within this district are unsuccessful in truly recognizing the heritage values, or harnessing the community’s capacities, but undermining them. This dissertation will assess and document the tangible and intangible elements through cultural mapping to establish the spirit of place for Shangbu Road and gain a deep understanding of the place. Meanwhile, community-based conservation recommendations for safeguarding this unique street will be provided. It aims to set a good example for the future conservation study and practice of Changdi Historic District. Moreover, it is hoped that this study, from the perspective of architectural conservation, will serve to inspire the current and potential participants, especially the authorities, to correctly recognize the heritage values of a place, better understand what is the most important in preserving and sustaining the urban heritage.