Individual Thesis 2008 Harvard University, Graduate School of Design Thesis Advisor: Rem Koolhaas Topic: Physicality versus Cultural Essence – A Comparative Study of Preservation Ideologies in the West and China, with a Case Study on Hu
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History is complex for it is a convolution of people, ideas, and events that may be separated by geography and time but inter-connected by tangible or abstract relationships. History appears to be a collection of phenomena, some of which are excepti
The Western history, beginning with the onset of the Greek civilization around 2,500 BC, has gone through a series of distinctively demarcated but interconnected stages. Each stage has some kind of causality with stages succeeding it. For example, t
The Chinese history, on the other hand, although marked by different dynasties, is continuous. A dynasty is not fundamentally different from another. Starting with the Han Dynasty two thousand years ago, each dynasty went through the same cycle of f
Historic preservation found its role in the process of nation-state making. Monuments and art works provided a physical testimony to the posited temporal depth and internal unity of a nation. They contributed to the collective memory of the people t
The belief in cultural diversity and national uniqueness stemming from the Kantian philosophy did not enter China until the 20th century. Before that, for two thousand years the Chinese outlook for the world was defined by the term tian-xia, or all-
The wide acceptance of imitation in Chinese art and architecture further diminished the importance of the preservation of physicality. If a piece of work perished due to natural disaster or human destruction, a replacement of it could just be made i
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On the technical level, if the Chinese intentionally chose timber construction for its economics and managed to overcome the crucial tectonic hurdles in large-scale timber construction, on the ideological level the disinterest in physical eternity s
In order to justify their political dominance, the ruling class of ancient China, particularly the emperor, needed to demonstrate their virtues, and one of the ways to do so was through performing Confucian ceremonies. This doctrine is confirmed by
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No physical existence can last forever and trying to preserve the physicality is a dilemma that the Western civilization has faced. The Chinese upholding of cultural essence and the allowance for the architecture to evolve is, in a sense, a superior
The difference in Western and Chinese approaches to preservation also reflects the different concepts of authenticity in the two cultures. In the Western context, authenticity is embedded in the form and material of the building; theories of Viollet
Hutong is the traditional residential lane in Beijing that first appeared more than 700 years ago. The most basic component of hutong is siheyuan, a courtyard house with the open space in the center and houses on four sides. The status of different
“What is happening is robbery of land and wealth. This is a battle for survival and property rights. China is not in a capital accumulation stage. The so-called ‘capital accumulation’ is only the excuse used by the robbers. Some people have the cont
“Historic preservation planning is not a design issue. It has a lot to do with property rights and political system. We can accept development in Beijing. But China is a problematic platform on which the development is carried out. In the US, land i
The government always talks about macro-adjustment and control (of economy). The real macro-adjustment and control should allow the poor to bring the rich to the court and protect their own interests. This way the poor will be able to maintain their
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Traditional Chinese architecture is simple in the form of individual building, whereas the fulfillment of the functional requirement and the creation of the magnificent architectural expression are achieved through the grouping of multiple buildings
The modularity of the siheyuan houses is another key character of the hutong neighborhood. Not only can several siheyuans be combined into a house with several courtyards, with each two neighboring courtyards connected through roofed walkways, the a
Hutong plays the role of an intermediate zone for the scale transition from main public street to siheyuan, and acts as a physical and mental buffer between the public life of the city and the private life inside the courtyards. Typically 3 to 10 me
Beijing is a natural city. Although it was planned 700 and again 600 years ago, it has been spontaneously growing since then for several centuries. The current trend in Beijing, however, is to turn it into an artificial city, either for the purpose
The Chinese history has shown us how the physicality of a building can change but the cultural essence carried by the different reconstructions of the building persists. Based on that lesson, I suggest that the preservation of the Old City of Beijin
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