Mapping China: Urbanisation - 5 Cultural Identity of Chinese Cities: A Mixed Urban Lifestyle

Unlike the suburbanised way of life prevailing in Western countries, Chinese city dwellers are very accustomed to a dense and intimate way of living. Neighbourhoods and communities are usually formed around two categories of social impacts, the rural tradition and socialist history.

The rural tradition placed great value on family and ancestry, and what is called an ’acquaintance society’, especially in semi-urbanised regions. An acquaintance society is sustained by relations rather than a legal institution. The socialist period, usually referring to the industrialisation between 1960 and 1980, featured the formation of communities based upon industry and employment. Back then, individual employment was often centrally arranged and bonded with a state-owned entity. This gave shape to a lot of distinguished communities and neighbourhoods that are still identified as such today. They are usually attached to a military base or a heavy industry site.

Only recently was it realised that despite the fact that these features in today’s Chinese cities are in sharp contrast with global conventions of an urban lifestyle, there are valuable elements in them that represent the locality of Chinese cities.

Projects have been launched in order to conserve such intangible legacies. The Lantian Project in Guangzhou is one of them. This project aimed at creating a location where urban youth could be engaged in rural conventions and reproduce these conventions in their city life. What is special about this project is that these conventional activities are taking place in the central area of Guangzhou. Metro, highways, factories, temples: these elements meet here in a compelling but gentle gesture.