[Field-Homework 3] Disappearing city: Tong Lau, Shanghai Street

Disappearing city: Tong Lau, Shanghai Street

Director: Zhao Yuxuan

Video: https://youtu.be/UIkMxrw38QU

Brief introduction

Hong Kong is a legendary city with a bright past. It used to be a shining star over the sky of China. When the mainland was still in rural scene with low houses, Hong Kong was already a prosperous city with a series of tall buildings. However, like the sun always has a setting moment, while the surrounding cities developing rapidly, Hong Kong has gradually dimmed instead for its limited developing space. Those once shining tall buildings gradually shed their flourishing coats and were stained with dust by the time. It is obvious that some past features are disappearing, no longer attracting people’ s attention they used to do. The old Hong Kong has fallen into a process of disintegration, especially presented in its residential buildings. Appearing in 1850s, Hong Kong’s representative buildings, Tong Lau, is historical symbol of past glory. However, nowadays, this city’s architectural heritage is undergoing a transformation. More and more old Tong Lau is disappearing, facing an uncertain future as they are increasingly threatened by clearance and redevelopment projects.

The video essay will demonstrate the current conditions of Tong Lau with the companions of a short video. The documentary will go through the narrow alleys and the lens will focus on the Tong Lau, showing the relevant entrance gates and the surrounding environment. It will focus on the typical example of Tong Lau in Shanghai Street, trying to discuss why and how the Tong Lau is disappearing in the trend of mobilization, what will be the future action towards the disappearance.

Method

The research is mainly conducted by online literature reference and field research. Firstly, I search for several journal articles for reference. From a wide range of materials, I have a basic understanding of the situation in Tong Lau. On the one hand, Tong Lau is a symbol of Hong Kong buildings. It has a high value in the study of local architecture in Hong Kong, and also has a high reference value in the study of other aspects of Hong Kong culture. On the other hand, Tong Lau have been argued for the hygiene hidden trouble currently. Questions about living environment and quality of life in Tong Lau become the one of the biggest challenges of its development. By analyzing these materials, I roughly decided my research’s direction, which includes the existing problem and possible future of Tong Lau. I made an outline of the main points based on the material I had gathered, determining the footage required for the video. Secondly, after doing the theoretical preparation, I went to Shanghai Street for the field research again, shooting video footage required. Walking from Mong Kok to Jordan, I examined the cluster of Tong Lau on either side of the road. During the whole process, I paid attention to several details. For instance, the wooden frame for maintenance on the outside of the wall, the environment behind the building and the new tall buildings nearby. I shot a wide range of materials that fit my ideas. After a careful selection, the chosen segments eventually form the whole video.

As for producing the video, I also try to apply several techniques to avoid the video to be monotonous. Firstly, I apply time-lapse photography in the beginning. I specifically selected the footage that was shot at night for showing an atmosphere of flourishing, which may form a better contrast with Tong Lau in the next shot. Additionally, the camera angles were carefully chosen. I chose to shoot the whole Shanghai Street on a bridge of Langham Place. Nearby are bustling shopping malls, while stretching to the distance, you can see rows of lower Tong Lau. Driving forward, it seems that you are gradually shuttling from a modern city to the old area. Secondly, I used a long lens to show the panoramic view of the street. From far to near, the natural contrast shooting of a group of Tong Lau and modern buildings shows the symbiosis between the new and the old and the possible replacement in the future. Lastly, the background music is also chosen intentionally. The background music at the beginning selects the prelude of a song, aiming to create an atmosphere of prosperity and passing. The strings also have a sense of opening, paving the way for the next part of the content. While the background music at the end is an interlude of a song. Compared with the continuous rise of the previous music, this song is more distinct. There is a sense of time like a string of scattered beads falling one by one, and the beat added later also symbolizes the coming of future.

Bibliography

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Lai, L. W. (2018). What is a Tong Lau?: I know, as i lived in one… Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch, 58, 208-217.

Lau, L. K. P. (2018). Building a Modern City: Legacies of Residential Development and Architectural Adaptation in Colonial Hong Kong. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 28(2), 339-353.

Lee, H. Y., & DiStefano, L. D. (2016). Tong Lau: Hong Kong’s Anglo-Cantonese Shophouse Typology. Shophouse/Townhouse: Asian Perspectives.

Wang, Q., Lung, D. C., Chan, P. T., Jia, W., Dung, C. H., Miao, T., … & Li, Y. (2022). High attack rate in a Tong Lau house outbreak of COVID-19 with subdivided units in Hong Kong. Interface Focus, 12(2), 20210063.

Wong, W. S. (2014). Architectural Phenomena following Law: Review of Residential Buildings in Hong Kong’s Colonial Era. Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture Research.

Yin, L. H. (2010). Pre-war Tong Lau: A Hong Kong Shophouse Typology. Resource Paper for the Hong Kong Antiquities and Monuments Office, Hong Kong Development Bureau. Commissioner for Heritage’s Office, 19, 1-17.

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Zhao Yuxuan

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