Author: Zhengliang

Cat Links 2024 Blog, Final Video Essay, Uncategorized

[Field-Homework 3] The Disappearing Squatter Settlement: Cha Kwo Ling Village

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Video essay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqqGUp-prOg Introduction In Hong Kong, squatter houses typically refer to makeshift homes constructed illegally, often found on the outskirts of the city or in remote mountainous areas. These squatter areas form a unique urban landscape in Hong Kong, bearing witness to the transformation of the region from a fishing village to an international metropolis, and illustrating the evolution of living conditions for a segment of the population. These rudimentary dwellings are usually built from temporary materials such as metal sheets, wooden planks, and plastic cloth, offering only basic facilities and a challenging living environment. The existence of squatter

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Cat Links 2024 Blog

[Reading Response 2]“Build It and They Will Come”: Transformation of Pudong into a Copy of the Global City

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The Evolution of Old and New Shanghai Through Cinematic Metaphors As one of the first cities to open up in China, Shanghai has a history of architectural development spanning over a century. In this essay, I hope to briefly explore the stark contrast between the old and new architectural landscapes of Shanghai as depicted in films, and the thoughts these depictions provoke. In the contemporary perception of the new era, Shanghai mainly presents two faces: one is the image of “Old Shanghai” from the 1940s to the 1960s, captured in movies like The Bund and many other modern Chinese historical

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Cat Links FIELDWORK

[FIELDWORK REPORT] Vanishing City-Portland Street

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https://youtu.be/HA0CMz3vvMk [Transcript] The change of Portland Street Introduction Portland Street is located in Yau Tsim Mong District. North to Boundary Street while south to Man Ming Lane. Its name is endowed in 1927, taking reference from the British prime minister Duke of Portland. The whole street is surrounded with dense residential-commercial complex buildings. Along the street, we can find various shops including, funeral parlour, hometown associations, leather shops, church, grocery stores, medicinal herbs shops, bookstores, printing shops, siu mei shops and Mahjong schools, just to name a few. Portland Street had maintained its symbolic status of local cultures for a

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Cat Links Lecture 1: Architecture, Film & The Modern City, Uncategorized

[Reading Response] Inspired by “Leaving the Movie Theater”

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Cinema, a major art form with a history of over two hundred years, has been subject to various philosophical interpretations. “Leaving the Movie Theater” can be seen as a psychoanalytic article, evident from its rich psychological terminology and interpretations of behavior-psychology connections. The article offers a fresh perspective on the experience of leaving the movie theater. It highlights the unique nature of the cinema as an enclosed, introverted space. The intense light from the screen hinders adaptation to the darkness, blurring everything outside. This creates a state of “hypnosis” for the audience. According to Sigmund Freud, hypnosis requires a twilight

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