From the past to the present, the city of Hong Kong has changed in many ways. Through some historical events, the space of Hong Kong has experienced changes in time, speed, and no clear direction. The transformation of space has led to the disappearance of space. Firstly, the disappearance of space can stimulate cultural and political emotions. During the colonial period, Hong Kong people utilized architecture or other means to represent a sense of place, and the sense of place corresponded to the desire of Hong Kong people for a unique identity. Therefore, when some old buildings disappear, it can

Continue readingReading Response: Abbas, M.A.

As extrapolated by William Tsutsui (2010), the Japanese monster film genre represents the social peculiarities of the specific period of production. A recurring theme continues to be the eventual triumph of the Japanese people over foreign attack, echoing a Japanese tradition stretching back to the Mongol invasions of the 13th century. By contrast, Hong Kong offers a unique reaction to the foreign, based neither on rejection nor full integration. Although the city’s economy and global identity is formed primarily as a fulcrum of foreign financial institutions; it rejects both the multiculturalism of a city like Singapore, or the insular ethnic

Continue readingReading Response: Abbas and Tsutsui

The title of this article seems to suggest Japan’s current situation. Using a solemn and desperate tone, the author conveys how the country is undergoing a crisis as its city has been destroyed by a terrorist attack. As the visual culture, the monster film can fully reflect Japan’s traumatic history, particularly the two atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In these films, the monsters start off with less intricate details but become more defined as the plot unfolds. The term “secure horror” is used to describe how the audience is able to experience a certain level of horror while watching

Continue readingReading Response: Abbas, M. A. & Tsutsui W.M.

It is quite funny to see the own capital to be destroyed again and again for Japanese in the films. However, Tokyo has probably suffered more destruction and reconstruction than any other major city in the world, though it has relatively low history. In the history, the architectures in Japan were destroyed by fire disaster and atomic bomb. The pictures of horror were significantly stayed in their hearts. Godzilla is a way to express darkness and pessimism in the apocalyptic imagination of postwar Japanese pop culture. At the beginning of the film, the people consider how to deal with the

Continue readingReading Response: William M.TSUTSUI

In this article, one of the writer’s points is that Hong Kong is a place being infixed and undefined, and there is no ideological interference coming from its own culture. Yet, I am not entirely agreeing with this stance. The writer proves her stance by citing some architectural buildings, like the Chiang Kai-shek cultural complex is a pastiche of Chinese architectural style, and the Main Building of the University of Hong Kong was built in the colonial style. As all the buildings in Hong Kong belong to another historical era, it is determined that the identity of HK is unfixed.

Continue reading[Reading response: Abbas, M.A.

In “Building on Disappearance: Hong Kong Architecture and Colonial Space” by Ackbar Abbas, he proposes a thoughtful analysis of how the urban environment in Hong Kong reflects the city’s unique historical and political context. Abbas argues that Hong Kong’s architecture is characterized by a sense of “disappearance” as the city’s colonial past has been erased or obscured in many ways. Abbas explores this theme through many examples, ranging from the destruction of historical buildings to the construction of new landmarks that erase or obscure the city’s colonial past. He also considers the role of the built environment in forging social

Continue reading[Reading Response: Ackbar Abbas]