[Field-Homework 3] Street-hybrid city

[Field-Homework 3] Street–hybrid city: —— Kennedy town, sheung wang, victoria harbor https://youtu.be/jHkwm–xy7g?feature=shared 1 sentence statement: coexistence of Chinese/western culture description of the video Man Mo Temple is located on Hollywood Road in Sheung Wang. This is a representative of Chinese culture and a Taoist temple. It is a first-class historical building and a statutory monument in Hong Kong. It is mainly dedicated to Emperor Wenchang and Emperor Wu. Looking at this building, you can see that it has obvious Chinese characteristics. The unique eaves and walls of the traditional Chinese courtyard make it particularly conspicuous in the high-rise streets of Hong Kong.

Continue reading[Field-Homework 3] Street-hybrid city

[Field-Homework 3] The Dimming City

Video: https://youtu.be/EAhGs2UtPqQ?si=lZN2yc4YkAg0pRCZ This video aims to discover the history of neon signage in Hong Kong. In the first part of the video, I have showed some of the photos of Nathan Road and Portland Street at 1950s to 1980s, which is the heyday of neon signage in Hong Kong, to introduce the gorgeous image of the street at night when neon signage was still common to the audience so as to compare with the street view nowadays. In the second part of the video, I have showed the street view in Mong Kok nowadays to show that neon signage is

Continue reading[Field-Homework 3] The Dimming City

[Reading Response] Imaginary CyberCities

Reading M. Christine Boyer’s text, “The Imaginary Real World of CyberCities,” introduced me to some new perspectives on our future in modern cities. Here, I want to share my feelings about the concept of “CyberCities” and the imagination of future individuals. Boyer uses the term “CyberCities” to describe the blending of virtual and physical spaces, where the traditional understanding of geography is disrupted by digital networks. We should note that the article was written in 1992, when social media had not yet gone viral around the world. It seems that Boyer assumed that what social media would bring to people

Continue reading[Reading Response] Imaginary CyberCities

[Reading Response][ Cinema, Cities and the Cinematic]

The chapter delves into the interconnectedness of cinema, cities, and the cinematic experience in the context of a digital age. The author examines the dynamic relationship between urban environments and cinematic representations, emphasizing the mutual influence and impact they have on each other. It investigates how cities function as both physical and conceptual environments for films, impacting the narrative, aesthetics, and cultural representations inside them. Abbas explains how filmmakers use urban settings, architecture, and cityscapes to create unique visual and narrative experiences that represent their attitudes about urban life, cultural identities, and societal challenges. Additionally, the chapter touches upon the

Continue reading[Reading Response][ Cinema, Cities and the Cinematic]

[Reading Response 2] Imagining Urban Futures Ho Tsz Hei

In the reading, author Carl Abbott mentioned world of science fiction, which idea of imagining urban futures that defy our current understanding of cities.The reading presents with James Blish’s “Cities in Flight” and Stephen Baxter’s “Flood”,which are unique and captivating portrayals of mobile cities, challenging the conventional notion of traditional stationary urban centers.   How do these cities function? What are the gains and losses associated with their mobility?I think these ideas are good that challenge our preconceived notions of urbanity by exploring the possibilities of mobile cities. By examining the dynamics of these moving communities, we are prompted to

Continue reading[Reading Response 2] Imagining Urban Futures Ho Tsz Hei

[Reading Response 2] Oh No, There Goes Tokyo

In the chapter, the author humorously uses ‘Oh no, there goes Tokyo… but it will be back, and it may be even better than before.’ to conclude the never-ending optimism of the Japanese towards apocalypses. However, reflecting on the newer takes in the franchise, I believe the optimism is starting to be questioned, and a new perspective is introduced in this parallel of apocalyptic imagery and real-life disaster. One iconic example is Shin Godzilla (2016) directed by Hideaki Anno. In the postwar ‘golden age’, the monster in films is merely a plot device that introduces the apocalyptic backdrop and renders

Continue reading[Reading Response 2] Oh No, There Goes Tokyo

[Reading Response 2] – The Imaginary Real World of Cyber-Cities

“Lag-Time Places” capture the fundamental nature of urban environments that are frequently disregarded in accounts of urban progress. These entities symbolize not only spatial voids, but also temporal disruptions, in which the progression of time appears to halt. These neglected regions are akin to misplaced puzzle pieces, estranged from the overarching blueprint of the urban environment, and abandoned to rot in the dark.It brings to mind a specific alleyway in my birthplace when I consider this notion. Nestled amidst edificing structures, this area appears to be eerily isolated from the swift urbanization that encircles it. Idnocuous to developers and pedestrians

Continue reading[Reading Response 2] – The Imaginary Real World of Cyber-Cities

[Reading Response 2] In Search of the Ghostly Context

The author opens up the ghostly city of Chan’s films, shedding light on low-cost public housing estate issues and marginalized society living there. In Chan’s movies, lower-class housing is depicted as haunted and desolate, “evoking ghostliness, melancholy, loss, and nostalgia” in contrast to the promoted positive depiction. These hyper-dense estates with poverty, dysfunctional families, and crimes, remained home to many people, usually powerless with a strong feeling of homelessness. Chan uses the uncanny to convey this feeling in his films. Ghosts serve as reminders of past history that haunts places and people. Not all of his films directly address characters

Continue reading[Reading Response 2] In Search of the Ghostly Context

[Reading Response 2] Communal After-Living: Asian Ghosts and the City

The passage analyzed three types of Asian urban horror movies, which are associated with the social-culture contexts and economic background. The first type is mainly produced in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan, which has a complex relationship between the living and the dead, including ghosts fall in love with humans, revealing secrets, punish wrongdoers and so on. While the second type is about the loneliness and isolation of both ghosts and humans, mainly produced in Japan and South Korea. The reason behind it is the transformation and redevelopment towards neoliberal urban leads to the disconnection and isolation among people. The

Continue reading[Reading Response 2] Communal After-Living: Asian Ghosts and the City

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

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

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