You Tube link: https://youtu.be/_v_SNZ_Eug0
This essay aims to explore the disappearance and existence of the General Post Office from the perspective of individuals and society.
The General Post Office (GPO), established in 1976 in Central, Hong Kong, is facing demolition. Its fifty years of service and distinctive modernist design have elicited nostalgia from many citizens. After my research, I seen it as a mark of new era. Since the 1960s, with Hong Kong’s international commercial success and decade-long population growth, the government has implemented land reclamation projects along Victoria Harbour, giving rise to the conception of the fourth-generation GPO, which completed in 1976. At that time, the GPO was situated on the waterfront, which is land now, allowing mail ships to directly transfer goods from the water. This acceptance of foreign items and the subsequent distribution of resources made the GPO a symbol of inclusiveness, connection and an international society (Luo Yanning). From the perspective of the postal industry, the fourth-generation General Post Office embodied unprecedented modern characteristic responding to the new demands of the era for “speed, convenience, and efficiency.” As highlighted by modernism’s emphasis on functionality, it was a utilitarian building both inside and out.
However, it now exhibits a sense of discord. The post office itself occupies an awkward position: its coexistence of political and practical functions developed in the 19th century, and the British continued to use this management model into the 20th century. This model prevented the post office from providing the efficiency that emerged with logistics companies in the late 20th century, and many government affairs were beyond the post office’s jurisdiction. Realizing that GPO is a center of a decentralized system (in terms of Its flexibility), citizens even won’t feel its existence often. The importance of the building starts to vanish, so do its architecture. In 2013, during the third phase of the Central Harbourfront development plan, the Lands Department leased Site 3. The General Post Office will become a commercial plaza in the future. In my view, It’s current function no longer matches what its architecture represents, today’s GPO is merely a memory of the GPO. The international spirit of Hong Kong and its citizens will likely embrace rebirth and farewell.
Research Methods:
Field Investigation:
My field investigations focus was how people walking through GPO. The architecture builds up though people’s interactions which narrate the space. According to the Hong Kong Post website, 12:00 PM is the busiest time on Saturdays. Thus, I went there to see how people reacts with GPO at that time. Unfortunately, there were just few people entering GPO. This reminds me that this facility is still alive. However, its architectural space is demolishing. If starting from the footbridge at the Central MTR station, once on the bridge, you can only view a corner of GPO. When walking past the GPO, the narrow opening of the bridge faces its wall. No passerby would turn their head to see which building the right-hand wall belongs to. Citizens shape the city’s structure through their movements, their flow quietly push the importance of GPO to the very back of their minds. The space between Jardine House and GPO is the only place to get the full view of GPO, but people only few people entre this zone, not mentioning most of them are working in Jardine House.
Online Investigation
The General Post Office building is not a widely recognized concept, and the disappearance of this building does not necessarily signify the decline of the postal industry. During my field investigations, I also discovered that the transformation of services has prevented the postal industry from being completely obsolete, which means the term “Disappearing” is only for the architecture. Accordingly, most of Hong Kong residents’ resistance to the disappearance of the post office remains at the architectural level. For example, architectural historian Charles Lai suggested preserving the building but repurposing it. These online sources let me see the great affection between GPO’s building and HK citizens. Therefore, I studied the architectural style, geographical location, and development era of the post office, leading to the understanding of the GPO presented above. I also read the book A new General Post Office by Kwong to learn the history of GPO.
Techniques:
In this video, I used long take, middle shot, long shot, montage and Mise en scene. The following will analyze the use of these techniques.
The first shot used Mise en scene. I found an angel that very element are geometrically arranged. I also intentionally to include multiple elements to show the very crowded Central.
The two following montage was intended to bring audience from a crowded flow of person to a place that’s comparatively bleak. When walking through the bridge, I used the eye level shot but at the height of waist, make a more crowded feeling.
I used middle shot an long take to express people’s interaction with GPO.
I used long take combined with an unusual filming angle to create an bystander view for audience, to tell them that even though postal industry still exist, people still know this place, they are starting to abandon this architecture.
I used Mise en scene to include multiple elements that are participants of the vanish of GPO building: The Central Harborfront project, the people’s flow, and GPO.
This shot is used to show that the commercial development cuts the GPO building and the people’s everyday life.
Montage is used to show the suppression from commercial demands.
The following montage combined with the music created by my own, is aimed to draw out people’s memory of this building, reminds their affection to this building while showing that this feeling can’t stop ourselves from ignoring this building.
The final shot symbolizes that the GPO will disappear some day as her name sinks as people goes forwards.
Director: Liu Mingyao
Music: Liu Mingyao
ID: 3036267692
word count with out bibliography:968
Bibliography:
KWONG K. T., Vincent, A new General Post Office, 1996
Daunton J. M., Royal Mail-The Post Office Since 1840, 1985
Hutten M., When Hong Kong’s old General Post Office made way for a modern building on Central reclamation, 2018 https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/short-reads/article/2158931/when-hong-kongs-old-general-post-office-made-way
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Central Harborfront: 立法會七題：中環新海濱第三號用地的發展 (info.gov.hk)