[Reading response: Abbas, M.A.]

Abbas used the word “disappearance” to refer to colonialism’s erasure of Hong Kong’s indigenous culture and identity, as well as the post-colonial impact on it. He believes that the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Flagstaff House, and Repulse Bay Hotel all depict Hong Kong’s disappearance in various ways. These buildings are used in the following ways: the combination of traditional Chinese components and modern western design, the colonial imposition of Western culture on Hong Kong’s traditional architecture, and the replacement of Hong Kong’s traditional architecture with modern skyscrapers.Together, these buildings show Hong Kong’s complex urban space and how it reflects the conflicts between different cultures and identities that have shaped Hong Kong’s history. These conflicts have shaped Hong Kong’s urban space over time. Hong Kong tend to be a mixture of all three kinds outlined in Isozaki and Asada’s Typology: it is real, surreal and hyperreal all at once and can be seen in different ways. According to Abbas, Hong Kong’s urban space is characterized by its uniqueness, reflecting its colonial past and its status as a global financial center. The city’s dense urban structure, blend of traditional and modern architecture, and international culture are all unique features of its status as a vanishing space. The two most impressive structures in Hong Kong remain the Hong Kong Shanghai Bank, designed by British architect Norman Foster, and the Bank of China Tower, designed by overseas Chinese architect I.M. Pei. These two structures refer to China and Britain, which are bound together spatially and politically because they are part of an internationalist architectural system. It also implies that the concept of “one country, two systems” has vanished from the global economic system.

Name: Gao Yuting
UID: 3036102036