In this chapter, the anthor has brought her view on the relationship between urbanization and supernatural beliefs in Asian cities, and that reminds me of so much common issues modern people are facing nowaday.
The writer mentioned that ghostly figure is particularly relevant in asian cities due to their strong cultural connection with ancestors. This was initially not a bad things, but I agree with the author that this reveals a serious issue of urban people. In modern society, people are often filled with loads of pressure. Especially in some fast-growing asian country such as China, people needs to stay productive and competitive. But when people focuses themselves on work, they lose time to interact with their families or even themselves. This phenomenon causes some serious issue such as ancxiety and fragmentation. As a result, ghostly figures are used to embody the anxieties that comes from ‘dislocation, displacement and the loss of community in rapidly changing urban environments’ as mentioned by the author. The high pressure and fast-changing pace of the modern society, combined with the strong cultural belief of asian communities, has created the deep-rooted ghost culture in asia.
However, in my view, this could still be delightful, considering the concepts of ‘afterlife’ would have contributed a lot to the mentality of the asians, as this concepts may have comfort them in some extent that people would not have to fear death so much anymore. The concepts that their ancestors still exists in afterlife also creates a strong bonding between family members.
Li Yat Him
UID: 3036075154
I appreciate your critical discussion of the ghost culture in China, which provides a dual way of understanding why and how ghost exists as a mirror of society, culture, and religion. In view of this, I would suggest you further consider the unique situation of Hong Kong cinema that ghosts still kept a strong status in the socio-culture realm even though it has long accepted the impact of Western culture and technology as a global metropolis. Besides, it is significant to anchor your analysis to space and architecture.