In this colloquium session, Dennis Zuev and Madlen Kobi will provide insights into a recently published Special Issue for the journal Visual Studies. This special issue provides insights into the ways in which buildings in Chinese cities are being imagined, inhabited and maintained by their residents. Integrating the spectacular transformation of different localities into recent debates enriches the discussion on visual approaches to the city. This special issue not only provides perspectives on Beijing (Gladys Pak Lei Chong) and Shanghai (Federica Mirra), but also includes articles on Wuhan (Willy Sier / Sanderien Verstappen), Chongqing (Martin Minost), Macau (Dennis Zuev / Tim Simpson), Hangzhou (Ryan Rutz / Kiah McCaffrey) and Aksu, the Uyghur city in the Northwest (Madlen Kobi). Talking about ‘the Chinese city’ means finding a common ground on which to discuss these highly diverse and localised processes and experiences of the urban spectacle. All of the contributions extend our perspective on the Chinese city and outline that buildings are not static bystanders; their full potential crystallises through the ideas and practices of the people that make and inhabit them.
Regionalgruppe China(s), DGSKA
Ethnologie Chinas 