STATEMENT OF GRANT PURPOSE
Sarah Tynen, China, Sociology
Urban Renewal in Nanjing and its Implications for Cultural Identity and Tradition
I propose to examine the impact of urban renewal on the preservation of tradition and shifts in cultural identity and how different socioeconomic groups are addressing these changes. To do so, I will conduct a case study in Old Nanjing, home to some of Nanjing's oldest housing structures and poorest residents. This will focus on the relationship between cultural-preservation scholars and neighborhood residents in discussions over urban renewal and the influence of urban redevelopment on the preservation of Nanjing cultural identity and tradition. Under the mentorship of Professor Chen Yunqian of Nanjing University (NJU), I hope that this study will serve as a tool for both Chinese and Westerners in creating urban development policies.
Nanjing, now accessible to Shanghai in less than 90 minutes by high-speed rail, is undergoing rapid modernization and transformation. As a result, local cultural identities and traditions are in danger of dissolving. Old Nanjing is an urban neighborhood that is home to one of Nanjing's unique cultural treasures, the laofangzi [old houses]. Cultural-preservation scholars argue that cultural heritage is at stake in the preservation of laofangzi, most of which date back to the Ming and Qing Dynasties[1]. Nancy Berliner describes the cultural significance of Chinese living spaces perfectly: "The preservation of regional vernacular—that is, non-elite—residential architecture protects not only specific monuments...but also physical manifestations of living cultures, past and present, and offers them as investigative opportunities for future generations."[2] Preserving laofangzi means preserving physical and intangible attributes of Old Nanjing for the benefit of future generations. What attributes of the laofangzi represent the traditional values and lifestyle of Old Nanjing? Are the residents of laofangzi necessarily willing to trade a higher standard of living for the protection of cultural spaces? On-scene interviews and interactions in Nanjing will be essential for exploring these questions.
My research will be driven by two primary questions: 1) How are scholars and Old Nanjing residents addressing urban renewal and its implications for the transformation of culture? And 2) What implications, both positive and negative, does urban redevelopment have on the preservation of traditional Nanjing's cultural identity, values and customs? In the midst of skyrocketing property values, urban redevelopment is continuing at an unprecedented scale and speed. Such a situation calls for an immediate increase in research on the phenomenon, especially in areas outside of Shanghai and Beijing. The scarcity of research conducted in Nanjing on relevant issues is greatly disproportionate to the impact of urban redevelopment there. Meeting this need, my project seeks to investigate these rapid changes in urban space by studying the issue currently in play on the ground in Nanjing.
My mentor at NJU, Professor Chen, is a professor of contemporary history who specializes in cultural anthropology. Professor Chen and her colleagues at NJU have committed to providing the academic support network necessary to immediately begin carrying out my research. She has already invited me to join her research group "Symbols and Memory" at NJU's Advanced Social Sciences Research Institute. The group investigates the effects of Nanjing's modernization, including the transformation of surface space in Old Nanjing and its implications for Nanjing's cultural identity. The experts participating in this research group teach classes at NJU in various departments on the effects of modernization and have granted me permission to audit their classes. Their instruction will allow me to thoroughly review the literature published and fieldwork conducted on urban renewal, providing me with the academic foundation necessary to improve my research skills.
During the first semester, I will collaborate with Professor Chen's research group to conduct fieldwork on the implications of urban reconstruction for Nanjing cultural identity and traditions. I will utilize my affiliation with her to immediately begin interviewing experts and professors at NJU, auditing classes and reviewing publications on urban renewal. Professor He Yunao, an archaeology professor and director of the NJU Cultural Heritage Research Institute, will provide another academic resource for the study of cultural heritage, a professional network among NJU scholars, and a means to conduct interviews. While they will provide the means for research, volunteering at the Nanjing Cultural Heritage Center will provide both an opportunity to engage the community and a platform for observing the methods used to protect culture.
During the second semester, I will live in a laofangzi owned by my former student Wan Qing's relatives. This environment will allow me to study Nanjing’s cultural identity, evaluate local response to modernization and engage the non-English speaking community as much as possible. As a neighborhood resident myself, I will personally encounter the tension between a modern and a traditional lifestyle and record the residents' opinions on recent changes they have noticed. Living amongst Nanjingren will help me understand what makes Nanjing culture distinct, and evaluate the ways that Nanjing's cultural identity has, or has not, changed. I will conduct interviews with the residents of Old Nanjing and their relatives by asking them questions such as "What customs and habits do you wish to retain amidst the changes you are witnessing?" My proposal seeks to understand two different responses to urban reconstruction—first, from the cultural-preservation scholar and second from the neighborhood resident—and endeavor to conclude how urban reconstruction has influenced cultural identity and tradition.
My professional proficiency in Mandarin Chinese and knowledge of Chinese politics and culture will prove valuable to my research and the Fulbright mission. As a double major in Asian Studies and International Affairs with a minor in Chinese Language and Literature, my academic background includes coursework in Chinese, sociology, history, anthropology, geography, political science, and statistics. While studying abroad in Nanjing, I conducted an independent research project on the Chinese perspective of Deng Xiaoping's foreign policy and established a comfortable familiarity translating Chinese policy articles and conducting interviews with Chinese citizens. I also lived with a host family and took courses in Chinese Contemporary Studies and Chinese Current Events at NJU, both essential foundations for studying local culture and politics.
At the completion of my Fulbright year, I will produce a paper written in English and Chinese that explores how different socioeconomic groups are responding urban renewal and the influence of redevelopment on recent changes in cultural identity and traditions. I plan to continue my research in graduate school and hope one day to return to China to work for an education consulting association focused on helping others learn about and experience the ancient traditions and distinctive cultures of China.
[1] Cheng, Gang. "Preservation of Old Nanjing: What is it like to live as one of the few remaining roots of the real Nanjing?" Nanjing Cengbao. 20 July 2010. Web. 5 Aug. 2010. par. 14.
[2] Berliner, Nancy. "Sheltering the Past: The Preservation of China's Old Dwellings." House Home Family: Living and Being Chinese. Ed. Ronald Knapp and Kai-Yin Lo. Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, 2005: 205-220. Print. p. 205.
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