Reverie through Ma Yansong's shanshui city to evoke and re-appropriate China's urban space

Abstract

Abstract Meandering rivers, elevated walkways and high-rise buildings revive traditional landscape paintings in an attempt to re-establish a connection between Chinese citizens and their urban space. Since the Open Door Policy in 1978 and the consequent period of reforms, introduced by Deng Xiaoping, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has been focusing on the economic and urban development of the nation to affirm its modernization and global role. Particularly, since 2001, urbanization has been driven by economic and political goals that have overshadowed Chinese cultural and historical specificity and residents' needs. Cities and metropolises have become the symbol of the country's modernization and globalization, attracting foreign capital and visibility. At the same time, the frenetic and unprecedented scale of urbanization in Mainland China has caused the loss of historical and cultural areas, forced evictions, social instability and worsened pollution, among other issues. By presenting the case study of Beijing-based architect and artist, Ma Yansong, I will illustrate how tradition and culture could be reinvented and implemented in the contemporary urban realities. To do that, Chinese painter Xie He's treatise on the aesthetics of traditional landscape painting will provide with an original framework to understand Ma's urban concept of shanshui city. Aiming to re-connect everyday individuals with their urban space and cultural and historical background, this article responds to the urgency to envision future cities that are conceived by and for Chinese citizens and stem from China's ancient tradition and cultural specificity. Moreover, it intends to question the current urbanizing process and foster alternative urban imaginaries for future Chinese cities.