From Far East to East #02 - "Inside Out China 101"

Food.Nature.People.Architecture

C u i s i n e . N a t u r e . G e n s . A r c h i t e c t u r e

Mâncare.Natură.Oameni.Arhitectură

Хоол . Б ай г а л ь . Х үм ү ү с . А р хи т е к т у р음 식 . 자 연 . 사 람 . 건 축

饮食 . 自然 . 人 . 建筑

อ า ห า ร . ธ ร ร ม ช า ต . ค น . ส ถ า ปั ต ย ก ร ร ม

Е д а . П р и р о д а . Л ю д и . А р х и т е к т у р а

Dinspre est către est

From Far East to East

从东到东С Востока на Восток

De l’est vers l’est

จากทิศตะวนัออกถึงตะวนัออก

동쪽에서 동쪽으로Зүүн зүгээс зүүн хойд зүгт

Razvan - George GORCEA

Mulţumiri speciale părinţilor mei pentru susţinerea si încrederea pe care mi-o acordă. Mulţumesc mamei mele pentru că m-a făcut să descopăr din copilărie natura si aventura. Mulţumesc tatălui meu pentru că-mi este mentor permanent si se îngrijeşte de formarea mea.

Remerciements particuliers à Monsieur Remy Butler, pour m’avoir ouvert les yeux à l’Asie, et pour l’affection paternelle qu’il me porte.

© 2011 Razvan-George Gorcea

This episode is dedicated to Huang Xing,Thanks for explaining and showing me the Chinese culture


episode 02

Into the deep of rural areas of Southern China

Please note that:*This is NOT a general image over China. It is a particularly countryside situation in an accelerated process of transformation. It shows a personal view.*

LOCATIONS :- Yongxing Town, Chenzhou, Hunan Province, China- Village near Yangshuo, Guilin, Guangxi Province, China

“Inside Out China 101”

FO

OD

In many of the rural areas in China, the land continues to be hand-worked. People have their own terrains and work

their field with the same tools and techniques like centuries

before.

Village near Yangshuo, Guilin, Guangxi Province, China

STILL A MANUAL WORK

FO

OD

Often, the household task must be shared by the children (boys and

girls) with their family.

FO

OD

If in the traditional villages the wood or bamboo is the main cooking fuel, in the rural de-veloping towns, industrialized bricks of coal is used and sold

on the street.

Yongxing Town, Chenzhou, Hunan Province, China


COOKING FUEL

FO

OD

Traditionally, the smoking place is located in the back of the

house and the smoke goes directly in the room to preserve the meat

mainly.

FO

OD

Although the dishes contain a wide variety of healthy vegetables, medicine herbs and spices, everything is shortly fried in oil or

cooked. Here, in this part of China, almost nothing is

eaten raw.

Home dinner in Yongxing, Hunan Province, China

DISHES

FO

OD

The main fields are occu-pied by rice cultures, well harvested in the hot humid climate of South of China.

They are situated everywhere around the villages.

Rice field near Yangshuo, Guilin, Guangxi Province, China

RICE AND WATER

FO

OD

In recently urbanized areas, peo-ple keep their rural lifestyle.

The smallest piece of soil can be a small culture of vegetables. In many contemporary developed West-ern cities this kind of proximity

agriculture is re-introduced with a high ecological or community value.

Street in Yongxing, Hunan Province, China

CITY AGRICULTURE

FO

OD

In the traditional Chinese gastronomy, medicine herbs are regularly used. The medical effect is naturally imbedded

into the daily food.

Market in Yongxing, Hunan Province, China

DRIED HERBS

NATU

RE

The perfectly flat rice fields follow the level topography lines and create a specific

landscape. The villages and the hills become islands in a sea

of rice fields.

Approaching Guilin, Guangxi Province, China

RICE TERRACE LANDSCAPE

NATU

RE

The sub-tropical monsoon climate has four mild but distinctive seasons. The mild humid weather offer a rich vari-ety of exotic fruits, rice culture and

many other plants. The karstic relief with its green

hills was inspiration to many Chinese poets and painters. There are particu-larly geological formations and lots

of caves

Yangshuo – Guilin area, Guangxi Province, China

NATURAL BLESSING

NATU

RE

PEO

PLE

There are many rural towns like this where people have never seen a “foreigner”

(=”laowai”) before! So you get instantly all the attention

and you feel followed with the look from the bikes, cars and shops. Talking between them,

more and more people gather to see “the foreigner” and even

to touch or interact with him.

Yongxing City, Hunan Province, China

“LAOWAI!”

PEO

PLE

An extremely special feeling I had in a high school where all the students were following me from the balconies.

PEO

PLE

The traditional family had before around 4-6 children or more. This world known

control of population started in the ’70 as a measure to limit the huge population growth of China. The married couples have been limited to have only one child in

urban areas. Exceptions are made in rural case, where two children are allowed if

the first one is a girl. After more than 30 years things changed little about the policy but it made pro-found social changes in the Chinese soci-ety. The new generation of unique children is allowed to have more babies, but the divorce rate of young couples is highly

increasing.

District entrance in Yongxing City, Hunan Province, China

THE “ONE-CHILD POLICY”

PEO

PLE

The families’ situation is written with chalk on blackboards outside, common for some group of blocks.

PEO

PLE

It’s quite common to read on the walls Government messages like: “It is the same if you have given birth to a girl or a boy!”. The traditional preference for a boy was highly influenced by the “only-

child policy”. So there were many cases in which families abandoned girls, especially in rural area, where the man is considered superior and the support for the parents’ family. As a result the percentage of girls dropped

quite drastically in favor of boys.

Nowadays the situation is changing a lot as having a girl has become an advantage

due to the unbalanced population.


Villages near Yangshuo, Guilin, Guangxi Province, China

IS IT A GIRL?

PEO

PLE

PEO

PLE

PEO

PLE

The Chinese concept of family extends to cousins (which are also called “sisters” or “brothers”) or even further relatives. So it is common to rise up the children

together as they would be siblings.


LARGER FAMILY

PEO

PLE

High school students pass all day long at school (from 6 am to 10 pm) to pass their final exams. From a class around 40-60 stu-

dents, only 7-10 can have a place in an university depending the

rank of the high school and their score. More recently the situation is changing as the high number of students doesn’t offer the cer-

tainty of a good job.

LEARNING FOR EXAMS


PEO

PLE

PEO

PLE

Many middle age people con-sider they finished their active working period and spend lot of time play-ing games and gambling.

While they’ve put some money apart, they send their kids to have better education and now they expect their chil-dren to get a job and take

care of them.

GAMES & GAMBLING


PEO

PLE

PEO

PLE

Mainly the old people continue to do the hand-crafted tools or objects, as the country is high-ly industrialized. In the last years they became more popular, having a tourist attraction.

CRAFTSMEN


AR

CH

ITEC

TU

RE

“Long live chairman Mao!” (an expres-sion used as for the king or emperor) was written on the walls of villages.

There aren’t many villages that keep the ancient traditional houses. Nowadays the preserved one get more end more atten-

tion with the highly developing tourism. The following example is a special case with some high officials’ houses, and

it hasn’t become yet a “museum village” filled with tourists.


A TRADITIONAL VILLAGE

AR

CH

ITEC

TU

RE

The village is very compactly build with narrow roads and en-closed living quarters. City

gates make the connection with the outside farmlands. The

houses do not open toward the public space of the road, which is limited by high opaque walls

instead.


CITY GATES AND ROADS

AR

CH

ITEC

TU

RE

AR

CH

ITEC

TU

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The entrance gates have all different shapes and inscriptions according to the importance of the house. On this page – the ancestors’ hall, used to celebrate the ancestors or to hold

the elders’ council. On the next page – several public officials’ quarters

with their inscription (they received first, second or third rank at the im-

perial court examination).


ENTRANCE GATES AND RANKS

AR

CH

ITEC

TU

RE

AR

CH

ITEC

TU

RE

Passages, inner courtyards, halls … the houses are organized on a horizontal

pattern, with several steps and rules. The relationship between living spaces is highly influenced by the social rules of the society. The linked inner courts play an essential role in the public/

private aspects of the house.


HORIZONTAL MAZE

AR

CH

ITEC

TU

RE

AR

CH

ITEC

TU

RE

Nowadays, the new industrial material are mixed with the natural traditional ones

(adobe, brick, stone, timber). There still can be found beautifully crafted orna-ment with cultural meaning. Even though the new vernacular architecture changes

shape and materials, it can be notice that some traditional construction methods are kept within (for example the use of the

bricks).


MATERIALS AND DETAILS

AR

CH

ITEC

TU

RE

AR

CH

ITEC

TU

RE

Most of rural areas are in a con-tinuous transformation process.

Although there is an actual plan-ning, the general aspect is rather chaotic, with a lot of speculation and disrespect for the existing way

of life. The economic boom creates profound changes in the rural landscape.


THE NEW RURAL CHINA

AR

CH

ITEC

TU

RE

The rapid change of the village into town or city it’s on the same wave length as the change of people’s lifestyle. The “im-ported” model of road becomes occupied by the inhabitants quite “naturally” and people

continue their previous way of life.


NEW ROADS, OLD ROADS... SAME WAYS?

AR

CH

ITEC

TU

RE

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ITEC

TU

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A huge change is produced in the housing typology. The horizontal model, with the extended fam-

ily is transformed into a verti-cal one. Although they live in blocks of flats people tend to

block their views and re-create the inner sense of the house, isolated from the outside. In this Southern area most of the buildings don’t have heating

system.


NEW VERTICAL HOUSES

AR

CH

ITEC

TU

RE

The education still keeps the most impor-tant role. If in ancient times the public exams to be a Government official were con-sidered a life goal, now the honors changed name into Bachelor, Master, PhD and so on. This is a high school were thousands of

students learn and live in dormitories. As the competition is very tough, the families make all the sacrifices for their children to receive better education and finally a

decent job or rank.


EDUCATION FACILITIES

AR

CH

ITEC

TU

RE

If in ancient times the public exams to be a Government official were considered a

life goal, now the honors changed name into Bachelor, Master, PhD and so on.

Imperial Examination Hall – Qing Dinasty, Guilin city

High school in Yongxing Town, Chenzhou, Hunan Province

Thank you !

Merci !

Mulţumesc!

Гялайлаа !감사합니다 !

谢谢 !

ขอบพระคุณครบั !

Спасибо !

Thanks to my translators:

Huang Xing - Chinese Anton Ivanov - RussianPatrick Bayarsaikhan - MongolianLassamon Maitreemit - ThaiYun Young Mi - KoreanKim Dong Hee - Korean


PROMOTED BY :

Thanks to Alexandru Senciuc

Razvan-George GorceaBorn in 1986 in the city of Suceava, Romania, he grows up in the beautiful region of Bucovina, surrounded by mountains and monasteries. The success in mathematics competitions allows him to travel in different parts of Romania along with his studies. He begins the architecture studies at « Ion Mincu » University in Bucharest. At this point, space and urban explorations become decisive for his education. He begins extensive travels in all Europe, before and during his studies in Paris since 2007. A larger interest evolves into the un-derstanding of human settlement development and its cultural mechanisms.His one year journey in Eastern Asia changes completely his perspective, creating of wider sense of global consciousness. Now he tries to put together the knowledge he acquired and re-new the out-dated models with an intercultural approach.

Razvan - George GORCEA

More than a photo journalMore than a traveller’s tripImmersion into the culture

Discovering FOOD.Celebrating NATURE

Connecting with PEOPLEUnderstanding ARCHITECTURE

Permanent change of perspectiveThe “West” becomes the “East”

The viewer becomes actorThe photos get meaning and notes

Each one has a story to share

Mai mult decât un jurnal fotoMai mult decât o călătorie turisticăIntegrare totală în culturăDescoperind MANCAREAAdmirând NATURACunoscând OAMENIIInţelegând ARHITECTURASchimbare permanentă a reperelor“Vestul” devine “est”Observatorul devine actorFotografiile capătă sensFiecare împărtăşeşte o poveste

Plus qu’un journal photoPlus qu’un voyage touristique

Immersion dans la cultureEn découvrant la CUISINE

Célébrant la NATUREEntrer en contact avec les GENS

Comprenant l’ARCHITECTUREChangement de perspective

“L’Ouest” devient “l’est”L’observateur devient acteurLes photos prennent du sens

Chacune partage une histoire

From Far East to East #02 - "Inside Out China 101"

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Transcript of From Far East to East #02 - "Inside Out China 101"