A Virtual Archive of Urban Villages 

[Objective]

Bones of the House is a virtual ‘urban village’ archival platform founded by Danying Yu (PhD Candidate, CREAM, Practice-based Art Research) and Sunny Tang (MRes, SOAS, Social Anthropology). Through our artistic practices and fieldworks, we aim to delve into and document the contemporary social phenomenon of urban villages in China, and explore its interplay with migrant residents and the evolving dynamics of social spaces.

Urban village refer to the informal urbanisation phenomenon observed in cities like Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Shanghai, among others. They took shape within the framework of Maoist policies, stemming from the urban-rural dual system, compounded by urban development encroaching upon rural surroundings. Corresponding to the nation’s call for modernisation, the rapid urbanisation that began at the end of the 20th century swallowed up vast tracts of agricultural land, while left intact agricultural population’s homesteads that are protected by national land policies. Hence, villages-in-the-city.

城中村是在深圳、广州、上海等城市中能够观察到的一种非正式城市化现象，它们在毛时代的制度框架内发展起来，简单来说是城乡土地二元制、城市发展包围农村导致的结果。20世纪末随著国家对现代化的呼吁，快速城市化吞没了大量农业用地，却没能消化掉受国家土地政策保护的农村人口的宅基地，从而形成城市中的村落。

Since the era of reform and opening up, spanning over 40 years of rapid urbanisation, urban villages have gradually emerged across numerous cities nationwide. Urban villages are commonly referred to as poor working-class neighbourhoods, and appear to be, by default, fail to form the ‘pleasant urban landscape’ in official narratives. Capitalising on policy gaps, these villages have experienced rapid growth in tandem with urban expansion, serving as vital sources of affordable housing for the tremondous influx of ‘floating populations’ that the government cannot fully accommodate. They were initially regarded as the ‘city cancer’, then to be re-evaluated in various cities. For instance, in Shenzhen, urban villages constitute a significant portion of the city's stock space and serve as a ‘resilient/flexible land resource’ for future real estate development. The pursuit of efficient resource allocation is a core principle of the market-driven resource distribution model, while the unidimensional aggregation stands as a characteristic of Chinese cities. ¹ Since the late 1980s, urban villages have gone through multiple phases of evolution and social transofrmations, emerging and vanishing amid the grandeur of China's urban development, with some reinvigorating while others fade away. Thus, reading through urban villages is also reading into the ‘Labyrinth of Linkages’ climbing on the rapid transformation of contemporary China that streching far beyond than mere physical alterations, extending to the social, cultural, and political fabrics of everyday life.

[Constructions]

This site is a work in process, continuously loading our observations, fleeting impressions, analytical sketches, sound, related reference, actual making, etc. Here, we neither search for nor offer neat conclusions, but rather, relish in the meandering multiple pathways of understanding. As we amble through the process, conversation will flow, veering off into the realms of the unexplored, leaving dialogues unfinished, only to stumble upon new terrains of thought.

☗ Wip 1. - Improvisation Notes: Tune in Urban Villages (即兴笔记：收听城中村)
 
The definition of 'urban villages' bewilders people in much the same way as the definition of art. Yet, when we 'read/write' about art, we do not begin with ONE firm definition as the foundation but with matters at hand, i.e. what we see, talk, hear, smell, think... or in a single word: sense. Similarly, when we 'read/write' about urban villages, it is not the whirlpool of definitions we immerse in but the field. Thus, what is significant is what we have sensed and experienced in the field and how we can hone, expand, and refine our sensorium and attunement.

However, in this nascent phase where we are remote from the field, we will simply start with readings, searching for and collecting things that relate to urban villages in China, giving off-site matters equal weight, in hopes that the interlinkage between matters and the methods they demand will slowly reveal themselves as the work progresses. Therefore, what this work-in-progress will illustrate are notes of a process—the process of search and approach—rather than notes from the field.

☗ Wip 2. - On-site (在场)

In the period between February and June 2023, we embarked on two month-long expeditions to China, revisiting the urban landscapes of Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou. These journeys were both enlightening and poignant, especially given that our last time in China was at the end of 2019. The transformation we witnessed was both rapid and profound, with the urban fabric of these cities undergoing significant metamorphoses.

Shanghai, in particular, bore the marks of astonishing urban renewal. Areas that were once familiar have been replaced, with many streets in the inner city now characterised by vacant edifices and bustling construction sites. One cannot traverse these urban precincts without encountering bold red banners proclaiming the virtues of urban regeneration.

What we have seen instilled in us a profound urgency; an imperative to delve deeper and understand the forces at play. This was not merely due to the erasure of familiar landscapes and memories, but also because of the challenges we faced as researchers. The relentless pace of bulldozers and urban development threatened to eclipse our research sites. Notably, several of our chosen fields– prominent urban villages in Shanghai and Shenzhen – were visibly waning, both physically and socially.

Gaining access to these sites proved challenging. Although we could enter some areas, others were strictly off-limits, particularly those earmarked for redevelopment or already under the purview of urban regeneration initiatives. In Shanghai, we encountered individuals in plain attire who seemingly held authority over these sites, curtailing our endeavours to conduct interviews, interact with locals, film, or even make casual inquiries.

No doubt these urban villages were spaces of power. Here, intricate issues, often deemed 'sensitive' – such as eviction, resettlement plans, compensation, and land and property rights – were deeply enmeshed. Without the guides of pivotal gatekeepers, we found ourselves lingering on the periphery, garnering only fragmentary insights. Nonetheless, as we continuously sought new ways of entry, it is hopeful to bring in future updates.

☗ Wip 3. - Everyday ‘Making-Do’ (日常“应付”之计)

You can imagine that living in urban villages, the first question is how can you settle in such density?

In this ongoing project, we intend to anchor ourselves in the lived experiences and investigate transformations within urban villages as a process of spatial (re)production performed by residents through adaptive practices in their daily lives. Or as what Michel de Certeau called everyday ‘making-do’.

Here we ask in what ways residents in urban villages utilise any available resources and materials to adapt and respond to various spatial constraints and regulations? We care about what they are using, making, and talking about. As they are always making something out of something, what can we learn from them about issues of informal settlement, sustainable urban developement, and most importanly, matters of survival, resistance, and adaptive tactices? Is there a potential for the temporary "daily coping" within these spaces to transform into sculptures?