Fluid Boundary: Shenzhen River as a Third Territory HONORS THESIS PRESENTED TO THE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCIENCES, LANDSCAPE STUDIES, OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE RESEARCH HONORS PROGRAM BY XUEZHEN XIE JUNE 2020 FACULTY ADVISOR: MARIA GOULA I would like to thank everyone who thank professor Tim Baird for making the has helped and inspired me to work on connection. this project during the difficult time of COVID-19. First and foremost, professor Thank you to all the friends who have Maria Goula, for contributing significant supported this project, especially Hoi Ying amount of time to advising me and Grace Lam, Blanche Shao, Amber Zhu, supporting me. Without her the project Lois Nguyen and my favorite Le Tone Wei, could not be possibly completed. who also hosted me during my trip to Hong Kong. I would also like to give thanks to Duarte Santos, for giving significant feedbacks Finally, I would like to thank my parents, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS during several reviews; professor Xie Di and Xu Chen; my grandparents Xie 1 Anindita Banerjee, for introducing me to Minghua and Fu Xiaofei. Thank you for environmental humanism and inspiring the support over the last twenty-two years. many ideas in this project; professor Jamie Vanucchi and Anne Weber, for participating in the final review of the project. I want to thank professor Chunxiao Wang in Shenzhen University, and Dorothy Tang (previously in Hong Kong University,) for providing contexts about the site. And 谢谢 CONTENTS 5 9 39 I. ABSTRACT II. BACKGROUND III. MAPPING Aims 10 Introduction River as territory Methods 16 Theoretical background: 2 Questions fluid narrative Outcomes 22 Historical context: Shenzhen River and beyond 30 Literature review and precedents 32 Site visit 55 73 77 IV. SPECULATIONS V. CONCLUSION VI. APPENDIX Celebrate third space 78 Site visit itinerary 80 Bibliography 83 Map sources 3 84 Image credits 4 I. ABSTRACT 5 1. AIMS The objective of this research thesis is interrogates how the fluidity of water to navigate water as a matter of both operates with its administrative function partition and connection, and river as as a border. Based on an investigation of 6 a site of both boundary and memory. the existing management of fluidity, the This project speculates the materiality design proposal aims to overcome the of the border between the Hong binary of water and land and to situate Kong Special Administrative Region Shenzhen River as a third territory with a of China and Shenzhen (Mainland fluid narrative. China), to convey the history of the frontier area and to envision its future transformation. Focusing on the Shenzhen River, a fluid boundary that separates two administrative areas, this thesis 2. METHODS 3. QUESTIONS 4. OUTCOMES In this project, mapping is an essential 1) How is water used as a tool for The design outcome of this project is method to speculate and represent the partition? i.e. how is the difference of not a concrete suggestion for problem- physical attributes of the site and the materiality between water and land solving or implementation, but an 7 socio-political mechanisms that shape employed to consolidate the legislative open framework to stimulate further the border. By examining the existing border? How does the material boundary imagination. Certain speculations are cartography and unfolding the power- work with the administrative boundary? made to reveal and realize the hidden knowledge projected on them, mapping is 2) How can a river as a constantly potential of the site. used as a creative practice that re-makes transforming mechanism be seen as a the territory over and over again (Corner, network that connects both sides? 1999). 3) How can landscape design be used to create a scheme that envisions the river as an alternative territory? 8 II. BACKGROUND 9 During the process of this research project, of state power, terrorism and foreign two ongoing events have made significant interference in the city (Cheung, 2020). impacts on global geopolitics. The first The proposal of the so-called national one is the 2019-20 Hong Kong protests, security law triggered another wave of which was triggered by the introduction protests in Hong Kong, deepening the of the Fugitive Offenders amendment uncertainty of future Mainland–Hong bill by the Hong Kong government. Once Kong relations. enabled, the amendment bill would allow the extradition of criminal fugitives to The second event was the coronavirus mainland China, thereby undermining disease 2019 pandemic (COVID-19). the judicial independence of the region, First identified in Wuhan, China in 10 1. INTRODUCTION as many concerned (BBC News, 2019). December 2019, the virus outbreak has The protests have continued for more been reported in most parts of the world, than a year and include numerous violent as of June 2020. To prevent transmission, incidents. This series of events is perhaps many states have deployed strategies such the most intense and violent conflict as travel restrictions, quarantines, facilities between the Communist Party of China closures, etc., disrupting most people’s and Hong Kong citizens since the handover livelihoods. Increased emphasis has been of Hong Kong. In May 2020, the legislature placed on the boundary between states, of China, the National People’s Congress communities, and individuals to maintain (NPC), passed a resolution authorizing its distancing at all levels. Still in the midst standing committee to impose the law on of the crisis while writing this thesis, the Hong Kong to outlaw secession, subversion consequences of this pandemic remain unknown to us. In addition, my personal life was deeply to situate oneself in uncharted waters and involved with the state of fluidity to accommodate oneself outside of regular Both events have drastically challenged during the outbreak of COVID-19 modes. As one of my professors said, the the existing structures and deeply in the United States. In mid-March circumstance requires us to let go of most disturbed social norms at various 2020, Cornell University, as well as expectations and not be too attached to geographical scales. Living under many other institutions in the United anything. In either case, fluidity represents instability and uncertainty, many have States, announced several policies in a an alternative organization that seeks to turned to fluidity as a strategy. During short period including transitioning to accommodate the original stable structure the Hong Kong protests, for instance, virtual instruction and suspension of that is unable to maintain itself in crisis. protesters used the slogan “Be Water,” all courses. Numerous statements from which was borrowed from the quotes administration phrased the circumstances The fact that we seek fluidity as a working of martial arts star Bruce Lee, “Empty as “a fluid situation,” and suggested model in a time of disturbance, reflects 11 your mind. Be formless, shapeless, like individuals to “be fluid,” in accordance that our common mentality and narrative water... Be water, my friend.” Fluidity was with the rapidly changing circumstances. is usually the opposite. As Bruno Latour practiced by the protesters as fighting asserts, modernization is a practice of tactics. According to Masato Kajimoto at Turning to fluidity amidst disrupted partition, which includes constructing the University of Hong Kong, “[protesters] social norms captured my attention. boundaries between nature and society, are really fluid, and sometimes they get In the case of the Hong Kong protests, between “us” and “them” (Latour, together very quickly and they disperse fluidity is employed as a tactic against 1993). The existence of boundaries very quickly, and it really looks like water the suppression and constriction of state provides us with identities and a sense is flowing and flowing through different power (usually represented by police of belonging. However, COVID-19 parts of the city” (Yamamoto, 2019). force). Under the circumstances of the as a highly transmissible disease has pandemic, being fluid became a strategy significantly challenged the systems of borders on every level. On the state level, I think about landscape and the research and beyond. The first part ends with an strengthening border control does not questions of this project. Fluidity has introduction of methodology, including eliminate the pandemic spread. On the been long associated with discordance literature review and site visit. The individual level, the division between and often provoked uncertainty and third part, mainly composed of maps, workplace and home collapses, leading trepidation. The fear of flooding and describes the materiality of the border to a sense of insecurity and chaos. On submergence due to sea level rise has and creates a visual narrative of the river the level of modernization, the division been rooted in most minds. Landscape as territory. The fourth part starts with a between nature and society is contested architecture can be seen as a profession close examination of the existing fluidity as the biological virus disturbs the social of regulating fluidity spatially through management strategies. Based on these structure. To resist this collapse, many grading or vegetation. With the increasing strategies, four speculations are made to boundaries are strengthened for a feeling presence of uncontrollable fluidity in our create alternative space that embodies 12 of order. For example, nationalism lives, can landscape architecture be used