Architectural Identity Politics of Xiamen University Malaysia
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UIA 2021 RIO: 27th World Congress of Architects Towards the South： Architectural Identity Politics of Xiamen University Malaysia Luo Jing Luo Lin Central Academy of Fine Arts, China Xiamen University, China Ke Zhennan Xiamen University, China Abstract Research into the functional relationship Xiamen University is the first university in between architecture and identity from a China to estaBlish a large-scale Branch transnational and fluid perspective involves the campus abroad. Via a research into the dissemination and reshaping of a series of design of Xiamen University Malaysia architectural forms, the political power (XMUM) campus, this article explores the dynamics and cultural blending, and the new articulation of architecture and identity on identities continually shaped by architecture regional, political and cultural boundaries. itself. The two entities intertwine across the In the Architecture literature, there is an geographical, political, and cultural boundaries intention to focus only on the physical of the two countries, leaving themselves in a perpetual process of “becoming,” and of locality of a place, with the social-spatial redefining the boundaries. attributes of this place being ignored. This traditional approach cannot Be applied To a considerable extent, reflections on locality directly to the architectural construction of in architecture is bound with specific sites. XMUM as well as its parent university Issues such as responses to materiality, since they are frontier of Chinese ethnicity constructedness, and spatiality, and imaginings and culture, where terms such as "locality" of history and tradition are often limited to a and "self" cannot be understood in site with clear boundaries. Such limitations themselves anymore. To this end, this offer a response to the fundamental problem of article sets up a temporal-spatial analytical the site, but often neglect the social-spatial framework, and uses interdisciplinary thickness deriving from human and social methods as ethnography, depth interview mobility in space. However, transnational and architectural formal analysis to study mobility pushes our research perspective the thread of architectural ideas of XMUM toward a murky and dynamic zone, and in regards to China’s international consequently we must confront situations relations and associated identity politics where the subJects of identity are constantly ascending to its parent university. placed in the conflicts between the native and Furthermore, the article examines how the foreign, between the official and the non- architecture acts as both result of and official, and between spirituality and influence on the construction of identities, materiality. Forms of architecture no longer and how it establishes a spatial dimension correspond to the historical particularity of a specific place, but rather become a component of China in a global perspective, arguing of the political relationship between the “self” that the campus is a tradeoff between the and the “other.” mimic of cultural tradition and the obviously alternative local spatial Through researching the design of the Malaysia condition, and finally concludes that campus of Xiamen University, this paper aims through no other than challenging the to offer a critical account of its relationship to a locality that architecture estaBlishes the host of issues such as the history of Xiamen field of identity politics. University’s investment and construction in Southeast Asia, the inheritance of architectural PAPERS: VOLUME II of III 1147 UIA 2021 RIO: 27th World Congress of Architects culture, local political and cultural situations in located on the Floating Island of Xiamen, Tan Malaysia, and characteristics of the site. In so said: “With the nation in grave danger, the only doing, this paper reflects on the locality of resources we could rely on to survive are our architecture, and how locality intersects with emergent educational endeavor and our people’s identity politics. morale that refuses to be discouraged. (Chen, 1980).” Xiamen University was founded during In the framework of the Belt and Road the national crisis, bearing the wishes for Initiative, Chinese universities have actively national revival and construction of a national pursued overseas expansion in response to identity: “We must preserve our nation’s culture China’s strategy of “Going Global” designed to and spirit in their entirety…And we need to increase the country’s influence. Against this devote everything we have to education, which background, Xiamen University became the is the only hope left for our nation in the days to first comprehensive university to establish an come……If we rely on foreigners to finance overseas campus (Guo, 2018). This trend has China’s education, it would be as shameful and added a new orientation of “going out of the pathetic as asking someone else to pay for your country” for research into Chinese architecture own children’s education. (Tan, 1946:4)” and space with a global view. As a case study in a global context, Xiamen University accords This architectural “self” was handed over to great depth, because the “transnational” Henry Murphy, an American architect adaptive process meant not only going out of China and to China, to construct. Before meeting with Tan into Malaysia, but it also must be traced back Kah Kee in 1919, he had already designed to a historical development directly related to campuses for College of Yale-in-China (1914), this act, that of Tan Kah Kee, a Chinese Tsinghua College (1914), Private Fudan Singaporean who returned to China to found University (1918), Ginling College (1919) and the university. This thread, dating back to more Yenching University (1919), etc. Murphy than 100 years ago when capital and post- brought up the “adaptive architecture” theory colonial ideas were imported from Southeast and boasted an organic integration of traditional Asia, connects with the present when an Chinese architectural culture and Western educational institution is exported to Malaysia, classical architectural styles. When he was and stretches the temporal dimension of this commissioned to draft a plan for Tsinghua in research project. 1914, he paid his first visit to the Forbidden City, which he claimed as “the best building Xiamen University Campus: complex in the world”. From then on, thick and Southeast Asia, Western or Local, stately traditional Chinese roofs were What is the Identity? transplanted to almost all the Chinese universities he designed. By contrast, public Xiamen University was founded and built by schools in China mostly adopted western Tan Kah Kee. Tan was born in Jimei village in architectural styles at that period. As for the Tung An District, FuJian Province in 1873. campus planning, Murphy conceived his own When he was seventeen, Tan Joined his father in mission as bringing advanced Western concepts the family business in Southeast Asia. He Joined of campus planning to the then underdeveloped the Chinese Revolutionary League to support construction of Chinese universities. His plans the Revolution of 1911, and started to fund for Yale-in-China, Tsinghua and Fudan mostly schools in Xiamen in 1913. Before laying his copied Thomas Jefferson’s model for University eyes on the design for Xiamen University, Tan of Virginia—a U-shaped mall with a wide had already established as well as “designed” rectangle lawn in the center and the main the campuses for Jimei School (1913), Jimei building at one end. The same combination was Normal School and Jimei Secondary School also used in the master plan and drawings of (1918), and Jimei Aquatic, Navigation and Qunxian Building submitted by Murphy, which Business Colleges (1919—1921). Through all is the first building group of Xiamen University. the practices of building schools, Tan Kah Kee Murphy’s mall included a north-south axis with the entrepreneur and educator had already made the same number of buildings symmetrically himself a quasi-architect. located on both sides facing east and west and the main building facing south, enclosing a The “self” is essential to the Xiamen University rectangle yard in the middle. campus buildings. In the speech Tan Kah Kee made on 13 July 1919 in the Tan Ancestral Hall 1148 PAPERS: VOLUME II of III UIA 2021 RIO: 27th World Congress of Architects However, On 6 April 1921, the founding day of Compassion was the favorite building in Xiamen University, Tan Kah Kee perused the southern Fujian with authentic Chinese style in master plan and drawings of “Qunxian the community of foreigners frequenting the Building” submitted by Murphy, paid him the Xiamen Port since the city was allowed to do “astronomical” commission fee of USD 1,500 international trade (Figure 1). On one hand, as and turned down his plan, commenting that “I an oversea-Chinese, Tan Kah Kee adored the cannot agree with (Murphy’s plan) because it western university campuses for they were the was a failure in fine arts and messed up again in place of origin of university education; on the terms of orientation. The layout (he designed) other hand, as a local of Xiamen, he appreciated suffers from a strong western exposure and local tradition rather than state tradition, and misses the benefit of a favorable south wind. used the local as a symbol of nation. (Tan, 1923).” Then Tan Kah Kee brought up his own design: with their back towards the In fact, facing south where the ocean is was the mountain the buildings would spread out on a primary terms when it came to the choice of site straight line all facing south where the ocean is. for Xiamen University. In 1919, together with For considerations on usage, the plan spared the Huang Yuanpei, a fellow member of “Tung only piece of comparatively even ground on the Meng Hui”, Tan Kah Kee selected a piece of south, reserving for future sporting or land located at the southern end of Xiamen ceremonial events and becoming a façade to Island which is across the sea from his civilians.