-the bottom collision between Chinese and western cultures

There is a habitual understanding that the bottom of China's traditional society is an important force to exclude external factors, and China's modernization is basically a product of colonization, even if it is automatically accepted, it is mainly the behavior of the upper class. In front of Kaiping Diaolou and residential buildings, we should re-examine this view.

On June 28th this year, the UNESCO 3 1 World Heritage Conference was held in Christchurch, New Zealand. As a member of the Council, the representative of 2 1 country only took eight minutes, and there was almost no controversy. China Guangdong "Kaiping Diaolou and Village" project was unanimously approved, and "China's youngest world heritage" was born! Just the day before, the delegates were still arguing about another declaration item to be voted on.

In China, there are many relics with thousands of years' history. Why did Kaiping Diaolou and Folk Houses with a history of only 100 years successfully become the 35th World Heritage Site in China? One of the evaluation conclusions of the World Heritage Congress vote is that it "can provide a unique or at least special witness for a disappearing civilization or cultural tradition."

"external factors"

Kaiping City is located in the west of the Pearl River Delta, and belongs to Jiangmen City. Taishan, Xinhui, Enping and Heshan, which belong to Jiangmen, are also called "Wuyi" and are the famous hometown of overseas Chinese in China. From Guangzhou to the west, in less than two hours, buildings that looked like western castles began to flash outside the window, just in Kaiping.

There are 1833 watchtowers in Kaiping, with more than 3,000 in its heyday. They are scattered in paddy fields and villages, displaying ancient Greek colonnades, Roman arches and columns, Islamic leaf arches, Gothic and Baroque styles, and even Art Nouveau and industrial building techniques. There are so many "foreign elements" that people who wander around have a feeling of being in a western field.

The successful application for the World Heritage has made Kaiping, a "small place", lively in an instant. Numerous tourist buses and private cars carry tourists from all directions. Gigi Lai Village in Tangkou Town is one of the four nominated sites for Kaiping Diaolou and Village to declare World Cultural Heritage, and it is also the place that receives the most tourists. In the village, the most well-preserved and luxurious reinforced concrete watchtower-Shiminglou, a large photo of the landlord Fang Runwen and his three wives hangs in the middle of the first floor, and the top floor is dedicated to Fangfang's ancestral tablets. In addition to exquisite Lingnan furniture, there are many "imported products" in the room, such as American clocks, French perfumes, German floor clocks, phonographs, sewing machines and leather sofas.

This "reasonable anomaly" surprises tourists, and even historical experts can't help but feel excited when they first see these towers and enter them.

Zhang Guoxiong, a professor at Wuyi University, is the chief expert in the application of the "Kaiping Diaolou Village". On August 22nd, 2006, Fang Guangkuan, Fang Guangrong and Fang Guangyin's three residences in Gigi Lai Village and their ancestral houses were opened respectively. When Zhang Guoxiong entered the room, he saw the same scene as today in the building: there was a phonograph and more than a dozen records in the room, including western music, records of China red singer Wang at that time, and records of Cantonese opera masters. That means Lou. There are men's hair oil and women's perfume bottles and talcum powder on the dresser. 、

Kaiping Diaolou displays the combination of Chinese and western cultures everywhere. Under the exotic appearance, Kaiping Diaolou almost always has a name of "very China", such as Shiming Tower and Ruishi Tower, which are called "the first building in Kaiping". In the details of the watchtower, people can also see gorgeous traditional murals, carp-shaped drainage pipes, doorframes and reliefs of lions, unicorns or birds on the eaves ... The emerging western culture and the ancient China tradition are so harmoniously integrated, and the concept of leisure and practical lifestyle.

The reason why the "young" Kaiping Diaolou successfully won in the fierce competition and was successfully listed in the World Heritage List lies in their uniqueness. Zhang Guoxiong said that whether it can become a world heritage depends not on its historical length, but on its historical and cultural value. Kaiping Diaolou first lies in its unique value. Western architectural art has entered the Wendaoming District of the East and remained in large quantities, blending harmoniously with local natural elements and traditional houses. This kind of landscape is unique in the world.

Zhang Guoxiong said that many coastal cities in China have modern buildings with Chinese and Western walls, but most of them were built by foreigners during the colonial period. Kaiping Diaolou is the product of China rural people's active study, absorption of western architectural culture and integration with local culture. "Kaiping Diaolou and Village" is not only the first world heritage in China, but also the first to reflect the immigrant culture.

After the First Opium War, Kaiping people began to immigrate to the United States and other countries on a large scale. However, since the end of 19, the Chinese exclusion policy prevailing in the United States, Canada and other countries has made it difficult for them to take root in a foreign land. The climax of overseas Chinese building houses was formed in the19/kloc-0-1930' s, and most watchtowers that people see today were built here.

As early as September 20001year, when Dr. Henry, the coordinator of the United nations world heritage, came to see the watchtower, he was greatly surprised: "I don't know what to describe what I saw." I haven't seen this phenomenon anywhere else in China, that is, the local people have brought some advantages of the West back to their hometown. This traditional phenomenon of going out and introducing has not ended, has not been interrupted, and continues. "