This dissertation is about the documentation and cultural mapping of a village in China that will give way to urban redevelopment. The village is my home village, where I grew up in the 1990s. It is located in the northern part of China, which is in the capital city of Hebei province named Shijiazhuang. Like many cities, Shijiazhuang used to be a small city with many villages gathered together. Shijiazhuang was once one of the many villages in Hebei too. In 1902 when foreign people came to Hebei, the French people built rail ways went through Shijiazhuang. These railways helped Shijiazhuang redeveloped into a big city while retaining the old name. There used to be many villages within the city center of Shijiazhuang, but with the development of the city, many of them were demolished and replaced by modern buildings. A similar situation exists in the outer areas of the city, where there used to be many villages, but they have been abandoned by the villagers (they have moved out to new modern residential communities). Although it may not be possible to conserve these villages, they do have long histories, dating back at least to the Ming Dynasty, and they have much educational value on the past life pattern of Shijiazhuang. However, I found that although much research has been done on almost every aspect of villages in China, there is never a thoroughly research about the villages in Shijiazhuang city. I believe it is important to research on these villages. As the documentation of the villages will provide important information on the historical and cultural origins of future bigger city of Shijiazhuang. If nothing is done now, Shijiazhuang will become a city of no record of the past, a city without memory. In order to keep a document of these villages in Shijiazhuang, I chose my home village Xijianliang as an example to carry on the research, which is one of these last remaining villages. I want to document the way people used to live in the old village, and this might be my last chance to do so. The rationale of this study is to have an accurate record of the way of living in a typical traditional Chinese village in Hebei, before the way of living disappears with the villages. I want to carry out this research in order to call on people’s attention and show them the way to record a village before these precious heritage is lost. Hopefully, more people who used to live in one of these villages will join in to record their own villages. Then we can gradually record all these villages in Shijiazhuang, and help to keep the memory of the city. / published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

published_or_final_version / abstract / Chinese Historical Studies / Master / Master of Arts

published_or_final_version / Fine Arts / Master / Master of Philosophy

Thesis--Yale University. / Xerox copy. Bibliography: L. 381-403.

Thesis (M.Phil.)--Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 62-64). Also available in electronic version.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Guo li Taiwan da xue, 1981. / Cover title. Reproduced from typescript; on double leaves. Bibliography: p. 331-338.

Rural Guangdong before 1949 was characterized by an exploitive system derived from the alliance of wealth and power among the landlords, clans, the rich and the gentry. This network of exploitive relations not only controlled the resources--i.e., land, credit and markets—which were most essential to the livelihood of the peasants, but also created numerous blockages in the system making it impossible to have any input injected from the outside trickle down. Rural development in Guangdong after 1949 began with the land reform movement, but it was only when collectivization was carried out through the establishment of cooperatives and rural communes, such exploitive relations were eradicated. A rural development strategy, however, did not emerge until after the fateful years of agricultural crisis and the Soviet pull-out. This strategy was aimed at the development of infrastructure for both agricultural and rural development through collectivization. It postulated that only when the infrastructure for agriculture was strengthened, could agricultural production be increased and funds and surplus for the development of supportive structure, such as rural industries, health care and education in the rural system be generated. And only when such supportive structure was developed and consolidated could new inputs be created to increase agricultural production further. It was through such a spiral process of generating, reinvesting and retaining rural surplus that rural development was implemented and realized. And it was in such a manner that rural development fulfilled various objectives to become an integral part of a strategy for development. / Arts, Faculty of / Anthropology, Department of / Graduate

Bright Sheng (b. 1955) has won international acclaim for successfully fusing disparate musical elements in his works. Listeners can trace Chinese pentatonic scales and instrumental effects mixed with Western classical structures. Postcards (1997) is a well-received orchestral work that successfully merges diverse musical styles and compositional techniques. Sheng based Postcards on material from his Four Movements for Piano Trio (1990). He applies masterful and distinctive orchestration to transform the chamber work into a multi-layered and colorful orchestral canvas. He fuses polyrhythm and post-tonal compositional techniques such as polytonality with Chinese musical elements, including folk song quotations, pentatonic scales and extended instrumental effects. The resulting hybrid is an outstanding artistic work that warrants further discussion and analysis for deeper understanding This study provides an overview of Sheng’s life experience and educational background in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 and 3 present a detailed analysis of the important compositional attributes and orchestration techniques Sheng applies in Postcards. Chapter 4 provides important performance considerations for conductors to enhance preparation. With an understanding of Sheng’s hybrid style, it is hoped that conductors will have a better interpretative grasp to lead an informed performance and scholars will have a better context for Sheng’s orchestral compositions.

published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy