Chéng
Cànyáng
Here to explore the complexities of urban environments, tell stories through spatial design, and capture moments through visual media.
Chéng
Here to explore the complexities of urban environments, tell stories through spatial design, and capture moments through visual media.
Manufactured Identity
Urban Research Project
Shijiazhuang City, China
May-September 2023
Shijiazhuang’s identity was initially shaped by its role as an industrial city under the broader Chinese context. As part of the 156-project, Shijiazhuang, along with other cities in northeastern and central China, was earmarked for industrial development. Before 1949, Shijiazhuang was a small town with fewer than twelve thousand residents, but it rapidly transformed during the development period.
During the First and Second Five-Year Plans, 150 large and medium-sized factories were built on previously desolate land. These factories became tightly integrated with the urban fabric, solidifying Shijiazhuang's status as an industrial city. On a municipal scale, these factories were crucial to the city’s expansion, deeply embedding themselves in its socioeconomic fabric and significantly influencing its identity and development trajectory.
The construction of factories shapes Shijiazhuang's urban planning. during a early stage
In the context of collectivization, "factory compounds" emerged as powerful symbols of belonging for workers, deeply reinforcing their collective identity. In China, the spatial design of these compounds played a pivotal role in shaping a strong sense of community among the workforce.
click here to see more archival photos of industrial period Shijiazhuang.
By merging work and residential areas into a uniform layout, factory compounds created a self-contained environment—both physically and mentally—that confined nearly all aspects of workers' lives within their boundaries. This isolation fostered a collective identity, as workers shared the same spaces, wore identical uniforms, and lived in close proximity. Through these shared experiences, a strong sense of belonging and group identity naturally took root.
The strong collective identity ingrained in workers through the danwei system was slow to fade, causing discomfort when the system collapsed. Laid-off workers had to adjust to life beyond the factory, form new social connections, and adopt new identities. However, many continued living in factory-assigned housing and kept close ties with former colleagues, leading to a complex and often conflicted sense of identity during this transition. As policies shifted, factories and their compounds were gradually demolished, forcing workers to navigate new social dynamics and find their place in a changing world, further complicating their experience of identity.
photo by @ clickcollectc
In conclusion, the evolution of identity in the Chinese context, exemplified by Shijiazhuang, demonstrates the diversity of this concept. Identity is not a fixed entity; it is an organic, multifaceted reflection of the prevailing ethos of a given era. Factory compounds, once emblematic of collective identity, are products of their time. Factories, which were once a symbol of collective identity, have now evolved into heritage sites with different political purposes. The interwoven influence of the artificial and natural identity infuses the urban area and shows an interesting flow in the industrial city. The flow of identity between individuals and the city can serve as a tool for studying urban development, politics, and history.
Field by Urban Research Field Research Archival Research Visualization