Morphological Analysis Of Historic Area Of Guangzhou

This paper employs the fundamental theoretical methods of Conzenian school of urbanmorphology to analysis a historic area of38hectares in the traditional Chinese city ofGuangzhou.There are two important thoughts in the theory of urban morphology. One is that thecurrent forms of built-up area are accumulated records of developments responding to thesocial and economic impulses of pervious periods, it is rational, therefore, to trace the existingforms back to the underlying formative processes and interpret them accordingly. The other isits systematic methodology of analysis, urban form is an intact complex consisting ofdifferent tiers of elements, complete analysis of which is fundamental work for urbanmorphology.The research in Guangzhou employs an evolutionary approach. It seems more rationaland objective to examine the changing features of the physical elements including street, plot,building block, building fabric and land utilization and proceed broadly by cross-sections intime, taking account of the economic and social background of each period.The frame of the main part of the thesis is arranged according to the evolutionarysequences of urban form. Firstly, it is to analysis the morphological frame of the early Qingdynasty and before(c.1644before); then to analysis in turn the following seven morphologicalperiods which are1) from the early Qing dynasty to the time ofOne-Port-Foreign-Trade(c.1644-c.1757),2) from the One-Port-Foreign-Trade to the OpiumWar(c.1757-c.1842),3) from the Opium War to the end of Qing dynasty(c.1843-c.1911),4)the Republic of China(c.1912-c.1949),5) the early People’s Republic of China to Reform andOpening(c.1950-c.1978),6) the early Reform and Opening period(c.1979-c.1992),7)high-speed development period(after c.1993); finally, after distinguishing the changingfeatures of each morphological period, the systematical comprehensive analysis of the currenturban form, establishment of some basic principles, and exhibition of some morphologicalphenomena of general significance as well as those peculiar to itself are ensued.The part of conclusion is summarized from four aspects: The first focuses on the objectof research and its variation, such as the evolutionary process of form types, the units of formtypes, the division of morphological region, and the degree of form persistence; The second isthe important content which the research involves, such as the genesis of Guangzhou city, andthe evolution of the institution of property right; The third is to express some individualopinions on the degree of applicability of the theory and method of Conzenian school applied in the very different cultural conditions in China, and its considerable, but insufficientlyrecognized, potential in planning practice of preservation of historic city; The fourth is tomake a cross-cultural comparison between the research of Guangzhou and the classic casestudy of Conzenian school in Europe.