A Comparative Study On The Spatial Form Of British Concessions Along The Yangtze River In The Early 1920s

The British concession along the Yangtze River is an important part of the residence of foreigners in China in modern times,and it is also an important part of the British colonial system in East Asia.The influence of colonialism and the development of trade ports promoted the modernization process of urban space in East Asia,in which the spatial model represented by British Concession became a model for the development of reservations and local cities.Diplomats represented by Parkes played a key role in the opening,planning,construction,management and development of the British Concessions.The British Concessions in Hankou,Zhenjiang and Jiujiang were all opened in 1861 under his leadership and were recovered in the late 1920 s.Whether it is the interpretation of the spatial form characteristics of British ports or the protection and utilization of the remains of the British Concession,the comparison of the spatial form of individual cases along the Yangtze River has strong research value.In this paper,the British Concessions in Hankou,Zhenjiang and Jiujiang in the early1920 s are selected as the research objects.Based on combing the historical background,the spatial form of the British Concessions is analyzed and compared from four levels: city,block,plot and architecture by using the research methods of urban morphology and architectural typology.At the urban level,this paper analyzes the factors such as the overall layout,scale and boundary form of the British concession,and at the same time combs the changes in the historical process of development;At the block level,the block planning,road form and other elements are discussed and their characteristics are summarized;At the plot level,the layout and division of plots in the block are summarized,and the property rights of each plot and the internal space organization of the plot are combed;At the architectural level,the function,style,distribution and other characteristics of buildings are interpreted as a whole,and the typical buildings are analyzed.In the process of comparing spatial forms,the paper further analyzes the causes and influencing factors that cause the differences of spatial forms,and digs the correlation between political economy,ideological will and physical space.Finally,the spatial characteristics of the British Concession along the Yangtze River in the early 1920 s are explained through the representation forms at different levels and the motivation behind the forms.By combing and analyzing the spatial forms of the British Concessions in Hankou,Zhenjiang and Jiujiang,we can find that the spatial forms of the British Concessions along the Yangtze River in the early 1920 s have common features.This commonality is manifested in the competitive urban location relationship,modern western-style block planning,modular land division and diversified architectural style types.Different levels of spatial forms express different spatial demands,and the spatial competition at the city level reflects the dispute of commercial and trade resources under the competition between China and foreign countries;The new planning at the block level reflects the practice of western urban thought in China and the heterogeneous collage with the old city;The modular space and organizational form at the plot level reflect the control of the British concession authorities on the municipal administration and the adaptability of various formats to its control;The diversity of architectural levels reflects the architects’ exploration of architecture in multiple directions under different demands.These spatial forms reflected the special historical context at that time.Compared with the colonies,the British concession was more like the carrier of free business model,and carried out business development under limited control.This study explains the spatial characteristics of the British Concession at that time as comprehensively as possible by comparative analysis of historical time slices,which provides a reference for the protection of historical relics and urban renewal.