Page 143 - JCAU-6-4

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Emotive architecture in China

China’s socioeconomic landscape (Di Clemente et al., 2021) in both contexts, illustrating the impact of emotion-
and altered the dynamics between urban and rural spaces, centric design within the broader narrative of China’s
underscoring the profound changes in modernization. modernization.
This rural-urban transformation is fundamentally 2. Historical context and cultural
altering the relationship between people and land, which significance
has historically been the cornerstone of Chinese culture.
It has also given rise to various cultural and spiritual 2.1. The concept of “emotion” in Chinese culture
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issues. Responsively, rural revitalization has emerged as a
prominent focus. Government policy adjustments between The Chinese term “qinggan” (情感), commonly translated
2020 and 2021 have emphasized rural revitalization as a as “emotion” in English, encompasses a broad and intricate
critical objective for the next 15 years (Government of spectrum of concepts within Chinese culture, eluding a
China, 2021). The rearticulation of the Sannong (三农; singular definition in colloquial or academic discourse.
three rural issues) highlights the integral role of rural areas Similarly, there is no definitive scientific consensus on the
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in China’s modernization and the inseparable relationship meaning of the English term “emotion” (Cabanac, 2002;
between urban and rural domains (Government of China, Dixon, 2003). Furthermore, the translation of “emotion”
2023b). Furthermore, the rural revitalization strategy to “qinggan” is not straightforward; the two terms may
(Government of China, 2018) aims to reconstruct and refer to different concepts in varying contexts. In English
reshape rural spiritual and social communities, reflecting physiological, neurological, or cognitive theories, primary
the government’s attention to the emotional needs of its emotions such as fear, anger, sadness, and happiness, as
people as China faces the challenges of modernization. well as their combinations or dimensional interpretations,
are more accurately translated into Chinese as “qingxu”
Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated (情绪), a term that can also encompass mood and
the pivotal role of emotions in shaping individuals’ sentiment in English (Barrett, 2017; Lewis et al., 2008).
perceptions of their environment. Mental health challenges Interestingly, Gilles Deleuze’s concept of “affect,” which
highlight the need for emotionally resilient spaces. refers to a dynamic and transformative process emerging
Exploring how emotions within spaces influence human from interactions between different entities and forces,
behavior and societal structures has become crucial, creating new potentials and realities rather than a fixed
emphasizing the importance of understanding emotions outcome (Deleuze & Guattari, 1987), resonates more
not only in academic research but also in practical closely with qinggan. However, contemporary Chinese
applications. literature often translates “affect” as “qingdong” (情动) (Jin,
Architecture serves as an interface between humans 2022), which is akin to “arousal” in everyday English usage.
and the natural environment, and as a medium through It is worth noting that Chinese words originally existed
which broader political and economic trends are as single characters, with the combination into double
manifested. The functions of buildings, along with people’s characters occurring later. The characters “情”(qing)
adaptative uses of them, reflect the need for adjustments and “感” (gan) each have complex meanings , and the
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and strategies. Concurrently, architectural planning and combination “情感” (qinggan) does not have a definitively
design methodologies can echo and anticipate human recognized origin. Due to space constraints and the need to
needs, facilitating a state of balance. focus on the narrative, this article primarily discusses the
This article underscores the urgency of studying the concept of “emotive” and “emotion” in terms of the single
emotional dimensions of architectural design in the character “情” (qing) within the Chinese cultural context.
context of Chinese urbanization and rural revitalization. It In Chinese philosophy, qing encapsulates a broad
compares two case studies of architectural transformation spectrum of emotional states, including emotions, feelings,
1 “Spiritual” refers to “jingshen wenming (精神文明).” In moods, affection, and more. This concept plays a crucial
the Chinese context, this concept encompasses the comprehensive role in cognition, decision-making, and the forging of
development of ideological and moral education, cultural relationships (Feng & Bodde, 1952), influencing human
development, social ethos, and scientific progress. Its aim is to behaviors and societal interactions. Qing is regarded as a key
enhance the overall cultural and moral quality of society, with the tool for achieving the philosophical ideal of the “Oneness of
goal of achieving holistic social progress and personal development. Heaven and Humanity” (天人合一; tianren heyi), the pursuit
2 The term “sannong” (三农), which addresses subjects
related to agriculture, farmers, and rural areas, was formally 3 The character qing (情) is generally used as a noun and
introduced by researchers in the late 1980s. It highlights the can be translated as emotion, affection, feeling, situation, etc.; gan
significance of rural issues for the country’s economic and social (感) can be used as both noun and verb, translated as feeling/feel,
development. sensation/sense, perception/perceive, etc.

Volume 6 Issue 4 (2024) 2 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.1606