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Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Hakka settlement in the middle ground

and geographically remote villages, which are becoming a of the “rural-urban fringe” by incorporating the theory of
new form of settlement for humanity in China (Guldin, urban invasion. In his opinion, “rural-urban fringe” was
1996). Unlike the suburban areas in Western countries, not simply an intermediate zone or a continuum between
various vernacular houses and settlements with historical rural and urban areas, but a collective term for the “urban
traditions and distinctive cultures are distributed within fringe” and “rural fringe,” characterized by its distinctive
Chinese peri-urban areas. Driven by rapid urbanization location, internal heterogeneity, and transitional nature
and the demand for a modern lifestyle, increasing numbers (Pryor, 1968). He emphasized that the “rural-urban fringe”
of generic concrete-framed houses are being constructed emerged as agricultural acreage diminished and rural
arbitrarily. Vernacular buildings and modern concrete populations declined, largely due to expanding urban
framed houses are blending and reshaping the Chinese areas and growing urban populations. Subsequently, an
countryside nowadays. In this context, this article attempts increasing number of scholars focused on this area of
to document this hybrid architectural landscape in the research. Russwurm and colleagues have proposed a new
areas between metropolises and geographically remote urban spatial model, subdividing the “rural-urban fringe”
villages, coining it as the “Middle Ground,” a peripheral – also known as the “urban fringe” – into the “inner fringe”
urban condition distinctive to China. and “outer fringe.” In this model, the “rural-urban fringe”
was characterized by various indicators, including property
Due to favorable geographic location and policies, the structure, land use, agricultural structure, and social and
Middle Ground in southern China, specifically Guangdong community structure (Bryant et al., 1982). While their
province, has emerged intensively with rapid urbanization research has provided a valuable theoretical framework
driven by substantial economic growth over the past for understanding the transition between urban and
decades (Liu, 2010; Zhou, 2020). Architecture and its rural areas, it is, to some extent, limited by its focus on
surroundings, as significant cultural assets, are profoundly urbanization models within the Western paradigm.
influenced by specific cultures and contexts in terms of
building forms, ideologies, and techniques (Emmons Responding to the unique urbanization phenomenon
et al., 2012; Rapoport, 1969). Compared to metropolises in Asian countries, McGee (1991) has described the
or rural villages, the Middle Ground experiences contested emergence of a new territory widely distributed across
1
influences from modernity and tradition, which inevitably peri-urban and rural areas as “Desakota,” an interim area
enhance the complexity of its architectural landscape and that combines characteristics of both rural (desa) and
formation mechanisms. Consequently, by taking the Hakka urban (kota). Similar to research on Western countries, the
settlements in Heyuan, Guangdong province, China, as Desakota concept also strongly relied on well-developed
a case study, this article documents the morphological transportation infrastructure. What is unique about
landscape with hybrid rural and urban characteristics Desakota regions, however, is their frequent occurrence in
observed in the peri-urban area. As the various influencing wet-rice agricultural areas, which provide seasonal labor
factors are too complicated to provide exact answers, the and agricultural products to nearby metropolises, such as
research objective is to discuss the future development of the Pearl River Delta and the Yangzi River Delta in China.
the Middle Ground based on the research findings and Desakota regions are highly integrated, “transactive”
explore the role of rural heritage for further research. environments, characterized by migration and commodity
exchange. Compared to Desakota regions in other Asian
2. Theoretical framework of the Middle countries, Chinese Desakotas are shaped not only by large-
Ground scale rural-to-urban migration but also more significantly,
by urbanization in place, specifically through the process
2.1. The blurring urban-rural territory of townization (Guldin, 2001; Zhou, 2020). From the early
2
As urbanization progresses, various disciplines, including
urban planning, social sciences, anthropology, and 1 Desakota: Aiming to challenge the Western discourse
geography, have shown growing interest in the peripheries paradigm, McGee (1991) coined the Indonesian term
of Western metropolises (Liu, 2010). Research on the Desakota, which combines desa (village) and kota
rural-urban fringe can be traced back to 1942, when 2 (town).
Wehrwein (1942) initially proposed that the “rural-urban Townization: This term refers to the transformation
of Chinese villages, which increasingly resemble
fringe” was a transitional zone between urban land uses small towns in terms of lifestyle and socioeconomic
and agricultural areas. Through case studies of American transformation. Source: Guldin, G. E. (2004).
cities, he has elaborated that public transportation and Townizing China. Urban Anthropology and Studies of
residential expansion contributed to the development of Cultural Systems and World Economic Development,
this fringe area. In 1968, Pryor (1968) revised the definition 33(2/4), 139–165.

Volume 7 Issue 1 (2025) 2 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.3649