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

Shenzhen. Each floor is equipped with its own living The case of He Deyou’s second house representatively
room and bathroom, allowing different generations to live demonstrates how new concrete housing in the Middle
individually without interference. From the author’s field Ground is influenced primarily by the financial capacity
notes: of the inhabitants and support from the local government.
“When I arrived at He Deyou’s first house, he was In this area, construction periods are often uncertain,
selling Hakka salted food to a trucker, while his wife depending on the owner’s ability to accumulate savings
was preparing forage to feed chickens in the backyard. and secure loans (as He Youde noted: “continuing to build
He Deyou proudly mentioned that his salted food the houses once I have enough money”). As a result, one
was popular among truckers transporting goods characteristic feature of housing in the Middle Ground
along the National Highway. Every time they passed is that buildings tend to develop dynamically over time,
by, they would stop to buy from his shop. Sometimes, rather than being completed all at once. Simultaneously,
his customers even order through WeChat, and he these new houses might exhibit some homogeneity due to
delivers his food across the country by express.” strict regulations and master plans, such as limits on the
number of stories, building area, and even the façade design
More and more Hakka people, like He Deyou, are
exploring various opportunities to increase income, (must obey the government’s planning and regulations).
such as processing agricultural products and selling With the increasing population density, the seasonality
Hakka food to other cities. These diverse income sources of paddy cultivation also causes imbalanced labor
have reduced the Hakka people’s dependence on the demands, particularly during the off-season, when smaller
clan and facilitated a shift toward household division. plots of farmland offer limited work (Oshima, 1986). As a
This household division has led to a demand for more result, many people need to seek alternative employment
independent and private living spaces. As a result, many opportunities during these periods, spurring the growth
Hakka people have abandoned their collective housing of small businesses and family enterprises. In addition,
and moved into new detached dwellings. Despite this urbanization and industrialization have transformed
shift, paddy cultivation remains an important source of traditional market structures into modern shops and
income, and traditional agricultural activities continue department stores (Figures 14 and 15). As more people
to affect how local people utilize their space. Specifically, live in towns or take up non-agricultural jobs in villages,
grain sunning, processing, and feeding livestock are new demands for industrial goods and services have
still common in these new concrete dwellings and burgeoned, particularly among the younger generation. In
are frequently considered significant functions when the study area, Zhongxin town is regarded as the central
building a new dwelling. The foreyard on the ground city of its surrounding villages, featuring two permanent
floor is often used as a parking lot or for sunning grains. market complexes in the town center. These markets act as
Consequently, the architectural landscape in the Middle intermediaries due to their scale and the substantial range
Ground is increasingly characterized by scattered,
fragmentary individual buildings, as opposed to the
cohesive, collective traditional Hakka settlements. Yet,
the traditional agricultural lifestyle persists within these
modern houses. During an interview, He Youde explained
that he built his second house with government support:
“In 2012, the village committee informed us that
we could receive a ¥20,000 RMB housing allowance
from the government if we built a new house.
Although the new house must obey the government’s
planning and regulations, it was a great opportunity
for me to provide a house for each of my sons. I
applied for the allowance to cover the structural
construction, but have not been able to afford the
façade and interior decorations yet. Hence, the
house is temporarily used as a paddy-processing
workshop and storage. Once I earn enough money,
the project will continue (interview with He Youde Figure 14. Permanent markets in the Middle Ground of the peripheral
in his first house, June 2021).” Pearl River Delta. Source: Photos by the authors (2018)

Volume 7 Issue 1 (2025) 11 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.3649