Page 56 - JCAU-7-3

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Rural–urban village regeneration

and drawing exercises, pegboards for displaying objects, a
multimedia display at the back for video playbacks, and
two sets of moveable desks and stools. In addition, mobile
audio systems and power banks can be stored within the
kiosk, eliminating the need for an external power supply.
Although no school exists in Shui Hau village, this model
of spatial transformation can be readily applied to the
village’s football court, replicating similar scenarios.
Traditional rituals and cuisine are essential to the
cultural identity of the indigenous villagers in this coastal
village. Within the village fabric, several underutilized
spaces serve as informal communal areas where these
rituals are conducted. On weima (尾祃; pronounced meinga Figure 5. Activating the outdoor area of the village office using the
gastronomy kiosk
in Cantonese) – the 16 of the last Lunar month and the Source: Screen capture from a video by the authors (2020).
th
2 of the Lunar New Year – villagers worship at multiple
nd
spots, beginning at the ancestral hall and proceeding to the into temporary communal spaces. Furthermore, this
Tai Wong Yeh temple (大王爷庙; Dawangye Miao), the reinterpretation of cultural cuisine strengthens cultural
pair of boundary stones, the Earth God shrine, and finally identity by evoking social memories and fostering
returning to the ancestral hall. The rituals involve burning connections with senior villagers.
incense and firecrackers, beating drums and gongs, and
offering pork. Afterward, the pork is shared among village 5.2. Architectural restoration of House No. 49
families. To provide additional communal spaces and facilitate
communication between insiders and outsiders, the
In addition to rituals, food preparation is another
cornerstone of cultural expression. Beyond the everyday research team proposed restoring House No. 49 and
repurposing it as the Shui Hau Living Cooperative. The
dish “Lai Wok Pin” (in Cantonese) discussed earlier, young female house owner (daughter of the Phoenix Store
villagers prepare various types of steamed glutinous rice proprietor) will host a series of cultural workshops in this
cakes for special occasions. For example, chaguo (茶 space, including indigo dyeing, soap-making, and cultural
果; pronounced chaguo in Cantonese) is made for the cuisine tasting for interested residents and visitors.
Qingming festival on the 15 day after the Spring Equinox,
th
whereas zaci (杂糍; pronounced zaapchi in Cantonese) Listed as a Grade 3 Historic building by the Antiquities
for Tianji (天忌; pronounced Tingei in Cantonese) on the and Monuments Office (AMO), House No. 49 was built in
19 of the first Lunar month. Steaming these rice cakes the 1920s and appears to follow a Qing vernacular design.
th
requires a large stove in a well-ventilated area to manage It features a one-hall-one-courtyard layout, a single-
smoke. While many traditional outdoor stoves have bay width, and a single-story structure. At present, it is a
disappeared over time, one Chan family still operates such hybridized structure: the front part consists of stone walls
a stove in their backyard. covered by a flat concrete roof accessible through the central
skylight well, while the rear part features brick walls, timber
To support the reinterpretation of these cultural purlins, and battens supporting a pitched roof with Canton
culinary practices, a gastronomy kiosk was designed and tiles (Chinese pan and roll tiles) topped by a flat ridge.
introduced during a trial event, cultural cuisine day. This
mobile kiosk can be stationed at different spots to activate House No. 49 shares its façade with the adjacent house,
semi-public spaces for various functions. For instance, it including granite stones, concrete parapet walls, and
can be placed in the Tai Wong Yeh temple for pork sharing, greenish urn balustrades. A timber door separates the
in the front yards of village houses for snack-making, in entrance hall from the main hall, and a small mezzanine
the backyard for cooking leihuobian, or in the outdoor area floor, supported by timber beams, is constructed along the
of the village office for meal sharing (Figure 5). The kiosk rear wall (Figure 6). While House No.19 is currently used
is equipped with magnetic bars for displaying information as a warehouse with storage racks on both sides, the house
panels, hooks for hanging culinary utensils, expandable owner maintains the ancestral altar in the center with
table panels for food preparation, a wok holder, and respect and care.
shelves for portable fuel tanks and cooking sets. Using the The restoration proposal emphasizes preserving the
kiosk, participants can engage with the existing spatial authentic architectural esthetics of House No. 49 while
configurations (e.g., parapet seating), transforming them adopting a schematic design with minimal intervention.

Volume 7 Issue 3 (2025) 7 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.4992