People of Everywhere and Nowhere - An architectural investigation into the Chinese diaspora within Tāmaki Makaurau

Abstract

A notable community of diasporic people of Chinese origin can be found in Auckland, New Zealand, having come into being due to past historical circumstances, that is, due to geopolitical, environmental, and economic factors. This project is interested in how the identity of this Chinese community is coded with “otherness” and how this otherness might be reinterpreted — especially in the context of New Zealand, where New Zealanders of Chinese descent might feel simultaneously part of, as well as alienated from, a Kiwi national identity. The absence of a recognisable Chinatown in New Zealand has meant that Chinese individuals have assimilated into New Zealand culture behind closed doors, practising cultural traditions and everyday customs in private within the family home. Consequently, preserving these traditions over the years has enabled a hybrid identity to evolve quietly. How do unique hybrid identities of this sort develop and contribute to the urban fabric of Auckland? Despite the Chinese being the largest Asian subgroup in New Zealand (28% as of 2018), there are limited architectures in Auckland that engage with the community. In a way, the Chinese-New Zealander community can serve as a case study for a larger question, namely the question of architecture’s capability to connect individuals with their cultural heritage. With the COVID-19 outbreak in 2019, the citizenship of many ChineseNew Zealanders has come under question, raising issues of racism and xenophobia. New forms of cold and trade war have exacerbated matters, leaving the relationship with China to tread on thin ice. If tensions were to worsen, the Chinese residing in New Zealand could be scapegoated, as proven during upheavals of anti-Asian sentiments brewing from Yellow Peril to Chinese Polls Tax to Asian Invasion. This raises the question: if ethnic enclaves and Chinatowns were born out of the necessity of a safe, haven space, why does New Zealand not have one, or do we need/already have one? This thesis is a creative autoethnography that traverses issues of Chinese-New Zealand identity. Through various mediums exploring both New Zealand and Chinese cultures, the thesis intends to address this hybrid phenotype through modular, nomadic and guerilla "Chinatown" markets, which are sprawled throughout multiple sites, and form varying scales; constantly moving, adapting, and actively avoiding confrontation — just like the quiet Asian immigrants. Tasked with representing a more inclusive and holistic view of space, incorporating social, cultural, and subjective aspects, this thesis hopes to bring discourse to the idea of cultural spaces that are not fixed but continually evolving and shaped by multiple identities.