Objects Possessed Vol. 1

OBJECTS POSSESSED: INVENTORY OF POSSESSIONS IN A RURAL VILLAGE HOUSEHOLD

所有物：在农村所有物的条目

RURAL CHINA中国农村

BASEbeijing2011

VOLUME 1



RURAL CHINA中国农村

BASEbeijing2011

VOLUME 1

BASEbeijing, a laboratory devoted to projects related to architecture and design in urban and rural China was established in 2005 in the urban village of Caochangdi by Robert Mangurian, Mary-Ann Ray and Robert Adams. The projects for BASE 6.0 2011 were carried out in collaboration with BASEbeijing associates Irene Keil, David Gregor and Philip Lee.

BASEbeijing gratefully acknowledges the tremendous support it has received from the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, the Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute, the Office of the Vice Provost for Research, the Center for Chinese Studies, the Confucius Institute, Center for Global Intercultural Studies, and the International Institute, the Beijing University of Technol-ogy, the Tulane School of Architecture, and the leadership of the Pearl River Valley Township and Shang Shui Guo Village.

BASEbeijing sees itself as playing a role in rethinking and reinventing the project of education within architecture.

Robert MangurianMary-Ann RayIrene KeilDavid GregorRobert AdamsPhilip LeeAnn BergrenElizabeth GhiselineJason ZhaoZhang JianZhao Zhifeng

2011 BASE TEAMJessie Wanhao CuiBrian DastinElizabeth DavisMatt DeCotiisLaura DiiorioMatt DolanDeena EtterOscar GarciaNicholas HoJeffrey LavineLydia McMullen-LairdIan O’CainAlex PicarielloCameron RingnessMalcolm ScottBrian SulleyCat (Catherine) WangPhilip Yu-Huan WangSabrina (I-Hsuan) WangMatt WarrenBrad Wisselman

2011 BJUT TEAMLiu Jia (Jack)Wu Na (Pamela)Cao Li Ping (Willow)Liu Yu (Louis)Yu Che (Norman)Liu Yang (Calvin)



INTRODUCTION

1BEDROOM

2STORAGE ROOM


“Possession” as a word implies a transformation of the object possessed in which the owner takes a tangible object and instills it with intangible meaning and purpose by claiming it as their own. By looking at someone’s possessions, one can begin to understand the person through their interactions with the material world.

Our goal in creating this inventory of objects found in the typical rural village household of the Pearl River Valley was to understand what objects are ubiquitous within this household and which hold a special place in the home, as marked by the personal value the owner places on them. We began our investigation in the Li and Liu household of the Shang Shui Gou Village (Upper Water Valley) with research questions pertaining to rural culture and a conflicting desire to modernize toward a more urban lifestyle. While we did encounter some of this tension between rural life and modern technology, we gained something more: an insight into two villagers’ lives.

Li and Liu as an elderly couple represent the typical rural villager. Like most, they have lived in the village for almost their entire life.

Li works as a farmer while Liu stays at home. They acquire most of their belongings from the nearby market town, Si Hai, and share a very similar inventory of objects with the other villagers in town. While it could be easy to label the standard objects of the rural household, their possessions are enriched with their personal histories and perspectives.

Their warmth and eagerness to tell us about their possessions made the process all the more interesting. Liu tends to see life through the lens of her illnesses; her legs and stomach are disease-ridden, inhibiting her movement and forcing her to take medicine multiple times a day. While she yearns for jewelry and other material objects, she worries the most about her health. Still, her willingness to discuss the things she owns and curiosity about our lives and material culture prove her life is not restricted to sickness and pain. Li has a more positive perspective. Happy with his life and work, he cherishes his health and the tools that have served him well throughout his lifetime. He views possessions in a very practical manner, describing them directly in terms of how he uses them-- less concerned with their age and origin.

The major theme that we discovered in documenting their possessions was their unwitting sustainability; nearly all of their

objects are at least ten years old and have been recycled, repurposed, and/or serve multiple purposes. While some of this may be contributed to their rural lifestyle, it is also a test to their resourcefulness and ingenuity. They often find creative ways to use an ordinary object, maximizing its presence in their life. They do not live a minimal lifestyle by any means, but the objects they own are not only consumed but truly possessed.

The possessions documented here do not create a complete inventory, but rather a portrait of the essential objects in the couple’s life. From them, we hope the reader can gain some insight into the lives of Li and Liu, as well as the possessions themselves as entities that are, if not living, active participants in the couple’s life.

I want nothing because I’m satisfied with my life now,

and I feel happy now.

LI XIU CHUN李秀春

I want to buy so many things, but I don’t have

enough money. How do you want me to have any

wishes?

LIU GUI LAN李桂兰

BEDROOM卧室

wo shilaying down + room

1

Use/Purpose:Frequency of Use:

Origin:Price:

Age:

Materials:

sleep; miscellaneous tasksdaily and nightly

built into houseuknown

age of house

brick, mud

DE: What do you use the kang for?L: I sleep and sit here.

MAR: She cooks, she cuts vegetables here.L: I cut vegetables out there, in the kitchen.JC: Probably for larger dishes.

MAR: Last time, she did origami. Maybe she had a table. She was cross legged, folding them.

DE: Is this a social area or is it just for sleeping?L: I’m old and don’t have a lot of visitors. My daughter-in law and sister will come and sleep here.

MAR: And when we come, it’s a social space. She always brings us here and wants us to sit here.

BED 炕

kangbed (heated by fire)

1

DRESSER柜子

gui zicloset


Origin:Price:

Age:

Materials:

food, miscellaneous storagedaily

carpenter-made50 RMB / 7.68 USD

30 years

wood

L: Yes, it’s called gui zi. We keep stuff inside. It’s really messy now.

MAR: What do they keep in here?

L: Just everything. Everything I can organize. Everything’s there. Nowadays, people have the big modern closet. [Having this older dresser] is the same as buying a modern one.

Li and Liu hired a carpenter, who construct-ed the two gui zi and the yi gui together for a total of 50 yuan. They have been us-ing these closets for about thirty years now.

2

Use/Purpose:

Frequency of Use:

Origin:Price:

Age:

Materials:

check personal appear-ance

when needed

Si Hai20 RMB / 3.08 USD

unknown

wood, glass


Origin:

Price:Age:

Materials:

to check the timedaily, when needed

purchased by granddaugh-ter

unknown10 years

plastic

CLOCK钟

zhongclock

MIRROR镜子

jing zimirror

CLOTHING上衣

shang yiup + clothes

DE: What do you usually wear in winter?

L: My clothing is tattered. I always wear the cotton-padded clothing. I have no way to earn money, so I don’t have any beautiful clothes because I spend most of my money on the medicines for hypertension and diabetes.

DE: So, you don’t have favorite outerwear or anything?

L: No, I don’t.


Origin:Price:

Age:

circulate air; cool downextremely hot days

Si Hai

unknown2 years

DE: Where did you get the fan?L: Si Hai

DE: How long have you used it?L: 2 years

DE: Do you use this fan more than the electric fan or do they use electric fan more often?L: The [hand] fan.

DE: How often do you use electric fan?L: If the weather is too hot, we will use the electric fan.

ELECTRIC FAN电扇

dian shanelectric fan

FAN扇子

shan zifan

MUG瓷杯 / 杯子

ci bei / bei ziporcelain + glass/cup


Origin:

Price:Age:

Materials:

hold straws rarely

gift from granddaughter in Beijing

unknown10 years

porcelain

GLASS CUP玻璃杯

bo li beiUse/Purpose:

Frequency of Use:

Origin:

Price:Age:

Materials:

serve drinks for guestsrarely; only when relatives

come

Si Hai

1 RMB per cup / .15 USD10 years

glass

3

PRAYER BEADS佛珠

fou zhuBuddhist + bead


Origin:Price:

Age:

Materials:

worshipdaily

unknownunknownunknown

wood, string

BEADS

ORIGAMI纸元宝

zhi yuan baopaper + origin + precious


Origin:Price:

Age:

Materials:Dimensions:

token burned for Buddhaduring Spring Festival

unknown60 RMB for 100 sheets /

9.23 USDpracticing for 20 years

paper26.5 cm x 18 cm

“I pray every first and fifteenth day of the lunar calendar month. My health isn’t good, so I pray.”

She makes them in her spare time and will burn 50-60 during the Spring Festival.

DE: How many do you make?Li: Whenever I have time, I make them.

DE: Where did you learn how to do this?Li: Someone introduced Buddha to me.

DE: When did you learn how to make these?Li: Twenty years ago. Every time we celebrate the Spring Festival, my husband and I burn them.

OG: How much does the paper cost?L: 100 sheets cost about 60-70 kuai.

[Liu demonstrates how to fold the origami.]

L: I fold them when I have spare time. On the first and fifteenth day of the lunar calendar month, I’ll burn them. It’s pretty easy.

DE: Do you like making them?L: Yes.OG: It looks like fun.

DE: Do you pray everyday or just during the Spring Festival?Li: I pray every first and fifteenth day of the lunar calendar month. My health isn’t good, so I pray.

DE: How many do you burn at once?L: There’s no set number, but during the Spring Festival we burn more than 50 or 60. On the first and fifteenth day, we only burn 7-10 of them.

TOBACCO烟草

yan caosmoke + grass


Origin:

Price:

Age:

Materials:

to be smoked in pipeseveral times a day

unknown

20 RMB a month / 3.08 USD

unknown

tobacco

PIPE旱烟

han yandry + cigarette


Origin:

Price:Age:

Materials:

to smoke tobaccoseveral times a day

gift from daughter

unknown7-8 years

jade mouthpiece

CIGARETTES香烟

xiang yanfragrant + smoke


Origin:Price:

Age:

Materials:

leisure, relaxationone pack a day

Si Hai3-5 RMB / .46-.77 USD

1 day

tobacco, paper

Li’s favorite brand is Yi Pin Mei. He smokes at least one pack a day. When guests come, he of-fers them cigarettes as a gesture of hospitality.

HAT草帽

cao maograss + hat


Origin:Price:

Age:

Materials:

block the sunhot, sunny days

villageunknown

1 year

straw

DE: I like your hat. How many hats do you have?Li: Thanks, I just have two.

DE: How long have you had those hats?Li: I bought them this year.

DE: In the village?Li: Yes.

DE: Do you wear them every day?Li: When it’s hot.

COMMUNIST PARTY POSTER

海报

hai baoposter

Use/Purpose:

Frequency of Use:

Origin:

Price:Age:

Materials:

show support for Communist party

stays on the wall

given to Li from the govern-mentfree

unknown

paper

POSTER年画

nian huafestival + poster


Origin:Price:

Age:

Materials:

celebrate Spring Festivalstays on the wall

villageunknown2 years

paper

J: Well, they are interesting, those posters on the wall. Can you tell us something about them?L: They’re just some pictures pasted on wall during the Spring festival.J: It’s a typical Chinese tradition.

DE: Did you get them in the village?L: I bought them the year before last year. I have not bought them this year because of health rea-sons. I can’t paste them in that high place even if I bought them. My husband also can’t do that. He is 80 years old.

DE: Would you want other posters if you could get them, or do you like these ones?L: I change them every year. I went to the market and didn’t find any other ones I wanted, so I bought these ones.

MAO POSTER毛主席画像

mao zhu xi hua xiangChairman Mao’s portrait


Origin:Price:

Age:

Materials:

remembrance, honorstays on the wall

unknownunknown3 years

paper

DE: I noticed that there are lots of posters of Mao [in the village]. How do you feel about Mao?

L: Because he is our honorable leader, he is a great leader. He led the people to happiness and got rid of poverty. Most people in the rural village have Mao’s poster. They admire him very much.

TELEVISION电视

dian shielectric + vision


Origin:

Price:Age:

Materials:

entertainmentnightly

purchased by grand-daughterunknown3 years

plastic, glass

The TV is mainly used for 3-6 hours at night. Liu’s favorite programs are CCTV shows, while Li likes the Beijing Opera channel. This newer model has over 50 channels and has replaced a smaller, older model the cou-ple still keeps but does not currently use.

DE: How long have you had the TV?

L: My granddaughter bought me this TV three years ago. I have a small TV in the other room, but it’s really old.

DE: Do you watch a lot of TV?

L: The TV has 50 channels. I watch it a lot.

DE: How many hours a day?

L: I watch it mostly during the night. We turn it on at 4 or 5 o’clock and watch it during the night, sometimes until 11 pm.

DE: What did you do before you had the TV at night?

L: I’ve been watching TV for 25 or 26 years. When my ex-husband was alive, we watched black and white TV. Then my granddaughter bought me a color TV, and now we have this one.

DE: Wow, so you’ve had a TV for a long time. What is your favorite TV program?

L: I like TV shows from CCTV. My husband likes the Beijing Opera channel, but I change it to a CCTV show.

REFRIGERATOR冰箱

bing xiangice + box


Origin:Price:

Age:

Materials:

cool and store fooddaily

Si Haiunknown10 years

metal, plastic

J: How many years ago did you buy the fridge? Li: We’ve had it for ten years.

J: We use the same brand, Hare, in our family. L: That’s great. The refrigerator is in good quality, but is a little small.

BD: Do most villagers have refrigerators?L: Yes. We bought it a while ago, so it’s smaller than most of the others.

[He shows us the inside of his fridge.]

DE: What’s your favorite food?J: I like rice and flour and powder made by corn (bang zi mian).

“It’s a good refrigerator, but it’s a little small.”


Origin:Price:

Age:

Materials:

display and protect photosstays on the wall

villageunknownunknown

wood, glass, metal

PICTURE FRAME相框

xiang kuangpicture + frame

EARRINGS耳环

er huanear + ring


Origin:

Price:Age:

Materials:

accessory worn by Liuworn daily

Yan Qing District

unknown12-13 years

pyrite (fool’s gold)

RING戒指

jie zhiring + finger


Origin:

Price:Age:

Materials:


Yan Qing District

3 RMB / .46 USD4-5 years

pyrite (fool’s gold)

4

5


Origin:

Price:Age:

Materials:


gift from granddaughter

uknown6 years

metal

D: If you had lots of money, what would be the things you would most want to buy?Liu: I want to buy another bracelet for my left wrist.

Liu regards this as one of her most beautiful and precious objects. She wishes she had more accessories like this but cannot afford to buy new things because of her medical costs. She relies on her children and grandchildren for necessities like this, but they rarely visit and take care of her, causing her great sadness.

BRACELET手镯

shou zhuohand + wrist

FLASHLIGHT手电

shou dianhand + electric

Use/Purpose:

Frequency of Use:

Origin:Price:

Age:

Materials:

light way to the bathroom;find things in the dark

nightly, before bedtime

Si Haiunknownunknown

plastic

Li and Liu turn the lights off at 9-10 pm and use the flashlight afterwards. It is rechar-gable, which makes it convenient to use for short periods of time throughout the night.

Use/Purpose:

Frequency of Use:

Origin:

Price:Age:

Materials:

as blankets placed overthe kang

nightly

handmade by Liu

unknownvarying

cloth

DE: How many sheets do you have?

L: Four to five.

DE: Do you make those?

L: Yes, I made them myself.

DE: How long ago did you make them?

L: Fifteen to sixteen years ago.

LINENS被子

bei zicover

MEDICINE药品

yao pinmedicine + object

L: I’m poor, and once I have money I need to spend most of it on medicine. There is no way for me to earn money. I only have 230 yuan from the government subsidy each month.

LY: Is it enough?

L: It is far from enough. I will pay 400-500 yuan a month for my medicine.

DE: Where do you get that money?

L: It is the government subsidy for old people in the village. So my wishes [for other things] are useless without money.

FOOTNOTESThe Kang Room1. Though Liu claims the kang is only for sleeping, we have seen her perform many other tasks on the kang including folding her clothes, sorting her medicine, and counting her prayer beads. As Mary-Ann suggested, it also seems to be a social space; she has invited us to sit on the kang with her every visit. Thus, the kang serves multiple purposes in Liu’s daily life whether she consciously acknowledges them or not.

2. The two gui zi seem to have different uses; the gui zi near the yi gui is used for linens and clothing storage while the gui zi on the far side of the room is used for consumable food storage like eggs. The gui zi on the far side seems to be older, but that is because it was not repainted like the other gui zi.

3. This mug is arguably one of the most modern possessions Liu has, decorated with it’s colorful cartoon character and English writing, yet she does not use it often, but instead displays it as a straw holder. It seems she gets the most use out of her older possessions and views more modern items, like this mug, as decoration. When asked if she knew what “Valentine” meant, she told us she didn’t know and didn’t care to know.

4/5. Liu’s ring and earrings are some of her most precious objects, despite the fact they are not made of real gold. She would like to own other rings and earrings, if she had the money.

STORAGE ROOMchu cang shi

储藏室storage + room

2

CUPBOARD碗柜

wan guibowl + cabinet


Origin:Price:

Age:

Materials:

store miscellaneous dishesmoderate

carpenter-made unknown30 years

wood

3

1

SAW锯子/弓

ju zi / gongUse/Purpose:

Frequency of Use:

Origin:Price:

Age:

Materials:

cut woodwhen needed

Si Haiunknown

fairly new

wood, metal

1

BUDDHIST SHRINE佛龛

fo kanBuddha + box


Origin:Price:

Age:

Materials:

place of prayer to Buddhafirst and fifteenth of lunar

calendar monthunknownunknown

1 year

incense, fruit, vase, flowers

DE: Can we ask you about when you became a Buddhist?L: This year.DE: Was that shrine new this year?L: Yes it was invited this year.DE: Why did you become a believer? L: Because I have many diseases. When I lay on the bed at night my whole body itches. DE: How about your husband?L: He is very healthy.L: I have many diseases like diabetes and my stomach doesn’t feel well either. My knees are not so good either. That‘s why I’m willing to become a Buddhist.DE: But does your husband pray with you?L: No, he doesn’t.L: I invited the Buddha into the house to cure the disease.

2

Use/Purpose:

Frequency of Use:

Origin:Price:

Age:

Materials:

memento of Liu’s firsthusband

stored away

Cultural Revolutionpricelessunknown

wood, glass, photographs

MAR: Can we see the picture of your deceased husband?

[She shows us the picture of her ex-husband.]

MAR: You still have incense burning for him.

OG: Is this the only piece of memorabilia you have of him?

L: Yes. I don’t like looking at the picture. It’s disturbing to look at.

PORTRAIT OF DECEASEDHUSBAND

亡夫遗照wang fu yi zhao

dead + husband + left + photograph

33

ANCESTRAL SHRINE祖宗灵位

zu zong ling weiancestor + spirit + place

Use/Purpose:

Frequency of Use:

Origin:

Price:Age:

Materials:

pray and show deferenceto Li and Liu’s ancestors

infrequently

given to couple after Li’sparents passed away

freeunknown

incense, cups, alcohol, redcloth

FOOTNOTESThe Storage Room1. This cupboard is used to store the many dishes they do not use daily. Most are stored for when relatives come for the Spring Festival.

2. While Liu is religoius for medical reasons, Li acknowledges that he does not believe in Buddha or any other god. He has, on multiple occasions, called Liu’s beliefs “superstition”, though he does burn paper with her for Buddha.

3. The only memorabilia Liu has left of her first husband is that of jiang zhuang (奖状), or the honor certificate he received from his participation in the Cultural Revolution, and two old photographs. Liu seems to still love her first husband. In conversation, she tends to compare Li to her first husband, usually criticizing Li for the traits he lacks.

BASEbeijing, a laboratory devoted to projects related to architecture and design in urban and rural China was established in 2005 in the urban village of Caochangdi by Robert Mangurian, Mary-Ann Ray and Robert Adams. The projects for BASE 6.0 2011 were carried out in collaboration with BASEbeijing associates Irene Keil, David Gregor and Philip Lee.

BASEbeijing gratefully acknowledges the tremendous support it has received from the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, the Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute, the Office of the Vice Provost for Research, the Center for Chinese Studies, the Confucius Institute, Center for Global Intercultural Studies, and the International Institute, the Beijing University of Technol-ogy, the Tulane School of Architecture, and the leadership of the Pearl River Valley Township and Shang Shui Guo Village.

BASEbeijing sees itself as playing a role in rethinking and reinventing the project of education within architecture.

Documents

Objects Possessed Vol. 1