China in Fiji: displacing traditional players?

A widely held perception in Oceania is that China has taken the opportunity of Western sanctions against Fiji's military-led regime to expand its influence in Fiji. Observers and media in the region were alarmed by the sudden increase of China's pledged aid to Fiji shortly after the 2006 military takeover. They are concerned that China has a well-calculated strategy of displacing traditional Western players in Fiji, most notably Australia and New Zealand. Such concern is not well founded. While China does have multiple interests, including strategic interests, in Fiji, there is no clear evidence to suggest that China aims to displace the traditional players there. China's growing influence in Fiji is part of China's global rise. Both Australia and New Zealand are committed to Fiji and the South Pacific as a whole. Given its substantial interests in Australia and New Zealand, it is not in China's interest to increase its influence in Fiji at the cost of its relations with these two traditional players.     

古建筑复原陈列的内容要素组合与展线布局探析

把古建筑复原陈列的精髓还原为一种人与物之间的共振结合体是非常必要的。一般情况下需对构成复原陈列的诸多内容因素进行归纳、合并处理,以找到各要素的交汇点为最佳,否则只能优先照顾最重要的影响要素,适度兼顾其它要素。古建筑复原陈列的展线布局必然受到古建筑物原始设计线路的制约,因此在实际设计中是一种叠加效应的结果。其最常见的展线布局方式有单一、顺向展线布局和块状串联的"中心辐射式"展线布局两种。     

江苏镇江双井路宋元粮仓遗址考古发掘简报

2009～2010年,南京博物院、镇江博物馆对镇江市区双井路遗址进行考古勘探、发掘,发现并揭示出宋代漕河、清代关河河道,元末明初拖板桥,清代京口驿,宋、元粮仓仓基,宋代官署建筑基址等遗迹、遗址,出土宋代带官、昌字的建筑砖瓦及唐至清代遗物,为研究我国大运河漕运、宋元仓储建筑、镇江地域文化等提供了重要资料。     

武陟嘉应观中的建筑意探析

建筑意包括建筑的艺术形式和艺术内涵.嘉应观作为官式祭祀建筑,集宫、庙、衙为一体,其整体布局规整中富于变化,单体建筑风格多样,既体现了建筑的形式之美,又蕴涵了丰富的政治、文化、艺术等潜意识的元素.     

Geometric architectural pattern and constructive energy analysis at Los Millares Copper Age Settlement (Santa Fé de Mondújar,Almería,Andalusia)

Enclosure walls from late IV to II millennium are an important archeological feature in southeast Iberia and south Portugal. These enclosures were considered to be fortified settlements but have more recently been interpreted as the result of general processes of social complexity, symbolism, monumentality, interaction, and space demarcation, among others. Metric and geometric studies associated with architectural concepts are very important tools to analyze prehistoric communities and bring their own perspective to bear. The planning of monuments or even whole settlements includes a more general perception of space, determined by mythology, topography, taking of place, and social hierarchy, among others.     

论近代中国对外贸易地理方向的变动及其原因

学术界对近代中国对外贸易地理方向变动的探讨多采国别分析模式,本文采用新的分析方法.认为近代中国外贸方向变动的趋势是中国与亚太地区的经贸联系逐渐加强,尽管列强在华势力消长是近代中国外贸方向变动的重要原因,但世界体系下的霸权转移和列强对华贸易的比较利益则决定了近代中国贸易取向的转变,同时近代中国外贸方向的变动仍遵循经济学规律,受地缘和传统因素的制约.以亚太为外贸重心的变动体现出中国参与国际经济的一种长期趋势.     

Dom Hans van der Laan’s Architectonic Space: A Peculiar Blend of Architectural Modernity and Religious Tradition

This article discusses the design methodology of the Benedictine monk-architect Dom Hans van der Laan (1904–91), famous for his manifesto De Architectonische Ruimte (Architectonic Space, 1977), in which he proposed his ideal elementary architecture. In the past, this ideal achitecture was linked to Van der Laan’s proportional system and to his general approach as an architect rather than to his Catholic background. Consequently, the changing conceptual landscape in which he developed his ideas on the relation between religion and design was neglected. Yet, as this article will argue, it is only by carefully exploring the relation between Van der Laan’s attempts to define a fundamental architecture and his ambition to understand the religious traditions they may have sprung from that one can understand how his religion and design methodology influenced each other. Based on unedited primary sources (letters, notes, design sketches, lectures), this article reveals forgotten interconnections between Van der Laan’s religious and architectural thinking. By analysing these motifs, it offers new insights on the interrelationships between religion and architecture that go beyond the traditionalist-modernist dichotomy.     

Hierarchical tendencies and functional patterns among Mainland China’s megaregions

This paper presents an empirical analysis of hierarchical tendencies and functional patterns in the development of Mainland China’s space-economy by operationalizing the concept of “megaregions.” Drawing on the burgeoning literature on megaregions, we first argue that under conditions of economic globalization the megaregion concept does indeed present an effective tool to study the spatial agglomeration of the key components of China’s economic development. Second, we analyze the development status and the key functional characteristics of 16 prospective Chinese megaregions by constructing an index system consisting of 5 functions and 36 indicators. Third, we calculate an entropy index to rank megaregions according to their overall development status and reveal functional differences by applying cluster analysis. We find that the Yangtze River Delta, Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Metropolitan Area, and the Pearl River Delta stand out, identify different varieties of megaregions according to their dominant functional characteristics, and explore the main policy dimensions of the persistent west–east divides observed. The paper is concluded with a discussion of potential avenues for future research.     

Excavations at MR11 on Marawah Island (Abu Dhabi,UAE): new insight into the architecture and planning of Arabian Neolithic settlements and early evidence for pearling

In 1992, an archaeological survey of Marawah Island conducted by the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey identified two significant Neolithic settlements known as MR1 and MR11. Both sites are constructed on prominent rocky platforms located towards the western end of the island. In 2000 and 2003, small-scale excavations took place at MR11, with the first full excavation taking place in 2004. Excavations continued at MR11 between 2014 up to 2019. Radiocarbon dating demonstrates that the site was occupied between the earliest part of the sixth millennium to the mid-fifth millennium BC. Three areas have been so far examined. Area A—a tripartite house (2004 and 2014–2017 excavation seasons); Area B—a partial structure (in 2003 and 2017–2018); and Area C—a series of at least five rooms (in 2017–2019). The results provide a valuable new insight into the architecture and planning of Arabian Neolithic settlements in the region, as well as the earliest known evidence for pearling.     

Bringing gender and spatial theory to life at a German technical university

This article focuses on the use of a university sculpture garden, the renaming of streets, and advice about the use of public space in order to teach the intersection of gender theory with spatial theory. This article outlines methods for teaching gender and spatial theory to international and multidisciplinary bachelor’s and master’s students in English at a German technical university. Most of the students had not learned gender or spatial theory prior to the course. A review of the course syllabus is included, and interactive teaching methods are outlined for the writings of three scholars: Elizabeth Grosz, Henri Lefebvre, and Dolores Hayden. Three intertwined aspects of campus life: its student life, its architecture, and its outdoor sculpture are brought into conversation with those theorists. Students learn the history of their campus buildings, outdoor spaces and artwork, along with how university spaces, place naming, and storytelling all affect their educational and individual experiences. By interacting with and analyzing examples of campus architecture, urban space, and outdoor sculpture, students discover how spatial and gender theories function in everyday life. However, students were more convinced that living gendered interactions affected everyday life, and less convinced that static gender representations such as the sculpture garden or street naming impacted gender ideas and perceptions.