On the Capital Plan of Nanking in the Nationalist Era of China, 1928-1937

• Main Authors: Chun-Hsiung Wang, 王俊雄
• Other Authors: Chuan-Wen Sun
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2002
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/y2grs9

博士 === 國立成功大學 === 建築學系碩博士班 === 90 === Abstract The article explores the “knowledge/power” relationship in the Nanking Capital Plan, which was made by the Nationalist Government during 1928 to 1937; based on which, the article also attempts to reinterpret why and how “city planning” was transplanted and institutionalized in Modern China. To analyze the historical context behind the Capital Plan, the article begins with how Chinese planning was replaced by the Western and examines particularly how modern “city planning” arose in Modern China as well as in the Nationalist Government. Thereafter, the article analyzes the planning process and the texts of the Capital Plan so as to explain the corresponding relationship between state sovereignty and the Capital Plan. Last, the article discusses the great influence exerted by the Capital Plan on the institutionalization of city planning in Modern China. Findings are as the followings. First of all, the Capital Plan is a part of the Nationalist Government’s state-building movement. The history of the Capital Plan, on one hand, is the history about Nanking, which was chosen as the capital by the Nationalist Government and was therefore framed by a modern city plan. On the other hand, it is also the history about how the Nationalist Government manipulated their territory so as to reinforce their ruling. Secondly, to achieve the above purpose, the Nationalist Government created two planning discourses, namely, “scientific rationalism” and “nationalism”. In the former discourse, the Nationalist Government claimed that through scientific city planning, they would convert an old, backward, chaotic China into a civilized, orderly China. In the latter discourse, based on planning of government administration district, the Nationalist Government would like to command the society with the ideology of Nationalism. The article also finds that those well presented planning discourses were the convenient camouflage for certain individuals to pursue for power. On one hand, we learned how the Plan was changed along with the power wrestling of the political leaders in the Nationalist Government. On the other hand, we also learned how the professionals in charge of the Capital Plan attempted to capitalize on the Plan while constructing city planning profession in the state apparatus. Last, through analyzing the influences of the above two planning discourses on the establishment of Modern China’s city planning, the article concludes that the Capital Plan, intertwined by the “knowledge/power” relationship, was not only the historical origin of city planning in China, but has been exerting influence until now. We also learned that, through discourses and reappearance of symbols, those in power could impose knowledge or symbols, though not yet prevailed but were beneficial to themselves, on the society. As a consequence, they were able to assume the leadership of politics, economy, as well as ideology in the society. Keywords: Capital Plan, Nanking, City Planning, Discourse on Planning, State-Building, Knowledge/Power