| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 東亞學系 === 106 === As a reflection of a city's history, Urban Memory is closely related to the identity of a city's residents. In popular history,Hong Kong has existed as a Chinese city since 214 BCE, however in 1842, the city's history as a British colony began. Hong Kong's long history as a Chinese city, and Hong Kong's more recent history as a British colony, has resulted in many varying perspectives on the city's historical identity.
The current thesis research will consider the relationship between an influential Buddhist monk of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Beidu, and Urban Memory in Hong Kong as a historically Chinese city. Beidu was a key figure in establishing a historical Chinese presence in Hong Kong. There are still sites dedicated to his memory, which have been preserved to the present day. These sites have become symbolic of the historical Chinese identity of the city and its residents.
The first part of the research will provide an overview of Hong Kong's history, divided into three major periods. The second part will be subdivided into three subsections analyzing the historical record of the monk Beidu; first, by examining the earliest record of his life, the Memoirs of Eminent Monks, and his influence on the regional development of Buddhism. The second section will analyze reference to Beidu in Tang poems and songs, to consider Beidu's image from the perspective of Tang scholars. The third section will review local gazetteers and publications in the centuries since, to determine how Beidu and his historical legacy have been remembered in relation to Hong Kong and regional history.
The final part of the thesis will focus on Hong Kong's contemporary Urban Memory and probe the popular memory of Beidu among Hong Kong citizens. This will be attempted by conducting site surveys and interviews concerning historical sites related to Beidu. The first sections consists of a survey of the historical site of Beidu Rock, located within the Qing Shan Temple. The field study analyzes the current status of the Beidu Rock site to determine how well the site has been preserved. The second section discusses how Beidu’s historical image was used by local government to support city planning projects. The third section examines results of questionnaires and interviews of Hong Kong citizens. The surveys are intended to help discover what image of Beidu exists in the current Urban Memory of citizens, if any at all. Concluding analysis suggests that a majority of people are not familiar with Beidu's achievements, even though he remains a key figure in the history of Hong Kong.
|
|---|
