Home>Course>[CHES3403] Social-Cultural Immersion>CHES3403

As a relationship between people starts with contact, focusing specifically on how we embody and are entangled with different material spaces is an important step in building a human-place relationship. In this practice-based field-trip course, we will explore our relationships to place by paying attention to the sensory landscape of specific areas. How do the sensory aspects of our surroundings perform on and for us? And how do we perform in and with them? How might offering a different perspective on the “sensescapes” of sound, smell, sight, taste, and touch we experience at a particular place provide alternative insights into official narratives of place branding or help reveal sedimented layers of history, culture, and belonging?

To this end, during this field-trip course, we will embark on a sensory-rich exploration in the heart of Guangdong Province to the twin cities of Chaozhou and Shantou. There, we will unravel the fabric of tradition and modernity, delving into the “sensescapes” that define the Minnan culture and the Teochew (Chaoshan) community. Since China’s reform and opening up, these cities have charted a course of remarkable economic growth while steadfastly preserving their rich cultural heritage. Internationally celebrated for their cultural practices, Chaozhou and Shantou serve as sensory museums, where the legacy of the past is not only visible but also palpable in every aspect of city life today.

As we navigate the museums, temples, and streets of Chaozhou and Shantou, we will not simply observe but actively engage with the environment. The scent of freshly brewed Gongfu tea, the sound of Yingge dance echoing through ancient alleyways, the touch of finely crafted porcelain, and the vibrant visuals of traditional architecture all combine to form a multi-sensory experience of the living history. We will consider how these sensory experiences contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the two places, revealing the complexities of identity, history, and community that exist beyond the grand narratives often presented in stereotypical imagery often used to brand these cities.

In this course, participants are required to keep a multimedia journal recording field notes from their various daily activities in Chaozhou and Shantou. You will also complete a group mental mapping exercise and an individual ethnographic report that may combine writing, drawing, video, sound, etc., and apply the embodied experience from your field trip to ideas of sense- and place-making.