Anna Zhao

    Anna.whizh@yahoo.com

    THE fifth Shenzhen-Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture (UABB) in Shekou, Nanshan District, has been extended two more weeks until March 14 after a conclusion ceremony Friday.

    Featuring an exploration of the “urban border,” the exhibition has the participation of 135 exhibitors from 21 countries, including Britain, France, the Netherlands, Finland, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, India, Belgium, Japan and Italy.

    Located at two venues in Nanshan, the exhibition has successfully drawn the public’s attention for its creativity and unique characteristics — more than 180,000 people from both home and abroad paid visits to the exhibition since its opening Dec. 6.

    One venue is a derelict glass factory building refurbished as the Value Factory that houses creative designs. Another is an old warehouse that was transformed into the Border Warehouse where the urban border is interpreted in a myriad of ways.

    During the exhibition, 104 events were held on extensive topics, ranging from discussions of piffling daily life in urban cities to academic seminars hosted by professionals. For example, an event Jan. 5 propped up questions of urban existence through a stage play. Fat Bird, a local theater troupe, staged a drama on life in an urban village in Nanshan District where migrants manage to secure small homes in sharp contrast to life in an upscale, residential community in its neighborhood.

    As the centerpiece to the biennial, two forums were held Friday at the Value Factory: the International Architectural Awards and Contemporary Chinese Architecture\Urbanism, and Shenzhen Biennale and the Future of Cities.

    The forum also announced Hong Kong architect John Lin and Joshua Bolchover to be the winners of 2014 Ralph Erskine Award for their innovative architecture in China’s rural areas. The announcement marked the 100th anniversary of the prize founder Ralph Erskine, one of Sweden’s most prolific architects.

    Set against the background of fast urbanization in China, the UABB focuses on the urban cities and urbanism and has brought forward thinking on how to activate urban spaces. It has become a public platform for research and exchange on urbanism as well as a public education platform between professionals and the general public.

    The exhibition’s creative director Ole Bouman said the exhibition not only brought in new minds for the restart of the Shekou industrial zone, but also provided an alternative use for the abandoned manufacturing plant.

    Academic director Li Xiangning said he felt inspired by the visitors’ passion for the exhibition, that it was “not merely an exhibition of a small bunch of architects and artists, but also a festival of 180,000 visitors.” “Shenzhen has invested heavily in its creative industry and the citizens are more aware of good designs. The UABB has fulfilled discussions on two predesigned topics — the visible and invisible boundaries and crossing urban boundaries. It has also transformed the boundary between professionals and non-professionals,” Li said.

    Another creative director Jeffrey Johnson said that the curators’ hope was a productive exchange of ideas through the theme “Crossing Urban Boundaries” that would inspire a continued discussion beyond the duration of the biennale.

    “This we are sure will happen, not only between the participants but, most importantly, by the thousands that visited the Biennale whose day to day lives in the cities are directly or indirectly affected by many of the issues brought to light in the exhibition,” Johnson said.

    Zhang Yuxing, director of design with the Shenzhen Municipal Urban Planning, Land and Resources Commission, said the exhibition achieved success by providing an open space for visitors of all age groups who considered visiting the venues as a leisure activity. “Every year, the architecture biennial chooses different locations that are tailored to its thematic concerns. This exhibit surely suits people’s preference for its innovations,” Zhang said.

    In a visit to the UABB in February, Shenzhen Mayor Xu Qin said the place can be preserved as an education base where Shenzhen citizens can gain better understanding about the UABB and become interested in the city’s development in the future. “A city is actually a piece of work. Its planning should invite extensive opinions from the public. It is the clash of different ideas that promote better planning for the city,” Xu said.

    “I admire this city for its vision, its pioneering spirit and its determination to make it work. I am also impressed by the way this city organizes a biennale as a real contribution to city life. This biennale has set things in motion that will unfold in the very near future. I am glad to be part of it,” Bouman said at the closing ceremony.

    Time: Through March 14

    Venue A: Value Factory

    Add: 8 Haiwan Road, Nanshan District

    (南山区蛇口海湾路8号)

    Bus: 226 (Bolichang Stop 玻璃厂站)

    Venue B: Border House (Old Warehouse at Shekou Ferry Terminal)

    Add: Gangwan Boulevard, Nanshan District (南山区港湾大道)

    Metro: Shekou Line, Shekou Port Station (蛇口港站), Exit C