Cultural Assimilation and Architecture: GuanXi and the Legacy of the Chinese Canadian Church

dc.contributor.authorTsui, Caleb Kai Him
dc.date.accessioned2017-09-27T18:57:20Z
dc.date.available2017-09-27T18:57:20Z
dc.date.issued2017-09-27
dc.date.submitted2017-09-25
dc.description.abstractKnown for priding itself as a multicultural nation, Canada's multicultural attitude does not come without a cost - as immigrants establish their roots and interact with the diverse ethnic groups within their communities, the process of cultural assimilation inevitably occurs. The process of assimilation can create not only social withdrawal and isolation, but also painful divisions between generations of a single family. This often results in psychological and emotional stress, leading to the questioning and finally the abandonment of one’s home culture and origin identity. While this process can be seen as universal, this thesis focuses on Hong Kong Canadians and the tradition of GuanXi. GuanXi is an intricate relational network that is cultivated informally through social exchanges which govern Chinese attitudes towards long-term social relationships. GuanXi is an important yet disappearing element within Hong Kong identity, and the ability to recognize these bonds and utilize this network is rapidly being lost through the process of cultural assimilation. Using the suburban Chinese church, which remains one of the few typologies that bring different generations and cultures together, this thesis proposes employing the principles of GuanXi as a way to focus design intentions. The goal of the thesis is to design a building that helps to foster and preserve the generational ties eroded by assimilation, leaving behind a cultural legacy for future generations.en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10012/12471
dc.language.isoenen
dc.pendingfalse
dc.publisherUniversity of Waterlooen
dc.subjectCultural Assimilationen
dc.subjectHong Kong Canadianen
dc.subjectChinese Canadian Churchen
dc.subjectAssimilationen
dc.subjectChurchen
dc.subjectStouffvilleen
dc.subjectGuanXien
dc.subjectHong Kong Identityen
dc.titleCultural Assimilation and Architecture: GuanXi and the Legacy of the Chinese Canadian Churchen
dc.typeMaster Thesisen
uws-etd.degreeMaster of Architectureen
uws-etd.degree.departmentSchool of Architectureen
uws-etd.degree.disciplineArchitectureen
uws-etd.degree.grantorUniversity of Waterlooen
uws.contributor.advisorLevitt, Andrew
uws.contributor.affiliation1Faculty of Engineeringen
uws.peerReviewStatusUnrevieweden
uws.published.cityWaterlooen
uws.published.countryCanadaen
uws.published.provinceOntarioen
uws.scholarLevelGraduateen
uws.typeOfResourceTexten

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