Disembodied Historicity: Southern Song Imperial Street in Hangzhou

Southern Song Imperial Street (Yu Jie, 御街) is a historical street in Hangzhou, China, a former imperial capital in the Song dynasty.¹ As the major thoroughfare of the imperial capital, Imperial Street assumed a preeminent role in the Southern Song dynasty. After the 2006 discovery of archaeological evidence from the Southern Song period, the street underwent a process of redevelopment. Following renovation designed by celebrity architect Wang Shu, the street reopened to the public in 2009. With its preservation and rebuilding of historical forms, this redevelopment mirrors other extremely large heritage-led urban regeneration projects in China today. Ironically, this movement arrives at a time when historical buildings in many Chinese cities have been almost annihilated by the frenzied process of urbanization. So-called heritage or cultural preservation projects have become widespread and follow a standardized business model that has achieved a degree of success, particularly in the tourism industry. This...