A return to Thirteen Hongs : thinking of the future while looking at the past

The ILAUD Seminar “ Where does the new city come from?” was held from March 5 to 7 at the Yellow House in Guangzhou, in the main campus of the South China University of Technology, with the participation of researchers and scholars from Argentina, South Africa, Hong Kong, India, Japan, USA, Brasil, PR China,Italy The seminar had two objectives: 1. To discuss issues connected with the elements that gave rise to and cha- racterised an urban system or a portion of a city, but at the same time were blurred by following developments and changes. How important are they in order to understand some aspects of contemporary cities? Can they be useful in shaping their future developments? Is it worthwhile to trace and eventually emphasize them? The matter is relevant in a moment when ci- ties are striving to enhance their identity and there is an increasing effort to capitalize on their history. And it is also important to explore more in depth the relationship between tradition and innovation in urban planning and architectural design. This book collects a set of papers on different aspects of these problems that were presented and discussed during the Seminar. 2. To select the study area for the 2010 ILAUD Laboratory that would have taken place from November 29 to December 12 in Guangzhou. The Labo- ratory should have focused on the “13 Hongs area” in the Liwan District. In this area were once located several factories-warehouses (the Hongs). They were operated by Chinese, British, Danish, Dutch, Spanish, Swedish and US entrepreneurs. For a long while the area has been the main point of eco- nomic and technological exchange between the Western World and China. The Hongs are no more there but the neighbourhood still has a very vibrant commercial life and is one of the entertainment attractions of Guangzhou.