Urban Wanderer Cultural Observation

Author: Li Ou-fan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-07-01
Features: The reason why I keep writing about the urban culture of contemporary Chinese people—Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur/Penang—is based on a belief: I believe that the realm of contemporary culture is the city. One should cultivate a "cultural sensitivity" towards urban culture—this "sensitivity" should be a blend of rationality and emotion, thought and image, and relying solely on abstract theory or impressionistic observation is insufficient. In recent years, I've noticed that my Chinese articles have become somewhat split. My focus on contemporary culture seems to have surpassed the scope of academic research, and I wish to personally engage in cultural criticism using a more subjective style, so the depth of my academic work is lacking. But on the other hand, I seem reluctant to give up cultural theory in academia, even citing classic references in my essays, afraid that my academic peers will think I've fallen into the world of laypeople and can no longer be a scholar.