Digital collection “Radio Program 话说天津卫”

“Speaking about the Tianjin garrison” (Hua shuo Tianjin wei 话说天津卫) is a reknown radio program of the People’s Radio of Tianjin. Created in 2009, it runs from Monday through Friday, 8:00 to 9:00 pm. This program focuses on the history of different places in the city and relies on the audience’s testimonies and recollections. Listeners who have something to say about the the building, the garden or the bridge being currently debated can indeed call in the radio station. Their recorded conversations with the journalists will then be edited to recount the ongoing collective investigation about the particular place a stake.

We are currently working on the creation of a digital collection of radio recordings. Work is still in progress, as soon as the collection can be opened to the public, a link will be available to consult it. We are also currently working on the creation of a digital collection of photos and postcards gathered and analysed by the Tianjin Volunteers. Digital collections of Tianjin old postcards and Tianjin old maps have already been created with the web portal “Oronce Fine”, developed by EHESS geomatic platform

Digital collection “The Tianjin Volunteers at Work”

Since 2008, a group called Volunteers for the Protection of Tianjin’s Architectural Heritage (Tianjinshi jianzhu wenhua yichan zhiyuanzhe tuandui 天津市建筑文化遗产志愿者团队) has made numerous appearances in Tianjin and in the national media. The team is made up of retired workers, public servants, staff members of enterprises and institutions, media employees, students, self-employed individuals and other professionals. They are a group of ordinary citizens who have a deep attachment to the history and culture of their city. Their involvement in cultural heritage preservation has been dubbed the ‘Tianjin Model’ or the ‘Tianjin Experience’, one where ‘the government directs, the experts advise and the public participates’.

We are currently working on the creation of a digital collection of photos and postcards gathered and analysed by the Tianjin Volunteers. Work is still in progress, as soon as the collection can be opened to the public, a link will be available to consult it. We are also currently working on the creation of a digital collection of radio recordings. Digital collections of Tianjin old postcards and Tianjin old maps have already been created with the web portal “Oronce Fine”, developed by EHESS geomatic platform

Digital collection of Tianjin old postcards

A digital collection of Tianjin old postcards was created with the web portal “Oronce Fine”, developed by EHESS geomatic platform. Some ancient postcards are being annotated and georeferenced. Work is still in progress, as soon as the portal can be opened to the public, a link will be available to consult the collection.

A digital collection of Tianjin old maps has also been created. We are currently working on the creation of digital collections of photos and postcards gathered and analysed by the Tianjin Volunteers, and one of radio recordings.

Des lieux en commun. Une ethnographie des rassemblements publics en Chine / Places in common. An ethnography of public gatherings in China

En Chine, l’action collective est considérée comme une menace pour la stabilité sociale. On s’y rassemble pourtant, au quotidien et de façon régulière, dans des parcs, des lieux de culte ou sur des places pour accomplir ensemble une variété d’activités. L’enquête ethnographique menée dans la ville de Tianjin s’est intéressée à deux rassemblements publics : celui de la place de la Victoire pour la pratique d’exercices physiques ; celui de l’équipe des volontaires pour la protection du patrimoine architectural. Faiblement institutionnalisés et fragiles, ces deux types de rassemblement rendent cependant possibles l’action avec autrui, le partage des inquiétudes et des doutes, la consolidation de critères d’évaluation ou de savoirs pratiques. Dès lors qu’ils sont saisis comme des lieux de mise en forme de la coexistence entre concitoyens, des lieux qui ébranlent les cloisonnements et les hiérarchies officielles, ces rassemblements possèdent une dimension politique et reconfigurent le sens des engagements publics dans la Chine d’aujourd’hui.

In China, collective action is seen as a threat to social stability. Yet people gather there, on a daily and regular basis, in parks, places of worship or squares to carry out a variety of activities together. The ethnographic survey carried out in the city of Tianjin focused on two public gatherings: that of Victory Square for the practice of physical exercise; and that of the team of volunteers for the protection of the architectural heritage. Weakly institutionalized and fragile, these two types of gatherings nevertheless make it possible to act with others, to share concerns and doubts, to consolidate evaluation criteria or practical knowledge. As soon as they are grasped as places for shaping coexistence between fellow citizens, as places that undermine partitioning and official hierarchies, these gatherings have a political dimension and reconfigure the meaning of public commitments in today’s China.

Thireau, Isabelle. Des lieux en commun : une ethnographie des rassemblements publics en Chine. Paris : Éditions de l’EHESS, 2020. Coll. « En temps & lieux »). ISBN 13 : 978-2-7132-2813-1 (mise en vente en juin 2020)

Learn more on the Digital research notebook of the Center and on the EHESS website.