Cultural Landscape Analysis of Market Space in Chinatown - A Case Study of the 'Chung-Ang Market of Dairimdong' -

Abstract

Nowadays, the Korean society is full of multiculturalism as there are many foreign ethnic enclaves. Many Chinese quarters are built in various parts of Korea along with the increasing population of Chinese immigrant. Especially, the Chinese quarter has shown the sign of time and the cultural characteristic of the local residents. This research is to study the market space of Chinese ethnic enclaves in Dairimdong. This research method is the field study to use a participant observation. Below are the research results: Chinese merchants put a private object such as "tanzi" on a sidewalk and install large awning covered full of sidewalk. Sidewalk transform from an outdoor space into an internal space because of Chinese merchants. Passers-by move to use vehicle roads and transform not only the car's space but also the passers-by space. Urban planners originally classify space into three categories, which are building -sidewalk -vehicles road. However, after Chinese came to the market, Chinese classified space into new three categories which is building -space for both sidewalk and "tanzi" -space for both sidewalk and vehicles road. New classification of space is quite different from the previous. In addition, Chinese thinks that the Dairimdong's Market is a very comfortable place. Because Dairimdong Market have many Chinese physical facilities. Next, Chinese thinks that the Dairimdong Market is a very friendly place to buy Chinese products easily. This market has become a place of consumption for the Chinese. Eventually, Dairimdong's Market has changed because of Chinese immigrants. It is possible to make satisfactory planning and design proposal to build Chinese quarters in the future through the explanation of space and status by way of culture. There are many careless mistakes in previous subjective planning and design proposal of the designers. Thus, it should consider the problems created by their way of use in later planning and design.