This thesis studies the architecture, afforestation, and sanitation in urban Qingdao between 1897 and 1937. During this period, Qingdao underwent the colonial regimes of Germany (1897-1914) and Japan (1914-1922) before it was reverted to the Beiyang Government (1922-1929) and to the Nanjing Government (1929-1937). Previous studies suggest that colonialism is often associated with the practice of racial discrimination. In German Qingdao, Chinese-style buildings were prohibited in the European district. The Germans and Japanese believed that the Chinese were unhygienic, and as a result, imposed regulations exclusively to control their everyday sanitary practice. The sewerage system in the Chinese district was constructed much later than that in the European district. Prasenjit Dua...[ Read more ]

This thesis studies the architecture, afforestation, and sanitation in urban Qingdao between 1897 and 1937. During this period, Qingdao underwent the colonial regimes of Germany (1897-1914) and Japan (1914-1922) before it was reverted to the Beiyang Government (1922-1929) and to the Nanjing Government (1929-1937). Previous studies suggest that colonialism is often associated with the practice of racial discrimination. In German Qingdao, Chinese-style buildings were prohibited in the European district. The Germans and Japanese believed that the Chinese were unhygienic, and as a result, imposed regulations exclusively to control their everyday sanitary practice. The sewerage system in the Chinese district was constructed much later than that in the European district. Prasenjit Duara (2003) explains that decolonization was necessary because it represented a movement for moral justice and political solidarity against imperialism. The Chinese governments made much effort to decolonize Qingdao. For example, the Beiyang government renamed the colonial monument of “Jaeschke Denkmal (Jaeschke Monument)” to “Qingdao Jieshou Jinian Ting (Qingdao Handover Memorial Pavilion)”. The Nanjing government constructed six buildings with Chinese-style glazed tiles and gabled roofs in the former European district. In 1931, Qingdao citizens were prohibited from celebrating cherry blossoms because such celebration was considered a Japanese culture. This research shows, however, that there were some paradoxes in the process of decolonization. For instance, the urban planning program of the Nanjing government included the maintenance of European-style architecture, and the Nanjing government planted more Sakura trees in Zhongshan Park in 1929-1931 than its predecessors.