Spatial Morphological Evolution of Taipa (Sapchi-mun): A Perspective on Mutual Learning among Civilization
WU Xutong WANG Yuanlin
Abstract: This paper focuses on Taipa (Sapchi-mun), a key space in the Pearl River estuary, and addresses three core questions: Where is Taipa (Sapchi-mun) located? How has its spatial morphology evolved? And what cultural significance does it bear? Regarding its physical extent, there have been five competing interpretations—the Macau theory, the Greater Taipa (Sapchi-mun) theory, the Outer Taipa (Sapchi-mun) theory, the sea off A-Ma Temple theory, and the Central Business District theory —each prevailing at different periods, and the debate among them constitutes a spatial representation of power dynamics. Taipa (Sapchi-mun) successively witnessed the collision between grassland and agricultural civilizations, the convergence of maritime and agrarian civilizations, and the integration and coexistence of diverse civilizations. The evolution of its spatial morphology not only reflects power accommodations in civilizational encounters but also continuously engenders new spatial productions. Thus, Taipa (Sapchi-mun) transcends its geographical confines, emerging as a spatiotemporal symbol that embodies the complexity and creativity of civilizational exchanges, offering a unique scholarly perspective for examining global interactions from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries, and holding, with its wisdom of coexistence, referential value for contemporary civilizational dialogue.
Key words: Taipa (Sapchi-mun); mutual learning among civilizations; spatial morphology; Macau culture; cultural symbol
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