Zijiao Li (UCL) - 2024-25 Students
zijiao.li.17@ucl.ac.uk

Racing Towards Modernity: The Role of Chinese Racecourses in Shaping Urbanism, Culture, and Identity since 1842

This interdisciplinary study uncovers the history of Chinese racecourses, which thrived in treaty ports from 1842 but were transformed into parks or demolished after 1949. It investigates the architecture, environment, culture, and societal impacts of racecourses within British colonialism and postcolonial discourse. Focusing on human-nonhuman interactions, eco-humanities, and leisure studies, it integrates visual and textual archival sources, historical analysis, interviews, and site visits in key Chinese cities, including Shanghai, Harbin, Wuhan, Guangzhou, and Hohhot. The study provides valuable insights into mainland China’s rapid urbanisation and the evolving horse industry, offering a comparative analysis of international British horseracing cultures such as the Hong Kong and Japanese industries. By exploring the cultural and architectural developments oriented within racecourses, this research expands beyond Western theories, advocating for those understudied subjects and contributing to a global conversation on the role of racecourses in shaping urban landscapes and cultural identities.

Primary supervisor: Professor Peg Rawes