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Title:
Permeable Borders: Walls, Identity, and Space in Beijing’s Military Compounds
Abstract:
How do the physical boundaries established contest municipal authority while simultaneously shaping and blurring the identities of those within? This paper examines this question within the context of Beijing’s military compounds (budui dayuan 部队大院) from their inception during the Chinese Communist Party’s entry into Beiping through the transformations of the post-socialist era. The culture of Beijing compounds (dayuan 大院) has played a pivotal role in shaping contemporary China, particularly through the spatial and social constructs they introduced. When the Chinese Communist Party entered Beiping (now Beijing) with the aim of forging a new nation, they demarcated these compounds by constructing walls. These walls were not mere physical barriers; they served as mediums that communicated authority, identity, and the boundaries of a socialist nation. Through the materiality of the walls—inscriptions, language, and the very act of enclosure—the walls shaped the lived experiences and perceptions of the residents.
However, these borders were never absolute. The interaction between the compounds and the surrounding city reveals instances of blurred boundaries, challenging the rigid demarcation envisioned by the state. In the post-socialist era, the wall’s transformation signifies a process of deterritorialization, reflecting the gradual erosion of enclosed space under the pressures of globalization and commodification. Yet, the persistence of multiple boundaries within and around these compounds suggests that deterritorialization is incomplete, fostering a sense of nostalgia and raising questions about the ongoing negotiation of identity and space in contemporary China. By focusing on the walls that enclose these compounds, this study explores the dual role they play: as mediums that construct and communicate the boundaries of a socialist nation, and as porous membranes through which the tides of globalization and commodification flow.
