Urban Walking: Guerrilla Gardening in Narrow Alleys

🌳 Workshop Leader

Chen Chu, a plant enthusiast with a degree in art history, a not-so-great cook but a passionate food researcher, and the head of public education at Jiazazhi.

“ Several of my walks in Beijing took place at night, led by local friends through many hutongs. One thing caught my attention: in these cramped spaces, residents always found ways to grow fruits and vegetables. How do they manage to grow vibrant eggplants, tomatoes, okra, and gourds (these seem to be the common choices) in spaces less than one square meter? How does living space partially transition into a planting area? And ultimately, what drives people to go to such lengths to grow vegetables in the city? Unlike pruning bonsai, guerrilla urban gardening seems more like a clever survival strategy. It’s both aesthetics and life, a continuation of ancient craftsmanship from the countryside to the city. And in the moment we bite into the food, we also ponder the lingering flavors of the land and the energy and magic the growers have poured into it.The author of ‘Notes from the Underdog’ views these behaviors as the marginalized (after all, most of those who cleverly utilize public space for planting are retirees, the unemployed, homeless people, etc.) reclaiming their right to use the land. It urges us to rethink how urban gardens resist the alienation caused by capitalism and how the ‘gardeners’ navigate the gray areas, transferring rights in the process. ”

Schedule
Part I: 🚶Walking 🚶
Walk along the hutongs (narrow alleys) while observing and take photo of unique gardening scenes during the walk

Part II: 🥪 Making Numa Sandwiches 🥪
Numa sandwich沼サンド is filled with finely shredded cabbage, invented by Michiyuki Onuma (a ceramic artist living in Shiwa Town, Iwate Prefecture). It became popular online due to its ease of preparation and refreshing taste.

Part III: 📖 Book sharing & Discussion 💬
Everyone is invited to discuss their thoughts on the books and share the discovery during the walk with the photos they captured

🌳 带领人
晨初，艺术史专业毕业的植物爱好者，做饭糟糕的美食研究者。假杂志图书馆公共教育负责人。

“ 在北京的几次行走都发生在夜晚，由当地朋友带着穿行了不少胡同。有一点令我在意：逼仄的空间内总有居民想方设法地种了瓜果蔬菜。如何在一平方米都不到的土地上种出精神十足的茄子、番茄、秋葵和葫芦瓜（这些似乎是大多数种植者的选择）？生活空间如何部分过渡给种植区域？以及最终的问题，是什么促使人们想尽一切办法在城市里种菜？与修剪盆栽不同，游击式的城市种植更像是某种狡黠的生存智慧。它既是美学，又是生活，是古老手艺从乡村到城市的延续。而在咬下食物的一瞬间，我们同样会思考从土地留存下来的风味和种植者在其中倾注的精力与魔法。「Notes from the Underdog」的作者将上述行为视为边缘化群体（毕竟大多数会巧妙利用公共空间种植的都是退休人士、失业者、流浪汉等等）对土地使用权的夺回。它敦促我们重新思考都市菜园对资本主义异化的排除，以及“园丁们”在灰色地带游走时的权利转移。 ”

活动流程
Part I: 🚶城市行走🚶
观察与拍摄胡同中发现的有趣种植景象