Interstice In The City:Spatial Practices Of Vendors In Riverside Flea Market In Kunming

With the promotion of urban renewal in Kunming,both the material and cultural attributes of urban space are in flux,and local culture is being squeezed.In this context,the relationship between the riverside flea market formed by the vendors in the last round of urban renewal and the city has changed,and it is no longer regarded as an ordinary street landscape in the city,whose dirty and obsolete characteristics are no longer in line with the urban development direction planned by urban managers.Anthropology argues that the subject of urban development is human,which has subjectivity in urban renewal and daily functioning.In this paper,through the field investigation of the riverside flea market and a review of relevant literature,we use spatial theory as an entry point to investigate the relationship between vendors of the riverside flea market and the city.From the perspective of spatial sociality,vendors are the main body of spatial practice in the informal space of the riverside flea market,its practice is of great significance to promote the reproduction of urban space and realize the social value of space.The spatial practices of the vendors present a strong connection between vendors and urban space,reflecting the initiative of vendors.Through their practices,vendors not only satisfy their own necessities and the low consumption needs of urban residents,but also enrich urban culture and participate in the continuation and reconstruction of urban social memory,which makes their practice has social practical significance and cultural value.This paper first reviews the historical process of urban renewal in Kunming and explores the background of the formation of the riverside flea market,an informal space,and then describes and analyzes the spatial practices of vendors in the riverside flea market.When faced with the risk of survival,the vendors engage in a number of rich spatial practices to fight against the city administration so as to defend their spatial rights.The interaction between the vendors and other subjects in the space,such as customers,nearby residents and the city officials,is also reflected in their spatial practices,their multi-level spatial practices are an effective tactic for them to assert their spatial rights.In fact,the process of vendors’ spatial practice along the river is the process of participating in spatial reproduction,participating in the local culture of the city,and building urban social memory.Instead of passively accepting top-down urban spatial production and concept of urban development,the vendors actively participate in the reproduction of urban space and culture,making full use of the remnants produced by the consumer society,satisfying the low consumption needs of urban residents,filling the empty and lonely hearts of the elderly,perpetuating and constructing rich social memories.Their practices also makes them deeply associated to the times and city.