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Our past Fieldtrips

Fieldtrip 001: Trace the Memory of Qiuga

From the bustling city of Ningbo to the long history of Qiu Ga Town, this piece of land quietly tells another part of Ningbo’s story as time changes. Qiu Ga Town, as an important township in the eastern part of Ningbo, is not only famous for its snowy vegetables, but also carries the community memory of cities and villages in the context of several industrial transformations in Zhejiang since the reform and opening up. Every street and every building here seems to coalesce the collision of history and modernity, highlighting the unique cultural charm of this place.

Qiu Ga Town, due to its unique geographical location and historical background, has witnessed the trajectory of Ningbo’s urban development. In this town where tradition and modernity are intertwined, snowy vegetables have become its city card. Qiu Ga’s population flow has also shaped its rich and diverse food culture, which not only includes local cuisine but also absorbs specialities from all over the country, making it a microcosm of culinary culture.

We embarked on a special field research activity that led us to explore the culinary memory of Qiu Ga Town. Through casual conversations with local residents and field visits, we recorded and experienced the unique food culture of the town. The purpose of this activity was not only to experience the food, but also to understand how people in this land constructed their identity and collective memory through food.

We went into two important neighbourhoods in Qiu Ga Town: Qiu Ga Ming Hu neighbourhood and the town centre, visiting these places with vibrant and historical traces, and exploring the culinary stories therein. Whether it was the street food stalls or the quiet old restaurant signboards, they all became clues for us to trace the memory of the place. Through writing and photography, we aimed to document the food-related elements of the city and gain a deeper understanding of how food shaped the lived experiences and memories of its residents in Qiu Ga Town.

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Humanity has a long history of food production, a process that continuously reconfigures the intricate nexus between people, nourishment, and the environment.

As interdependent actors within this socio-material network, humans are fundamentally reshaped by the very acts of creation and cultivation. This lens allows us to address food-related challenges by centring the materiality of food and its relational dynamics.

For instance, we can examine how the physical attributes of Peking Duck actively mediate its production and consumption, while simultaneously fostering the growth of settler communities in Toronto within a colonial context.

Embracing this material perspective enables us to reimagine food forms in innovative ways to address and mitigate contemporary community issues.

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