ABSTRACT
While the new spatial arrangements in the li compounds entailed a changed notion of residence-as an integrated part of the city’s commercial fabric rather than a self-contained realm-the sojourners’ everyday life and leisure activities took place beyond the li and involved a range of public spaces, such as broad avenues, teahouses, and exotic shops. Like the li compounds, these new spaces were hybrid-style and represented the native adaptation of Western spatial types. The sojourners also adopted a new lifestyle that was marked by pleasurable pursuits after visual attractions in the new urban environment. As this chapter shows, the sojourners still framed this environment in mythic and natural imageries rather than in line with a new public order, but their dense gathering in it nonetheless made them behave collectively like a new urban public or modern masses, thanks to the new economy of visual communication and commodity exchanges.
