People's Infrastructure: Everyday Life in Changing China
| Dates: | 5 May 2026 |
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| Times: | 18:00 - 19:00 |
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| What is it: | Talk |
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| Organiser: | School of Arts, Languages and Cultures |
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| How much: | FREE |
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| Who is it for: | University staff, Current University students, General public |
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| Speaker: | Deljana Iossifova |
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This talk moves from the visual culture of the 1950s and the institutional landscapes of the 1970s to contemporary studies of markets, parks, sidewalks, and sites of urban redevelopment. Across these moments, infrastructure is approached as something maintained through labour, inhabitation, and routine use. Attention shifts between rural and urban settings, historical transformation and present conditions, to show how social life and material systems remain closely intertwined. ‘People’s infrastructure’ offers a lens for understanding continuity and change in China’s recent past and present.
After the talk, there will be an opportunity to visit the Manchester Confucius Institute's 20th anniversary exhibition "Building China: People’s Infrastructure" on the Lower Ground Floor of the Central Library (exhibited from 1 March until 31 May 2026).
About the speaker
Deljana Iossifova is Professor of Architecture and Urban Studies and lead the Urban Studies Lab at the University of Manchester, where she also acts as Academic Director of the Confucius Institute. She was trained as an architect at ETH Zurich and holds a PhD in Public Policy Design from Tokyo Institute of Technology, which she obtained following years of professional practice in East Asia. Her research examines the dynamics between architecture, everyday life, urban transformations, and global environmental change.
The Manchester Confucius Institute Public Talk Series
Manchester Confucius Institute public talks are free, informal and informative lectures aimed at anyone with an interest in Chinese culture and language.
Speaker
Deljana Iossifova
Role: Professor of Architecture and Urban Studies, Director, Confucius Institute
Organisation: University of Manchester
Travel and Contact Information
Find event
Central Library
St Peter's Square
Manchester
