2-D-4
人與非人聚合下的多重敘事

Abstract

In the urban fringe of Hong Kong, some people maintain to farm next to their homes. Shek Kong Choi Yuen Village Concern Group (2009) specified it as Gaang Zyu Hap Jat (耕住合一; farming and living together) lifestyle in the rural activism which resists land resumption due to the construction plan of Express Rail Link in 2009. This ethnography contextualizes the discourses and practices of Gaang Zyu Hap Jat lifestyle by participant observation, interviews, scientific investigation, and secondary material. I adopt a post-humanist framework to explore the relationships between “humans” and their most important non-human companion in agricultural activities— “plants”.

For the members of humans, the residents that Shek Kong Choi Yuen Village Concern Group (2009) indicated as practicing Gaang Zyu Hap Jat lifestyle are mostly migrants from China since the mid 20th century. They settled in rural Hong Kong and built simple houses where they can farm to make a living nearby. When some left the village, other younger residents move to these houses to pursue rural lifestyles. For the members of plants, the dominating species are usually crops cultivated by farmers. Whereas, “weeds” that cannot be fully controlled by humans always find a place to sprout in the field.

These life stories tell how humans with distinct backgrounds farm on the ground between livelihood and lifestyle; while the plants with diverse species root in the soil under cultivation or intervention. From the Gaang Zyu Hap Jat lifestyle based on specific socio-economics-political situation in Hong Kong, the entangled humans and plants show the possibilities of multispecies co-survival in a precarious society with vibrant urban-rural interaction. It sheds light on the human–plant relationships by recognizing the agency of both human actors and non-human actants; and contributes to the policymaking of urban agricultural and residential activities.

Keywords: entanglement, human–plant relationships, lifestyle, agriculture, Hong Kong

摘要

「土壤」作為研究命題多與農業高度相關，臺灣土壤學調查與研究始於日治時期總督府中央研究所的農業部以及農事試驗場。基於農業或農作生產的考量，當時對土壤的描述多集中於管理及利用。開始思考「土壤」是2020年參與麻豆大地藝術季後，透過藝術家、鄒族獵人、考古研究者等多學科的合作與踏查，窺見各物種以「土」作為關鍵區（critical zone）開展，因此想將關注焦點從概念式的「土地」轉向具有生物聚合與多孔隙的「土壤」。修‧萊佛士（Hugh Raffles）在Writing Culture (or Something Like That)一文中提及當承載文化的對象既不是人類也不是動物、也不是『多物種』、不能被扁平化為一集合體、但又與生命本身完全不可分割時，文化該如何書寫。若將土壤視作承載文化的對象物，「我該如何書寫土壤？」便成此次研究的提問。

日人研究者瀨川孝吉在1930年代記錄到Nia’ucna（里佳部落）上方有一名為popu'nga之地，是當時鄒族人取陶土的地點。但當我詢問達邦的鄒族獵人該去哪裡取陶土時，他卻答「要知道陶土／黏土在哪裡，要問山豬」。原因是山豬需要去泥土漿堆翻滾來驅除身上的寄生蟲。土的分類是「土綱」，但本文標題中的「土「界」群像」，是將非人、物質性的土「視為」有能動性的生物來思考，透過聚焦兩位鄒族獵人長年與山林動、植物互動的經驗，從中思考如何書寫土壤—人—非人—動物間的關係聚合。

關鍵字：多物種、土壤書寫、聚合