Counter-mapping place ballet for urban design: Informal Yu opera practices among elderly rural migrants at Youran Pavilion, Jinan, China

Abstract This paper develops a counter-mapping approach to informal public performance spaces. It examines how these spaces take shape through everyday negotiations, rhythmic practices and micro-spatial tactics. The mapping techniques constitute counter-mapping because they intentionally trace patterns of use that remain absent from official zoning maps and scenic masterplans, making visible the lived routines and spatial claims of elderly rural migrants that formal representations typically overlook. These mapped rhythms also provide a basis for small design and management adjustments that move beyond the limits of static base-maps and enforcement-led zoning. The analysis draws on the concept of place ballet to interpret these mappings and examine the temporal routines, spatial rhythms and power relations embedded in public performances. Focusing on elderly rural migrants in Jinan, China, particularly within the city’s historic core and the renowned Daming Lake Park, the study uses participant observation, interviews and mapping techniques organised around five analytical lenses: timeline of events; trajectories, movements, rhythm and power; layout and spatial organisation; environmental factors; and props, imagination and cultural symbols. These analyses reveal how performance practices function both as cultural expression and as a means of fostering social connection and emotional resilience, while also uncovering the complex dynamics of everyday spatial practice.