Category Archives: Asian gardens and landscapes

Landscape architecture and garden design in China

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Modern landscape architecture in ........?

Modern landscape architecture in ........?

I attended a talk today by an Australian landscape architect who graduated in the UK 21 years ago. She now works for an Australian design company engaged in remote landscape design services, primarily conceptual design, for projects in Hong Kong and mainland China (including Chengdu and Beijing). The conceptual design was done in Australia and the detailed design in the Philippines. Then the drawings were sent to China and then translated. It is an amazingly global operation but in my opinion it could be the beginning of a tragedy. The styles used are a mix of ideas from Europe and America, which will make the appearance of China more like that of the west. There is a saying in the west which I like: ‘think global, act local’. I was sorry that the landscape architect had not visited mainland China and hope she will come one day to find out how more about Chinese culture.
This is not a special problem caused by some specific people but the whole system such as the market , economy and something else, and therefore will not be solved quickly. But there are signs of a solution and Mr Yu Kongjian has made reference to “the rediscovery of Chinese cultural identity” problem. With its economic development, China is losing touch with five millennia of ancient identity. The Chinese classical garden is one of the world’s great garden making traditions. In China we are faced with developing a new tradition and a new style. It can be based on historic culture, natural topography and environmental studies of localization and contextualization issues. There are needs to develop China’s landscape education, landscape theory and landscape practice – with a historical perspective, cultural continuity and a perspective on the future of China’s landscape.

国外学习心得——有感于中国景观的发展

今天景观评价及设计课程讲座，演讲者是澳大利亚一位景观师，21年前毕业于这所大学，现是澳大利亚某设计公司创始合伙人，从事远程服务，主要是概念设计。演讲内容是介绍其从业实践，她设计的项目主要是中国香港和内陆如成都、北京等地的多个设计项目。她自己在澳大利亚办公室工作，项目运作的方式是：国内公司提供资料，传到澳大利亚进行概念设计，再传到菲利宾快速出进行详图设计，返回澳大利亚修改确认，最后传到中国翻译形成最终设计成果。
别以为这是令人惊羡的全球化公司运作方式，在我看来是一种悲剧的开始：中国正在大量生产这类没有文化的景观，并且被房地产促销宣传。这类作品要么是法国的、美国的、英国的或者是西方某种混合的风格，但决不是中国的。就是这种西方混合风格的景观作品在中国大行其道，并且被赋予崇洋色彩，这就是中国的城市景观越来越接近西方的原因，而且中国景观规划设计没有规范、标准，西方设计很容易进入。
在西方，文化的态度是：本土的就是世界的，他们think global, act local（站在全球的角度去思考，站在本土的角度去行动）。 可这样的事情在中国却大量的发生着，因为中国市场需要。老实说，我是带着愤慨的心情听完讲座的，尽管她明明切中了中国目前的实情。我说，我非常遗憾听到这些，希望她有一天能够来中国，了解中国文化，设计更有中国文化的作品。
这不是某个人的问题，也不是短时间就能解决的问题，而是我们的整个国家要改善的一些事情。置身国外，深刻体会到俞孔坚先生提到的“重新找回中国文化身份”问题。中国社会经济曾经落后了，也丢失了其具有5千年文化绵延的古国的身份，现在经济发展了，虽然很难说在本世纪能够进入发达国家，但是，我们这一代，确实到了该考虑中国文化的时候了，尤其是考虑中国文化在世界的传播。
中国古典园林是世界三大园林体系之一，在园林史上占举足轻重的地位，但是据我了解，在英国介绍中国古典园林的书远没有介绍日本的多，英国园林受中国影响远没有日本的大。我的导师——一位非常热衷于中国文化的学者，正在出版一本亚洲园林的书，他认为中国是亚洲的中心，并提到作为一位园林史的研究者，不了解中国园林，是一件非常遗憾的事。但中国古典园林代表的时代已经过去，我们现在面对的是中国急需的市场，对西方引入的景观专业，结合中国历史文化、自然地理环境研究其本土化的问题，尽快出台相应的行业标准、规范甚至是法律、法规，促使中国景观教育、景观理论、景观实践并行发展。站在世界文化的高度思考中国园林、历史文化的延续，更为重要的是创造中国景观的未来。

Context-insensitive planning and design in Egypt

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The Nile and the Pyramids - before and after the floods

The Nile and the Pyramids - before and after the floods

Here is (1) a nineteenth century painting of the Pyramids in time of flood [June and September – akhet – the inundation] (2) in an early twentieth century photograph (3) a recent after-the-dam photograph by trexcali. Were the climate change of the past 10,000 years to be repeated the River Nile would reclaim its flood plain. Egypt’s cities should have been built on the Red Land (desret), not on the Black Land (kemet) – and Egypt’s urban growth should still be on desert land, conserving what is left of one of best places on earth for agriculture, horticulture and garden design.

二十一世纪中国园林景观设计思想枯竭了吗？（二十一世纪中国园林及景观发展的方向是什么）

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二十一世纪中国园林景观设计思想枯竭了吗？

二十一世纪中国园林景观设计思想枯竭了吗？


据天安门景观设计竞赛截止时间还有3个多月，值得欣慰的是有很多来自中国竞赛作品提交，值得提出的问题是：二十一世纪中国园林和景观设计将走向何方？上图是一位衣着古装的美女，面含羞怯的微笑，她从深圳的一处高层建筑往外看，感到了迷惑。她知道她的国家具有灿烂的园林历史传统，也明白她的国家也必将现代化。但是，她想知道：“难道我们的未来真的是一场恶梦，开始于1920年后阴郁的好莱坞？赫斯特城堡是真正的现代中国灵感的最佳来源？过去5000年遗留下来的中国艺术、建筑和园林真的毫无价值？或者是问题源于太多中国景观设计受到美国模式的影响，并且是在中国以外的地方，由一些毫无思想的机器人在工厂的模式下完成的？”然而，她又沉思，“至少，这个公园还没有被叫成一个西班牙式的名字，至少，是我父亲拥有这个屋顶天台花园”。那么，我希望，她将决心学习园林和景观设计，成为一位结合自然和历史文脉设计方面的专家。作为一个仅有的鼓励，我很高兴能够送给她一本我的著作《亚洲园林：信念、历史和设计》。当读到最后一句时，她一定会很满意，“越往后看，你能够向前看得越远”，这是引自温斯顿丘吉尔的话，他是在喝了半箱红酒时说的。然而，她会更欣赏孔子所说过的话：“当明显知道目标不能达到时，不要调整目标，调整行动的步伐”。
See English translation below

Wither Chinese landscape and garden design in the twenty-first century?

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Where are garden design and landscape architecture in China heading?

Where are garden design and landscape architecture in China heading?

With over 3 months till the closing date for the Tiananmen Square landscape architecture competition, and many Chinese competition entries to admire, it is worth asking some questions about the direction of garden design and landscape architecture in 21st century China. The classically dressed beauty with the coy smile, above, seems puzzled as she looks out from a towering block in Shenzen. She knows that her country has a brilliant garden tradition and she knows that her country has to modernize. But, she wonders, ‘does our future really lie with the evocation of dreary Holywood sets from the 1920s? – is Hearst Castle really the best source of inspiration for modern China? – is there nothing of value in the past 5000 years of Chinese art, architecture and gardens? – or is the problem that too much Chinese landscape design is inspired by American models and implemented by thoughtless automatons working in sweatshop conditions outside China?’. Still, she reflects, ‘at least the garden doesn’t have a Spanish Theme – and at least it is my Dad who owns the penthouse with the roof garden’. Then, I hope, she will decide to study garden design and landscape architecture so that she become an expert in context-sensitive design. As a small encouragement, I will be happy to give her a copy of my book on Asian gardens: beliefs, history and design – and will be content if she reads its last sentence ‘The farther back you look, the farther forward you are likely to see.’ It is said to be a quotation from Winston Churchill – but it may only be the sort of thing he might have said when half-way through a case of claret – so she may prefer Confucius’ observation that ‘When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.’

Masdar City Two & Abu Dhabi landscape planning

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Hasan Fathy design for New Gourna (photo 1975)

Hasan Fathy design for New Gourna (photo 1975)


Without knowing too much about Masdar City, I am sceptical about Norman Foster’s proposals. So my suggestion is to develop a Masdar City Two with its focus on using a happy blend of traditional technology with as-little-as-necessary high technology. I would have David MacKay as the energy supremo and Hasan Fathy (had he not died in 1989) as the chief architect – and a landscape planner responsibile for the strategic direction of the new city. I guess there would be lots of mud walls, planting, and shade with excellent provision for cycling and electric floats for transport (as in Nanjing Street, Shanghai). All the roof space would be roof gardens with retractable awnings and limited vegetation supported by grey water. The gardens would be legendary – and related to the lost gardens of Ancient Mesopotamia. I think the result would be cheaper, better, more sustainable and more popular than Masdar City One. It might get less coverage in the architectural press but we could live with this.
Sorry about the quality of the above photograph, taken in 1975. I went to re-take the photo 30 years later and could not find the place – I guess it has been destroyed. The residents of Old Gourna (or Kurna or Qurna) did not want to leave their homes amongst the tombs of the nobles, which had rich pickings and many tourists. Fathy was unpopular in Egypt but designed some beautiful and environmentally appropriate homes for Saudi princes.
Odd that Iran should want nuclear power and Abu Dhabi should want solar power. What next? Will Iceland start making artificial snow? Or is Masdar City One really, as I will assume, an enlightened example of a rich country using its resources to develop technology which will benefit the world? The competition between Masdar City One and Masdar City Two would be very healthy and there should be a prize for the winning design team. Success would be judged from three criteria (1) construction costs (2) measures of sustainability (3) popularity with residents.

Optimism by design

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Corbusier is credited with the title of the Father of ‘Critical Regionalism’. The Legislative Assembly Building in Chandigarh is said to typify his approach to design in this latter stage of his career.

The Legislative Assembly Building by Le Corbusier in Chandigarh was designed as an architectural statement “strong enough to embody a sense of power and permanence, of seriousness and exaltation.”

Chandigarh was commissioned by Nehru “to reflect the new nation’s modern, progressive outlook.” According to Nehru the new city was to be “unfettered by the traditions of the past, a symbol of the nation’s faith in the future.”

Chandigarh a social utopia, designed as a post-war Garden City, despite the proliferation of the contemporary problems of urban ‘slums’ and ‘squatter’ settlements ranks first in India in the Human Development Index for quality of life and e-readiness.

The design of Chardigarh was intended to provide “equitable opportunities for a dignified, healthy living even to the ‘poorest of the poor’.”

Although it has been stated that Chandigarh could have been designed anywhere, the UNESCO listing acknowleges  Corbusier paid particular attention to the landscape context:

“The natural edges formed by the hills and the two rivers, the gently sloping plain with groves of mango trees, a stream bed meandering across its length and the existing roads and rail lines – all were given due consideration in the distribution of functions, establishing the hierarchy of the roads and giving the city its ultimate civic form.”