HKU-Landscape-Annual-2013-14

BA(LS)
ARCH3042
Chinese Landscapes
and Design
Instructors:
Steven YN Chen,
Dorothy Tang
Chinese Landscapes
and Design
The urban population of China has risen from 26% in 1990 to
approximately 50% in 2010. This rapid rate of urbanization
has greatly influenced the development of landscapes in
contemporary China, resulting in an explosion of designed
landscapes emerging in urban and rural China. These
landscapes – whether public parks, shopping streets, tourist
attractions, or infrastructure – all embody cultural values of
the modern China, but more importantly play an active role in
forming social and political conditions.
Chinese Landscapes and Design
This course was run as a research seminar where students
were introduced to historic and contemporary landscape
issues in China, primarily through case studies. The course
consisted of seminar discussions, guest lectures, and student
case study presentations. During the seminar discussions,
students were exposed to the issues that challenge
contemporary landscape architectural practice in China
in order to familiarize students with the unique landscape
conditions in China at present. Guests from leading landscape
architecture firms supplemented this discussion by presenting
their design work and participating in dialogues with students.
Students were required to conduct a semester-long case
study of a specific landscape within the scope of these topics,
and to analyse it based on the theoretical framework set up
by the course. Most case studies also required field visits for
proper documentation.
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Yvonne
Meng XU