Hybrid Modernity: late 20th century landmark parks in China

Abstract

This research investigates new spatial forms that have emerged in China's urban landmark parks in secondary cities of the post -Mao era. These forms represent a new stage in China's history of landscape architecture. As design history and innovative design inquiry, a qualitative approach is employed and it draws from: - modernization theory: a framework for understanding transformation in post -Mao China - post -Mao China socio -cultural analysis: changing Chinese identity, nationalism and trends in the arts and architecture - design analysis and history of China's garden /park traditions and the larger context of the evolution of modern landscape architecture in China - analysis of international design trends in contemporary landscape architecture analysis of China's changing institutional context: education and development of the landscape architecture profession. In this research, I asked: has the fusion of international influences with the local Chinese design vocabulary in late 20th century China created a distinctive approach to public park design that is novel? If so, how has this taken place, and what does it mean for landscape architecture in China? Case studies provide a focused empirical setting to understand the new design paradigms and they create the foundation for a theory I call hybrid modernization. The study breaks new ground as the first documentation and analysis of the emergence of modern landscape architecture in twentieth century China. It creates a bridge between the literature in China and the west; and it contributes to closing the gap on the history of modern landscape architecture in China.