Beautiful National Land

Prof.Dr.-Ing.WANG Xiangrong Chief Editor

Recently,the Chinese Landscape Architecture Planning and Design Conference was held in Jinan,and I was once again in Jinan,a famous historical city.The hotel I stayed at is located at the foot of Qianfo Mountain to the south of the city.From the hotel's high point,I looked south to the mountains,and north to the old city of Jinan surrounded by Daming Lake and the moat.The historical spatial structure of the city of Jinan is still traceable after more than 2,000 years of vicissitudes.It is a typical example of the integration of nature and artificiality in China's territorial space,where mountains,water,fields and cities are connected as one.

Jinan is surrounded by the Taiyi Mountain Range,the main peak of which is about 50 kilometers away from the city,with Qianfo Mountain to the south of the city as part of the range.Towering above the Qilu Plain,Mount Tai,with the sea to the east and the hometown of Confucius to the south,is a place of worship and sacrifice-offering for Chinese emperors and kings in ancient times,and also one of the important symbols of Chinese culture.Because of its important geographic location and cultural status,as well as the special feelings and symbolism in the hearts of the Chinese people,Mount Tai has become the first of the Five Mountains,and since ancient times there has been a saying that ＂the world is smaller when you climb Mount Tai＂.The natural scenery of Mount Tai is the product of geological tectonic movement,while its rich humanistic landscape is the result of 2,000 years of continuous molding by the Chinese people.＂The beauty of mountains and rivers has been talked about since ancient times.＂ In China,most of the mountains and rivers that are steep and peculiar in the human environment have become scenic spots with beautiful natural sceneries,deep history and rich cultural connotations through the construction of landscape and humanities,and the iconic mountains and rivers such as the five mountains and four rivers have become representative landmarks in the spatial pattern of the Chinese land.

Jinan is bounded on the north by the ancient Jishui River (where the Yellow River was diverted in the middle of the 19thcentury),one of China's four rivers,and on both sides of the river are nine hills known as the ＂Nine Points of Qi State＂.Due to its special geological structure,Jinan city is surrounded by hundreds of springs,which flow into the moat,Daming Lake and the lakes and marshes around Hua and Que Mountains,and there are thousands of hectares of rice paddies and lotus ponds in the north of the city.

Such a city structure was already formed in Qin and Han Dynasties.After Zeng Gong arrived in Jinan in Song Dynasty,he further improved the basic pattern of the city,and laid down the city style of ＂city as garden＂ composed of mountains,springs,rivers,lakes and city.Zeng Gong's poem,＂The willow is a combination of mist and scenery,the hibiscus is open with dew,the city is surrounded by the colors of the mountains,and the sound of the waves at the bottom of the eaves is coming from all sides＂,makes the city of springs with the green willow and lotus,the colors of the mountains,the light of the lake,and the springs all together appear on the paper.Later,the poem of Qing Dynasty ＂Lotus flowers on all sides,willow on three sides,a city of mountain color,and lakes as half of the city＂ was born from this.

The pattern of Jinan city shows the general idea of city construction of ancient Chinese people,that is,to regard the landscape environment as the foundation of city construction,to determine the location and layout of the city by comprehensively and accurately searching for landscape features and clearly and accurately recognizing the overall environment of the mountain and water system,and to establish the correspondence and order between the city and the landscape,so as to make the man-made construction of the city integrated into the ＂potential＂ the regional environment.The order of landscape dominates the relationship between the artificial and natural environments,forming an integrated overall composition of the city and mountains,while creating excellent microclimate conditions,safe hydrological environment and suitable spatial scale for the city.

Historically,when looking south of Daming Lake in Jinan,the reflection of Qianfo Mountain is in Daming Lake,which is known as the ＂Reflection of Qianfo Mountain＂;and when looking north of Daming Lake,there are the towering and big Hua and Que Mountains protruding from a swampy wilderness of flourishing grass and trees,like the scene depicted in the famous painting of ＂Autumn Colors of Que and Hua Mountains＂ by Zhao Mengfu.The scene depicted in the famous painting＂Autumn Colors of Magpie Hua＂ by Zhao Mengfu.The area around Hua and Que Mountains used to be a scenic spot in Jinan,where many gardens were built and poets such as Li Bai and Zeng Gong depicted the scenery.

After the rapid urbanization of the contemporary era,the city of Jinan has expanded rapidly,and its area has long exceeded a hundred times that of Zeng Gong's and Zhao Mengfu's eras.High-rise buildings continue to rise in the old city,and the view of Qianfo Mountain and the ＂Nine Points of Qi State＂ from the city has been more and more obstructed.Lamented in the historical landscape pattern of Jinan depicted in ancient paintings and drawings is gradually disappearing,Mr.Wu Liangyong had put forward the development strategy of the city of Jinan,and drew a sketch of the city design,proposing the idea of relying on Qianfo Mountain to the south,looking to Que and Hua Mountains to the north,with the mountains as the watchtowers,and forming a new axis by extending the city axis of Jinan to the north.Mr.Wu also proposed to plan and build a large area of ＂Que and Hua Mountains Historical and Cultural Park＂ in the surrounding area of Que Mountain,Hua Mountain,and the Yellow River which flows through between the two mountains,in order to ＂protect the nature,improve the ecology,carry forward the culture,and revitalize the rivers and mountains＂,and to let Jinan still maintain the quality of a ＂city famous for mountains,rivers,lakes,and lakes＂.Mr.Wu's proposal reflects his deep understanding and knowledge of the traditional Chinese habitat,and is a visionary way to lead Jinan's urban development.

More than ten years ago,I had the honor to participate in the landscape planning of Daming Lake and the moat of Jinan.The implementation of this plan expanded the water surface of Daming Lake,connecting Daming Lake with Xiaodong Lake on the east side of the lake,and transforming Daming Lake from a lake in the park to a lake in the city;and it also opened up a park along the moat,forming a 6.9km urban walking corridor around the moat and making the moat navigable throughout the city.Later,I was involved in the planning of Hua Mountain Historical and Cultural Park and the Starting Area Central Park of Jinan Old and New Dynamic Energy Transformation Zone in the north of the Yellow River.Now,at the foot of Hua Mountain,a lake integrating scenic reproduction,flood control and storage,public recreation,and sightseeing has been built,and the planning of the Starting Area Central Park located to the north of Que Mountain and Queshan Reservoir is also being actively promoted.

Jinan is fortunate that in the process of the city's increasing population and rapid expansion,it still effectively protects the unique spring city charm of the old city.The original natural and cultural axis of the city has been continuously extended,starting from Taishan Mountain in the south,going northward through Qianfo Mountain,passing through the old city of Jinan and Daming Lake,connecting with Hua Mountain and Huashan Lake,crossing the Yellow River,stringing up Que Mountain,and extending through the Starting Area Central Park to the new city north of the Yellow River,unifying the ＂Nine Points of Qi State＂in the overall landscape,thus strengthening the natural and historical cultural background of Jinan,and constantly realizing the concept of ＂making the natural and humanistic momentum more magnificent＂ put forward by Mr.Wu Liangyong.

In history,many places in China,like Jinan and its surrounding areas,after people's conscious and purposeful transformation,are made into unique and beautiful land.China's vast territory,diverse geography,and complex geology have produced the rich and distinctive natural landscape.The mountainous landscape of the country has given rise to the Chinese people's unique attachment to mountains and water,which has become their basic perception of the country's environment.On the one hand,the worship of mountains,the sacrifice-offering system,the idea of immortals,and the depiction of landscapes by literati and writers have contributed to the formation of landscape culture and led people to continuously build landscapes in beautiful natural mountains and rivers;on the other hand,in order to realize to a certain extent the goal of ＂water and drought control by people＂ in agricultural production and the ideal of a safe and convenient life,the Chinese people have continuously transformed the land,built reservoirs,dug rivers and canals,developed agriculture,and constructed their homes,transforming the mountains,forests,and lakes and ponds into idyllic villages and towns,and transforming a lot of land that was originally not suitable for farming into a fertile land.In this way,the Chinese molded the land of China into a country of landscapes where culture and nature merge with each other.It is in this environment that China's cities have emerged and evolved,and in turn,the development of cities has influenced the pattern of the national territorial landscape.

The formation of China's national landscape has gone through a long history.During the period of farming civilization,the ancestors continuously transformed the land based on solutions compatible with the land and climate,shaping the landscape in a harmonious balance between human and nature.Each piece of land has a unique identity with both natural features and cultural imprints,and this beautiful and diverse land is our home.

In advocating ecological civilization today,any of our construction activities should follow the laws of nature,adapt to the natural factors,geographic environments and climatic conditions of the land,and pass on the historical deposits on the land.Any development of national territorial landscapes should be based on natural and cultural sustainability,to ensure that in the process of rapid social and economic changes,the national territorial landscapes deposited over a long period of time are still treasured,the uniqueness of the landscape of each piece of land can be sustained,and the diversity of the national territorial landscapes can be maintained.Because the characteristics of national territorial landscapes are the important manifestation of national identity,the uniqueness and diversity of national territorial landscapes are the foundation of the beautiful national land,and the foundation of the Beautiful China.