Visual heritage in urban spaces: Traditional Chinese patterns as agents of cultural identity in modern landscape architecture
Rapid urbanization has often led to the erosion of cultural identity in cities, making the integration of traditional Chinese patterns into contemporary landscape architecture an important means of sustaining heritage and symbolism within modern urban spaces. This article investigates the integration of traditional Chinese patterns into contemporary landscape design, emphasizing the importance of preserving cultural traces within urban environments. A convergent parallel mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative (surveys) and qualitative (case studies, interviews, and visual analysis) data collection. Survey results highlighted how people perceive cultural identity and esthetic value, while case studies and interviews provided insights into the symbolic and design purposes of traditional patterns in urban contexts. Evidence shows that traditional forms, such as geometric motifs, lotus flowers, and feng shui principles, play a major role in reinforcing cultural identity and strengthening the sense of place amid contemporary urbanization. These practices have been widely embraced by society, fostering stronger connections to cultural heritage and contributing to the creation of esthetically pleasing and functional urban spaces.
Arnheim, R. (1974). Art and Visual Perception: A Psychology of the Creative Eye. University of California Press, United States.
Berg, S. K. (2018). Conditional values of urban heritage: Context and scale. Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, 8(1):17-29. https://doi.org/10.1108/jchmsd-01-2016-0008
Breitung, W., & Lu, J. (2016). Suzhou’s water grid as urban heritage and tourism resource: An urban morphology approach to a Chinese city. Journal of Heritage Tourism, 12(3):251-266. https://doi.org/10.1080/1743873X.2016.1158961
Cheng, S., Yu, Y., & Li, K. (2017). Historic conservation in rapid urbanization: A case study of the Hankow historic concession area. Journal of Urban Design, 22(4):433-454. https://doi.org/10.1080/13574809.2017.1352198
Cresswell, T. (2015). Place: An Introduction. 2nd ed. United States: Wiley-Blackwell.
Duan, J., Lan, W., & Jiang, Y. (2022). An evaluation approach to spatial identity in historic urban areas from a humanistic perspective. Frontiers of Architectural Research, 11(5):806-814. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2022.05.003
Ertan, T., & Eğercioğlu, Y. (2016). Historic city center urban regeneration: Case of Malaga and Kemeraltı, Izmir. Procedia- Social and Behavioral Sciences, 223:601-607.
Gao, Y. (2016). Public Art Design Research Under the View of Urban Context Protection. [Ph.D. Thesis], Tianjin, China: Tianjin University.
Hall, S. (1990). Cultural identity and diaspora. In: Identity: Community, Culture, Difference. United Kingdom: Lawrence and Wishart, p. 222-237
Hu, Z., Strobl, J., Min, Q., Tan, M., & Chen, F. (2021). Visualizing the cultural landscape gene of traditional settlements in China: A semiotic perspective. Heritage Science, 9(1):115. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43238-021-00004-7
Jiang, J., Zhou, T., Han, Y., & Ikebe, K. (2022). Urban heritage conservation and modern urban development from the perspective of the historic urban landscape approach: A case study of Suzhou. Land, 11(6):1251. https://doi.org/10.3390/land11061251
Jie, M., Zakaria, S. A. B., & Aziz, M. F. B. A. (2024). Integrating traditional Chinese landscape painting techniques and cultural principles into modern living environment. Rita Revista Indexada de Textos Academicos, 85-100.
Li, D. (2016). Shuijingzhu. Available from: https://read.nlc.cn/outopenbook/ openobjectbook?aid=892&bid=218701.0
Liu, Q., & Shmelova-Nesterenko, O. (2023). The role of design objects in creating the visual identity of a city based on the cultural heritage of China. Art and Design, 45-54.
Liu, Y. (2014). Study of the Color System in Suzhou Classical Garden. [Ph.D. Thesis]. Beijing, China: Beijing Forestry University.
Miao, Y. (2005). Research on assessments and inheritance method of Chinese traditional urban contextual constitutions. Urban Planning Forum, 4:40-45.
Shang, G., & Yao, X. (2024). Stylization of history and heritage commodification: The linguistic landscape of refabricated historical streets in Chinese cities. Language and Communication, 98:60-73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langcom.2024.06.001
Sheng, R., & Buchanan, J. (2022). Traditional visual language: A geographical semiotic analysis of indigenous linguistic landscape of ancient waterfront towns in China. Sage Open, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211068503
Su, J. (2018). Conceptualizing the subjective authenticity of intangible cultural heritage. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 24(8):919-937. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2018.1493985
Sun, J. (2010). Approach New Contextualism. [Ph.D. Thesis]. Chongqing, China: Chongqing University.
UNESCO. (2011). Recommendation on the historic urban landscape. In: Proceedings of the Records of the General Conference 36th Session. Paris, France.
Viki, N. H., & Al-Harithy, H. (2019). Urbanization through a Cultural Heritage Lens: The Case of Tehran (1785-2017). Heritage and Society, 12(1):57-75.
Wang, H. (2020). Study on the Landscape Improvement Strategy of the Main Water System of Suzhou Ancient city from the Perspective of Living Heritage. [Master’s Thesis] Suzhou, China: Soochow University.
Zhang, T., & Lian, Z. (2021). Research on the distribution and scale evolution of Suzhou gardens under the urbanization process from the Tang to the Qing Dynasty. Land, 10(5):281. https://doi.org/10.3390/land10030281
Zhang, W. Z., & Han, F. (2017). A review of the theoretical and practical research on historic urban landscape. Landscape Architecture, 24(1):22-28. https://doi.org/10.13612/j.cnki.1005-6333.2017.01.005
Zhang, Z., Fang, K., Wang, X., Chen, L., Zhang, W., Zhu, G., & Furuya, N. (2020). Riverside building boundary spatial characteristics and utilization patterns in China post-urbanization: A case study on Shantang River, Suzhou. Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering, 21(2):157-172. https://doi.org/10.3130/jaabe.21.157
Zhou, S., & Zhang, Y. (2015). Contextualism and sustainability: A community renewal in old city of Beijing. Sustainability, 7(7):747-766. https://doi.org/10.3390/su7070747
Zuo, D., Li, C., Lin, M., Chen, P., & Kong, X. (2022). Tourism, residents agent practice and traditional residential landscapes at a cultural heritage site: The case study of Hongcun village, China. Sustainability, 14(8):4423. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14084423