Page 11 - JCAU-6-3

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Is it a matter of design?

abstract generalizations and contingent design cannot be explore the sustainably oriented potential embedded in its
entirely bridged, the article offers operative tools whose transformation. If, as claimed by Xiangning Li, curator of
responsible use falls under the sensibility of their users, the Chinese Pavilion “Building a Future Countryside” at
whether they are policymakers, planners, or architects. the Architecture Biennale of Venice of 2018, “how to self-
The contribution presenting the landscape project for locate within the coordinates of East-West and tradition
Yulong Village, Hainan (Wu et al., 2024, p. 15), unfolds modernity is the ultimate question that every Chinese
as a research-driven design strategy where “green architect must answer” (Li, 2019, p. 4), the design stories
infrastructure has the potential to realize the mutual synthesized in this special issue clearly suggest that these
support and promotion of ecological security, cultural negotiations are not necessarily a downward compromise
heritage, and economic development in Li villages.” but can pave the way to new understandings of the larger
The design actions here are supported by preliminary project to reshape rural China.
research, demonstrating the coherence of their approach
to site modification that is sensible to environmental Conflict of interest
and cultural sustainability. Despite its inherent logical The author declares that there are no competing interests.
processuality, design is here again at the end of the chain of
acts and remains vulnerable to ideological constructs’ bias. References
Conversely, Ramondetti (2023) endorses a more empirical Berta, M., Bruno, E., Ramondetti, L., & Xu, H. (2023). Prosperous
position toward the outcomes of his and other entries’ Lishui. A Project for Suburban China. Novato, CA: ORO
designs. The presented projects have already undergone Editions.
a selection process, portraying scenarios judged as more Bolchover, J., & Lin, J. (2014). Rural Urban Framework.
compelling or feasible than others. Once the boundary Transforming the Chinese Countryside. Basel: Birkhäuser.
conditions are established, design goals, methods, and
outcomes are displayed in three variants, creating space for Chen, X., Wei, H., Song Y., Chen, W., & Liang, Z (eds.). (2023).
a free, comparative discussion and negotiation. Therefore, Rural Revitalization in China. A Socialist Road with Chinese
the article offers the reader the chance to explore design Characteristics. Singapore: Springer.
ideas and simulations, where, despite rigorous parameters Dong, N., Fabris, L. M. F., Wang, Y., & Chen, X. (2023). Ecosystem
and transparent methodologies, the outcome remains service value evaluation method for local-oriented rural
open. Meriggi et al. (2023) propose a more decisive design- water ecological governance: A case study on Shuiku Village
driven approach. After proving the continued validity of in Shanghai. Journal of Chinese Architecture and Urbanism,
Skinner’s urban model in the urban and economic structure 5(3):1055.
of some territories, the authors implemented design https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.1055
concepts that fit within this model. The projects perform Halskov, M., Li, H., & Svarverud, R. (2018). Ecological civilization:
as punctual declinations of an abstract scheme, allowing Interpreting the Chinese past, projecting the global future.
the possibility of discerning its falsifiability and validity Global Environmental Change, 53: 195-203.
while illustrating potential development scenarios. The https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2018.09.014
discourse remains entirely within the design dimension as
the framework for encapsulating and positioning within He, W. (2021). Thinking and Making Architecture in Rural China.
the complex negotiations of values animating countryside London: Design Media Publishing.
transformations. Koolhaas, R. (2020). Ignored realm. In: AMO and R Koolhaas,
(eds.). Countryside, A Report. New York: Taschen, p. 2-3.
The strategies employed in these projects, or design-
supporting methodologies, exemplify a multiplicity Lee, C. C. M (ed.). (2015). Taiqian. The Countryside as a City.
of approaches that portray the complex panorama of Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Graduate School.
rural planning and construction in China. They blend Li, M., Yang, M., Luo, Y., Zheng, D., & Fu, M. (2024). Study on
technological advancements with critical heritage the development path of cultural tourism integration in
preservation and socioeconomic development with Yubai Village in the context of rural revitalization. Journal of
environmental sensibility, allowing us to apprehend rural Chinese Architecture and Urbanism, 6(1):0953.
China as a fertile ground for testing contemporary design https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.0953
approaches on a global scale. Koolhaas (2020) describes Li, X. (2018). Rural futures: Challenges and opportunities on
the rural context as the “forgotten realm,” which serves as contemporary China. Architecture China, 1: 4-11.
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Volume 6 Issue 3 (2024) 5 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.3370