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Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism The making of the Chinese urban landscape

urban landscape fit together. Urban morphologists view the Western concept of landscape is neither the only long-
urban landscape as a whole ensemble comprising a number standing landscape tradition nor the only tradition that
of sub-elements. Inspecting modern landscapes provides shows a strong appreciation of landscape values.
profound information about the past. The present elements The conceptual constructs of landscape in Chinese
of landscapes, in particular, town plans, building forms, history refer to a philosophy centered on nature and on
and land use, contain historical references and continuity, the harmony between the natural environment, built
thus denoting a sense of traditional values (Conzen, 1960; environment, and human activities. It can be traced back
Tveit et al., 2006). These elements together generate a to the theology or philosophy of Daoism, whose principles
morphological region that contains the character of an state that the universe revolutionizes itself through the
area and depicts the structure and morphological periods mechanism of spontaneous transformation. Among the
embedded within the changes in the urban landscape. many philosophical teachings, Daoism perhaps offers
Over the past two decades, as part of an international the most complete and comprehensive explanation of
effort to substantiate and consolidate the geographical the cosmos, particularly the interrelationships between
morphological approach to the urban landscape, urban elements that exist in the world. Dao (道, the natural
morphologists have further extended the scope of “way of the world”) is the origin and prime source of the
urban morphology to the study of Chinese cities (Chen universe, and all changes on the earth are related to the
& Thwaites, 2013; Guo, 2008; Li & Gauthier, 2014; rise and fall of the elements under the law of yin (阴) and
Whitehand & Gu, 2006; Whitehand & Gu, 2007). Field- yang (阳), and their interrelationship. Yin and yang are
based research has investigated numerous Chinese towns essential, natural, and complementary forces, patterns, and
and cities, including major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, things that depend on one another and combine to become
Guangzhou, and Nanjing, as well as some relatively remote the driving force behind the evolutionary processes of
settlements in Shanxi province. The studies reveal that the universe. The cosmic forces of yin and yang interact
in many Chinese cities, most components of the street to produce the so-called five elements (also rendered as
plan and many of its plot patterns are the products of “five agents”). These elements, in turn, form the qi (气,
planned schemes. These systematic form complexes act as normally translated as “material force,” “vital energy,” or
morphological regulators, and the ground plan exerts an “breath”), of which all things, animate and inanimate, are
influence on the geographical organization of urban life. constituted and transformed. According to such principles,
The symbolic urban landscape and its relationship with the world is not the “act of a creator,” rather, the appearance
the ordinary landscape significantly shape the character of new life is the transformation of an old form (Robinet,
of Chinese cities. While the morphological periods of 1979). Furthermore, ancient theorists extended these
th
Chinese cities before the early 20 century are not clearly basic ideas to social life, believing that metaphysical and
distinguishable, distinctive material forms have been natural phenomena influenced each other. Therefore, a
created in the economic, social, and cultural periodicities link between real life and philosophy was established in
since 1911. China’s changing urban policies and land and the sense that humans and nature interact with each other
property management are important in characterizing (Xiao et al., 2012).
morphological processes and outcomes. Applying the cosmological view of Daoism to urban
While the new morphological exploration has planning, the layout of a city should be adapted to its
reinvestigated both the intellectual basis of the natural topography so that people can utilize local natural
morphological concepts and methods and their use in resources. The ideal siting of a city is viewed in relation
urban landscape management, these developments have, to the forces of nature and the hypothesized powers that
on the whole, yet to crystallize into substantive outcomes. govern all phenomena, reflecting the systematized organic
In particular, the operational aspects of urban morphology nature of Daoist ideology. The layout of the site should
in empirical studies require greater clarity. The link be enclosed to form a container, allowing the site itself to
between urban morphology and Chinese urban theories fill with lively qi for the city. On plains, main streams and
and practices remains weak, and ambiguities about the tributaries can also enclose a site and convey the qi element
practical bases of urban morphology have undermined its in the same manner as mountain ranges. Conventionally,
wider application in practice. qi was believed to be responsible for the quality of all built
environments, ranging from individual dwellings to the
2.2. The landscape idea in the Chinese tradition entire city.

Although contemporary urban landscape research has The correlative view of the harmony between nature
largely been dominated by Euro-American studies, the and humans is one of the most significant perspectives in

Volume 6 Issue 3 (2024) 4 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.261