Page 44 - JCAU-6-4

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Architectural complex of Yiyang Garden

& Guangzhou Local Chronicles Compilation Committee, combines medical and elderly care services (Huang & Meng,
1997), the development of Western hospitals in China 2014). This innovative service model incorporates theories
began in modern Guangzhou. Medical and nursing such as rehabilitation garden theory, environmental
care architecture is a distinctive branch of Guangzhou’s therapy, and aging-friendly design, emphasizing the
medical architecture, possessing precious historical value integration of medical and elderly care resources, and
that requires further exploration and research. In China, the importance of interior and exterior space design for
the majority of published books on hospital architecture patients and the elderly (Guo, 2016). In the 1990s, the
primarily focus on architectural design guidelines, theory of rehabilitation gardens as outdoor therapeutic
emphasizing practical engineering design experiences. aids was introduced (Clare, 2009), and since then, scholars
However, compared to the extensive scope of construction, abroad have continuously conducted research on related
research on the history of hospital architecture is somewhat theories and practices, resulting in a relatively complete
lacking, especially concerning hospital buildings in set of outdoor design methods for integrated medical and
Guangdong province. At present, research on the history elderly care buildings (Gesler, 1993). However, research in
of medical buildings in Guangdong province is primarily China on the integration of medical buildings, elderly care
conducted at the South China University of Technology, buildings, and their environments is still in the exploratory
under the stewardship of Professors Zhang Chunyang and stage.
Sun Yimin and their teams. They have undertaken relatively One example of integrated medical and nursing care
systematic studies on medical buildings from multiple architecture in Guangzhou is the Yiyang Garden on Ersha
perspectives, including history, landscape, architectural Island. Constructed in the early 1920s, Yiyang Garden is
space, and overall design. Despite these efforts, specialized known as the first hotel hospital in Guangdong. It is an
research on integrated medical and nursing care facilities architectural complex that combines medical rehabilitation
in Guangzhou is scarce, with only a few articles exploring and elderly care attributes, representing the earliest
the current state of such buildings (Cui et al., 2018; Wang, model of integrated medical and nursing care in modern
2020). From an architectural history perspective, only Guangzhou. In Guangzhou, modern integrated medical
Professor Tian Yinsheng and his team at the South China and nursing care facilities incorporate traditional Chinese
University of Technology have conducted systematic philosophy and health preservation culture, as seen in
studies on the medical care architecture of Conghua Hot garden landscape design. This incorporation reflects the
Springs Town and produced several publications (Chen, early adoption of the concepts from rehabilitation garden
2016; Xi, 2019; Zhao, 2015). Studies on the history of other theory and environmental therapy, which have played a
modern medical care buildings in Guangzhou remain significant role in guiding the development of integrated
virtually non-existent. For example, institutions such as medical and care facilities in China. This article analyzes
Yiyang Garden (颐养园), the Guangdong Healthcare and the architecture and landscapes within Yiyang Garden
Convalescent Hospital, and other sanatoriums that were based on rehabilitation garden and environmental therapy
established between 1949 and 1978 are only sporadically theories. The research methods include documentary
mentioned in local historical records. It is evident that research, interdisciplinary study, and field research,
current research on medical care buildings in China largely utilizing resources from the Guangzhou Library and
remains at a theoretical level, with historical research on Archives to collect multidisciplinary archival materials
medical care buildings in Guangzhou almost completely on Yiyang Garden, covering social, architectural, medical,
absent. and gardening aspects. Through field research, this study
As China’s economy continues to grow and the aging examined existing modern integrated medical and nursing
population becomes a more pressing issue, the demand care facilities in Guangzhou, employing methods such
for medical care among the elderly is also growing. In the as visitation records and onsite mapping to statistically
field of elderly rehabilitation, developed countries such as analyze the number of buildings, their layouts, and their
Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom have current conditions. There were 22 medical and nursing
conducted in-depth interdisciplinary studies involving care integrated sanatoriums in modern Guangzhou, with
rehabilitation medicine, ergonomics, and environmental Yiyang Garden being the focus of this case study as the
behavior, forming a relatively comprehensive theoretical earliest established facility. The development history,
framework (Luo, 2015). In contrast, China lacks effective design concepts, planning layout, architectural features,
integration between elderly care services and medical and landscape layout of Yiyang Garden were analyzed.
services, making it difficult to meet the needs for elderly While this study has certain limitations and does not fully
care and medical rehabilitation. Since 2013, China has address the research gap on modern integrated medical and
been promoting a governmental-led design model that nursing care facilities in Guangzhou, it serves as a valuable

Volume 6 Issue 4 (2024) 2 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.2830