Page 46 - JCAU-6-4

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Architectural complex of Yiyang Garden

Figure 1. The current condition of Yiyang Garden. Source: Photos by the authors (2024).
in the research on localized, culturally integrated medical-
care architecture in China.

2.3. The construction of the branch of Yiyang Garden
In 1931, Liang was invited by Li Wuzi, the county mayor of
Conghua, Guangdong, to visit the Liuxi River in Conghua
and explore the area’s hot springs. Together, they formed
the “Conghua Hot Springs Promotion Association” to
develop the scenic area. At the same time, Liang, along
with Chen Danian and Liu Peiquan, privately funded
the construction of a Japanese-style house called “Yuhu
xiguan”(玉壶溪馆) for themselves and other visitors (Liu,
1982). Figure 4 shows the current status of the Conghua
Hot Springs Sanatorium.
The walls of Yuhu xiguan were made of bamboo and
Figure 2. The current situation of the Tianfeng building. Source: Photo
by the authors (2023). wood, covered with yellow mud, and topped with thatched
roofs. The central area was designed as a Japanese-style
a bank. After undergoing several changes, it was eventually bungalow, elevated half a meter above the ground. It
incorporated into the Guangdong Vocational Institute of consisted of three rooms, each capable of accommodating
Sport and is now part of the Ersha Sports Training Center more than 10 people. A surrounding corridor featured
in Guangdong province (He & Shen, 2020). bamboo beds and chairs, providing space for relaxation
and enjoying the view (Xu, 1990). Behind Yuhu xiguan,
After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, three hot spring pools were built, with small shelters
the medical and health industries witnessed significant erected above them for shade.
development. Guangzhou went on to establish 26 sanatoriums,
most of which were created by the Guangzhou government In 1936, after touring various parts of Guangdong,
to cater to the needs of chronic disease recuperation for Liang recognized the potential of the Conghua hot springs
government officials (Shen & Guangzhou Local Chronicles as an ideal location for rest and recuperation. He developed
Compilation Committee, 1997). These medical facilities an additional site along the west bend of the Liuxi River
increasingly focused on functionality and efficiency. In (流溪河), where he constructed three bungalows, known
this context, Yiyang Garden occupies a unique place in the as Songyuan Buildings Four, Five, and Six.
history of Chinese medical and nursing care architecture. Whether it was the Pearl River Yiyang Garden or the
Built during a transformative period of cultural integration branch built in the hot spring scenic area, it is clear that
and ideology shifts in early modern China, Yiyang Garden Liang placed great emphasis on location and environment.
exemplifies the blending of traditional Chinese healing Well-versed in traditional Eastern medicine, Liang
concepts with the emerging trends of Western medical advocated for “natural healing” and believed that closeness
practices. Unlike the state-built sanatoriums that followed, to nature was essential for human health. Having also
Yiyang Garden, being privately established, retained a greater studied Western medicine, he blended this philosophy
degree of traditional Chinese environmental healing ideas. with Western medical technology, establishing some of the
Therefore, the significance of Yiyang Garden extends beyond earliest integrated medical and nursing care architecture in
its role as a health-care facility; it serves as a critical case study Guangzhou.

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