RESEARCH ON FAMOUS HISTORIC GARDENS AND PARKS SANGHAJ TÖRTÉNETI KERTJEI ÉS PARKJAI – ÉRTÉKVÉDELMI KUTATÁS

SZERZŐ / BY: DAIXIN DAI, MAN YUAN

ABSTRACT Park Conservation Research, is dilated. It aims at developing a reasonable regis- Historic gardens and parks have signif- tration process, including 6 steps, and icant cultural meanings and their ultimately recommends a list of famous heritage value has been widely recog- historic gardens and parks selected from nized. Including classical gardens, which around 160 existing ones in Shanghai. are supposed to maintain their original design and keep their constant func- tions and features, Shanghai historic 1 BRIEF CITY gardens and parks are in a contin- uous changing to meet various needs. Comparing with many other ancient Both preservation and transfor- Chinese cities, Shanghai has a history mation of historic parks should be of only hundreds of years, starting from taken into account in the urban renewal 1292 A.D. when the government of Yuan process, for their historical significance Dynasty established . not only lies in their cultural relics and However, the outstanding charac- historic sites, but also contemporary teristics and uniqueness of the city characteristics from updating. Shanghai history lie in more recent times. Due Park Management Center attempts to its geographic position in Yangtze to look into the issue and formulate River Delta, Shanghai has become new policies to conserve and manage the centre of cotton spinning cottage historical gardens and parks under industry. Since opened as one of the fast urbanization. This paper intro- foreign trading ports in 19th century duces 3 research projects in this field after the Opium War, the city has played conducted by recently. a leading role in ’s moderni- One of the projects, Shanghai Historic zation process. As a result, “Foreign

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Photo 1: Winter Scene of (source: https:// www.behance.net/ gallery/1576403/ snow-in-yuyuan- garden)

and Chinese Divided” city organizations and restoration of Chinese classical and management system were intro- gardens. The main restoration started duced by foreign concessions, and then from 1956 and lasted about 30 years. these were merged into local system. Chen Congzhou (1918-2000), a well- After the establishment of eople'sP known Chinese garden designer and Republic of China in 1949, Shanghai has scholar, was in charge of this reha- gradually became a nationwide indus- bilitation and restoration project. trial and economic center, as well as a He also transformed and enlarged rapid changing world-class metropolis. it to meet new needs while rehabili- tated the existing part. As a result, the garden, which is now representative 2 THREE TYPES OF GARDENS of Shanghai classical gardens, is listed AND PARKS IN SHANGHAI for its unique cultural significance. After the middle of , According to the main period of modern gardens and parks (from 1840 development, Shanghai gardens – the year when Opium War broke out, can be classi­fi­ed into three types. to 1949 - the establishment of People’s Ancient/classical gardens go back Republic of China) emerged, some of to Northern and Southern Dynasties, them simply modernized out of existing and construction of gardens reached a historic gardens. During this period, climax in (15th century). many private gardens were opened to For example, Yu Garden typically repre- the public, including Huangpu Park. sents the highest theoretical and tech- Due to its location near , nical standard of the classical gardens which is often regarded as represent- of the region (Photo 1). Moreover, the ative of the city’s image of modern- garden is a model of rehabilitation ization, the park has gone through

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Photo 2: French Figure 1: Master Garden Elements in Plan of Fuxing Park Fuxing Park (surveyed and Photo 3: Chinese drafted by tongji Garden Elements in students) Fuxing Park (source: https://s- media-cache-ak0. pinimg.com/564x/3 b/0e/27/3b0e27893e f42cb2461cdf6c364 e4d61.jpg)

several modifications and it is difficult There are also masterpieces of to read its original design. However, gardens built in contemporary time it is still listed, not only because it is (1949-now), of which Fangta Park is the very first public park of China, but a superb example (Photo 4, Figure 2). also the unique historic and cultural Designed by Feng Jizhong, another meaning of this historic site. Modern famous domestic garden designer and gardens and parks in Shanghai scholar, the park originated from the generally were designed and built in conservative garden of an ancient tower the colonial period and reveal a combi- built in Song Dynasty and other ancient nation of eastern and western style. buildings and relics in different periods, An example is Fuxing Park. It is also meanwhile it illustrates distinctive listed as an outstanding represent- artistic imagery by using modern ative of both French and Chinese clas- methods of design and techniques. It is sical garden style (Photo 2-3, Figure 1). also listed for its demonstration of Feng’s

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4D 44 BOOK.indb 56 07/09/17 10:27 garden construction theory and it is the on a landscape-based approach harmonious combination of ancient and on historic heritage preservation. contemporary aesthetics and technology. Shanghai government is also seeking It is a fact that historic gardens are approaches to adapt, disseminate, facil- places which bear witness to human itate and monitor its implementation. behavior and reflection to local events and trends in history, which occupy an important place in forming local identity. 3 RESEARCH PROJECTS ON SHANGHAI Moreover, they take the responsibility PARKS BY TONGJI UNIVERSITY as necessary places for outdoor expe- rience and recreation of contemporary Recently there are mainly three ongoing times. Besides, the recent UNESCO research projects on Shanghai parks recommendation on the Historic Urban and gardens conducted by Department Landscape (HUL) put an emphasis of Landscape Architecture, College of

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Photo 4: Scenery (7) Trench of Fangta Park (8) East Gate Figure 2: Master (9) Plan of Fangta Park Appreciation Pavilion (1) North Gate (10) He Lou Pavilion (2) Corridor (source: thanks to (3) Tian Hou Temple courtesy of (4) Screen Wall department of (5) Fangta Tower landscape (6) Lawn architecture, caup)

Architecture and Urban Planning (CAUP) 4 REGISTRATION OF SHANGHAI of Tongji University. Starting from 2015, FAMOUS HISTORIC PARKS the first one aims at setting up a GIS supported database for Shanghai gardens After one-year’s work, the second and parks, including spatial information research project Shanghai Historic Park such as feature layout, vegetation type, Conservation Research has come to a and dynamic data for better manage- conclusion in March 2016. Taking the ment, momentary number of visitors as evaluation of landscape heritage as example. The second one is to announce a the main starting point, and Shanghai list of famous historic gardens and parks, public gardens and parks as the study as a result of reorganizing documentation, objects, the research group selected and investigating their current conditions, announced a list of 25 parks as The First and assessing their values. The third one List of Shanghai Famous Historic Parks. is looking forward to formulating proper and practical rules and regulations to 4.1 Clarification on Definition conserve and manage Shanghai historic The research started from clarifying the gardens and parks. Although different definition of famous urban historic parks. groups work separately, methods, data On one hand, various definitions such as sharing and necessary communica- international heritage conservation codes tion ensure an efficient collaboration. and regulations were put into comparison.

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4D 44 BOOK.indb 58 07/09/17 10:27 On the other hand, similar domestic defi- Firstly, the UNESCO Operational 1 United Nations Educational, Scientific nitions and relative local regulations were Guidelines for the Implementation of the And Cultural Organization, Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of also analyzed to work out reasonable World Heritage Convention1 states that the World Heritage Convention [EB/OL]. descriptions and indicators for Shanghai the registered world heritage should 2015[2015-06-14] http://whc.unesco.org/ Famous Historic Parks. The final definition satisfy two requirements: 1. Meet the document/137843 2 Historic England. Designation Register clarifies primary standards of listing: The outstanding universal value (OUV) evalu- of Parks and Gardens Selection Guide- Shanghai famous urban historic parks ation; 2. Have characteristics of integrity Urban Landscapes [EB/OL]. are those which were built more than 30 and/or authenticity, and have adequate years within the city limit, which have protection and management mecha- unique impact on urban development and nisms to ensure that the heritage is well cultural life in certain historical periods protected, as the premise of the OUV. and within certain areas, which have Secondly, the UK Designation Register distinctively essential spatial patterns of Parks and Gardens Selection Guide- or elements preserved in their history. Urban Landscapes2 divides gardens and parks into three categories according to 4.2 Comparative Analysis their main stages of development, and Second phase of the project was to set sets up different criteria of registration. up a process of registration. Several Thirdly, the identification and eval- comparative analyses were conducted uation of historic landscapes of the as case study and references. United States contains a complete

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4D 44 BOOK.indb 59 07/09/17 10:27 set of working procedures and regu- integrity and authenticity, describe the 3 J. Timothy Keller, ASLA, and Genevieve latory standards, including How To validity of heritage value, but it is not P. Keller, How to Evaluate and Nominate Designed Historic Landscapes[EB/OL]. Evaluate and Nominate Designed part of “value”. So it is not reasonable [2015-06-14] http://www.nps.gov/history/ Historic Landscapes,3 How to Apply the to list it with other value classifications nr/publications/bulletins/nrb18/ National Register Criteria for Evalu- in the evaluation framework. Moreover, 4 National Park Service. How to Apply the National Register Criteria for ation,4 etc. The evaluation procedure the process lacks clear and definite Evaluation, 1995[2015-06-14] https:// places great emphasis on the nature measurement indicators. Precise indi- www.nps.gov/nr/publications/bulletins/ of cultural heritage, its cultural back- cators such as “time” and “scale” can pdfs/nrb15.pdf 5 Beijing Municipal Bureau of ground and evolution through time. be measured by accurate numbers, Landscape and Forestry, The First list The research project also looked but fuzzy indicators such as “historical of Beijing Famous Historic Gardens[EB/ into current evaluation methods of events", "historical figures", "popu- OL]. 2015[2015-06-14] http://www. bjyl.gov.cn/zwgk/gsgg/201510/ domestic historic parks. After five larity" and "artistic characteristics” P020151012360303705528.docx years of study, The First List of Beijing can only be described by words. For Famous Historic Gardens5 was announced example, "historical figures" may refer to to the public on 9th March, 2015. famous people of worldwide, national, or According to the government's public local importance. Therefore, Shanghai documents, twenty-five gardens were historic gardens and parks evaluation selected with profound historical and needs clear and explicit approach. cultural significance. The evaluation The historic parks of Shanghai vary criteria system is given in Figure 3. in forms and characteristics, and some For each candidate, the procedure of their initial construction time can be begins with classification according to traced back to Ming and Qing Dynasties. its typical style, proceeding with evalu- However, their distinguishing features ation by detailed factors. Weight coef- are determined by the urban devel- ficients are set up for each factor. An opment process, especially during the overall score of each garden/park historical turbulent period of modern will be worked out and conducted a times. The on-going transformation of comparison within all candidates. garden heritages in Shanghai is to meet However, the evaluation process of societal needs of each period. In fact, Beijing Famous Historic Gardens is not hardly any cultural relics remain in the sufficiently reasonable. Firstly, quanti- original state. Most historic buildings tative methods are not always suitable and gardens have experienced repair to evaluate the quality and value of and rebuild or reconstruction during heritage. It is still a subjective process their existence. Therefore, the eval- to decide weight coefficient for each uation process should explore their factor since the quantitative evaluation values of all periods and relative prop- method intend to be more objective. erties, in order to illustrate reasonable Secondly, the current condition, namely, direction for future management.

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4D 44 BOOK.indb 60 07/09/17 10:27 Value medium Explanation Key words 3 Single or series of historical events, activities, regional Place of occurrence 4 Event development trends or patterns, social trends, etc. Witnessing place Testimony Relevant to life experiences of important historical figures, Important relevance People such as former Residence. Important influence Pioneer Garden form, style, theory; Masterpiece Skills, technology, materials, construction methods, Typical paradigm artistic beauty; Outstanding example Retained ancient and famous trees, plant design Important relevance Figure 3: Evaluation Design/construction/planting of specific period or style, etc. Ancient and famous trees Criteria System of Beijing Famous Historic Garden (source: http://www. 5 REGISTRATION PROCESS STEP 4 Value criteria bjyl.gov.cn/zwgk/ List a number of required criteria for the gsgg/201510/ p02015101236030417 The process learns from the U.S. and “Event”, “people”, “design/construction/ 2919.docx) UK register methods and evalua- planting” to be met so that by comparing Figure 4: Value Medium tion criteria. Parks are typically clas- a historic park’s predominating value sified into groups according to main with the city level, a park can be iden- period of development before evalua- tified whether it meets the city-level tion. The whole process of registration significance. By the end of this step, a consists of six essential steps. Value series of candidate parks are listed. medium and criteria are used as core approach of evaluation; Thirdly, Site visit STEP 5 Site visit and current and current situation investigation are situation investigation necessary to examine authenticity and This step consists of three parts. The integrity of these gardens and parks. first is the park survey according to the list from STEP 4. It aims to check STEP 1 History research the preservation condition of phys- Archives, drawings, photographs, ical remains and relics. Secondly, park historic records, celebrity stories, administrators are interviewed to clarify reconstruction records, comments current practical problems. Last but illustrate where the value of the not least, park visitors are asked to fill park lies in. out questionnaire and give short inter- views in order to know their attitude STEP 2 Age division and advices to historical preservation, According to the construction period recognition and renewal of urban parks. of their main layout and basic status, The results turned out that some Shanghai historic gardens and parks parks clearly should be crossed out, are divided into three categories: due to their insufficient protection or ancient ones are mainly constructed improper treatment and management. before 1840, modern ones are created As for visitors, generally little attention between 1840 and 1949, and contempo- is paid on local history and culture in rary ones are built from 1949 to till now. historic parks, since they generally came mainly for recreational needs. However, STEP 3 Embodiment of value many tourists agree "protection is more “Event”, “people”, “design/construc- important", and also emphasized the tion/planting” are selected as medium availability of modernized park facil- between value and properties of a ities and unique cultural experiences. park, including both tangible and Another finding is that the park intangible elements (Figure 4). influence and popularity exerts significant

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4D 44 BOOK.indb 61 07/09/17 10:27 Figure 5: Elements related to tangible 5 and intangible park elements 6 Figure 6: Selected List of Shanghai Famous Historic Parks

Elements related to tangible park components Elements related to intangible park components • Physical objects: Boundary, architecture, art, garden ornaments, • About historical events or persons: festival, handcrafts or traditional custom; locally originated, layout, spaces, garden style and features, vegetation characteristics influential poetry, legends, songs, dramas, etc. and pattern, marks or traces, etc. • Art and aesthetics reflected by the form and style. • Surrounding features: spatial connection, color, volume, layout, • Unique construction technology, method of using material. sense of place, style, material, crafts, etc. • Innovative idea and concept. • Living place of famous person, inscription, carving, places or • Directly related to masters, theories or historical trends in the field of Landscape Architecture. scenes with special meaning,etc. • Memories and stories about local history, emotion and resonance of local community.

Classical historic parks Modern historic parks Contemporary historic parks Yu Garden, Zuibai Pond, Huangpu Park, Fuxing Park, Longhua Martyr’s Cemetery, Huaihai Park, Fangta Garden, Huilongtan Park, Guangqi Park, Qushui Garden, Guyi Garden, Xiangyang Park, Zhongshan Park, Park, Kunshan Park, People’s Park, Guilin Park, Heping Park, Jingan Park, Qiuxia Garden Luxun Park, Huoshan Park Linjiang Park, Penglai Park, Nanyuan Park

effect on the visitors’ awareness and The project also proposed References: judgment on park’s historical context, a series of advices for the [1]United Nations Educational, Scientific And Cultural Organization, Operational Guidelines for the Implementation cultural activities and environments. By government in three aspects: of the World Heritage Convention[EB/OL]. 2013[2015-06-14] the above means, it is possible to check the 1. Preservation of cultural relics https://content.historicengland.org.uk/images-books/ validity of intangible historical elements. • In respect to the historical back- publications/drpgsg-urban-landscapes/130218_Urban_ Landscapes_final.pdf/ ground of each period, reasonable [2]Historic England. Designation Register of Parks and Gardens STEP 6 Examine authenticity assessment should be made about the Selection Guide-Urban Landscapes [EB/OL]. https:// and integrity needs of cultural relic’s protection and historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/ drpgsg-urban-landscapes/ For those parks who have city-level maintenance. [3]J. Timothy Keller, ASLA, and Genevieve P. Keller, How to significance (selected in STEP 4), this • Set boundaries between protected Evaluate and Nominate Designed Historic Landscapes[EB/OL]. step aims to check the validity of its area and control zone, and control the [2015-06-14] http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/publications/ bulletins/nrb18/ value, by seeking tangible and intangible surrounding development and [4]National Park Service. How to Apply the National Register park elements that adequately support transformation. Criteria for Evaluation[EB/OL]. 1995[2015-06-14] https://www. its relative value portion (Figure 5). 2. Public awareness nps.gov/nr/publications/bulletins/pdfs/nrb15.pdf [5]Beijing Municipal Bureau of Landscape and Forestry, The Based on the above steps, reasonable • Establish advisory organizations to First list of Beijing Famous Historic Gardens[EB/OL]. and reliable links are set up between guide public education and raise 2015[2015-06-14] http://www.bjyl.gov.cn/zwgk/gsgg/201510/ park value and properties; meanwhile public awareness of historic landscape P020151012360303705528.docx urban level significance is ensured. and cultural heritage. • Make rules to regulate tourists' behaviors in historic parks. 6 CONCLUSION 3. Park management and construction • Collected data can enrich and The study turned out that 25 parks improve Shanghai park GIS database, have been qualified as the first batch of and apply to management practice; Shanghai Famous Historic Parks, among • Assuming that the uniqueness of which 5 are ancient/classical gardens, history and culture of a park is 9 are modern parks, and 11 are contem- grasped, it is possible to introduce or porary parks. Each of them represents originate some innovative cultural some unique characteristics of Shanghai events or activities, looking forward to urban development. These parks reflect reviving its historical characteristics the history through not only remaining while satisfy contemporary needs at relics, but also current scenes and the same time. ◉ features. At present those parks not only provide beautiful and meaningful places for local residents, but also attract large numbers of tourists to experi- ence a variety of space and activity, with its unique history. (Figure 6)

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SANGHAJ TÖRTÉNETI Shanghai Park Management Cen- KERTJEI ÉS PARKJA ter feladata, hogy újszerű megújítási – ÉRTÉKVÉDELMI KUTATÁS és menedzsment programot dolgoz- zon ki a gyors urbanizációs fejlődés A történeti kertek és parkok kultu- által veszélyeztetett történeti kertek rális és kultúrtörténeti, értékvédelmi és parkok védelmére és fejlesztésére. jelentősége óriási és világszerte szé- Az elmúlt években a Tongji Egye- les körben elfogadott. Sanghaj tör- tem három kutatási program kereté- téneti kertjei és parkjai folytono- ben foglalkozott a sanghaji történeti san változnak, megújulnak az új kertekkel és parkokkal. Ezek közül a funkcionális igényeknek megfele- történeti parkok megújításával fog- lően. S igaz ez még azokra a klas�- lalkozó kutatási program (Shanghai szikus kerttörténeti értéket képező Historic Park Conservation Research) kertekre, parkokra is, amelyeknél egy hat lépcsős értékelési rendszert az eredeti kertépítészeti térformá- vázol fel az értékvédelmi lista összeál- lást bizony célszerű lenne megőrizni. lításához, és ezzel a módszerrel a vizs- A városmegújítási folyamatokban gált 160 történeti kert és park közül a történeti parkok esetében mind emeli ki a legértékesebb kerttörténeti, a megőrzés alapú megújítás, mind kultúrtörténeti értékeket Sanghaj tör- pedig az átépítés jellegű felújítás is ténetikert-örökségéből. ◉ szóba jöhet. A parkok történeti jelen- tősége ugyanis nem csak a kerttör- téneti emlék mivoltból fakad, hanem a kortárs megfogalmazásból is. A

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