CELEBRATING TRACES OF HISTORY THROUGH PUBLIC OPEN SPACE DESIGN IN BEIJING, CHINA A CREATIVE PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIRMENTS FOR THE DEGREE MASTER OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE BY LIN WANG CARLA CORBIN – COMMITTEE CHAIR BALL STATE UNIVERSITY MUNCIE, INDIANA MAY 2014 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my deepest appreciation to the three committee members of my creative project—Ms. Carla Corbin, Mr. Robert C. Baas, and Dr. Francis Parker—for their support, patience, and guidance. Especially Ms. Corbin, my committee chair, encouraged and guided me to develop this creative project. My gratitude also goes to Dr. Geralyn Strecker for her patience and assistance in my writing process. My thanks also extended to Dr. Bo Zhang—a Chinese Professor—who helped me figure out issues between Chinese and American culture. I would also like to express my gratitude to the faculty of the College of Architecture and Planning from whom I learned so much. Finally, special thanks to my family and friends for their love and encouragement during such a long process. The project would not have been completed without all your help. TABLE OF CONTENT CHAPTER1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Problem Statement ............................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Subproblems ..................................................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Research Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 3 1.4 Assumptions ...................................................................................................................................... 4 1.5 Delimitations ..................................................................................................................................... 4 1.6 Definition of Terms ........................................................................................................................... 4 1.7 Significance of the Study .................................................................................................................. 5 CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ......................................................................................................... 7 2.1 Development of Cultural Heritage Charters and Standards around the World ................................. 7 2.1.1 The Athens Charter and the Venice Charter ........................................................................... 8 2.1.2 Charters Approved by ICOMOS ............................................................................................ 8 2.1.3 UNESCO Recommendations ................................................................................................. 9 2.1.4 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 10 2.2 Historic Preservation Situations and Standards in China ................................................................ 11 2.2.1 Laws and Regulations of Chinese Heritage Protection ........................................................ 11 2.2.2 The Current Situation of Heritage Protection in China ........................................................ 12 2.3 Preservation Standards for Historic Sites in the United States ....................................................... 14 2.3.1 The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Historic Preservation .................................... 15 2.3.2 Standards for Rehabilitation ................................................................................................. 16 2 2.4 Cultural Landscape in China ........................................................................................................... 18 2.4.1 Characteristics of Civic Plazas in Existing Chinese Open Spaces ....................................... 18 2.4.2 Chinese Leisure Preferences in Open Spaces ...................................................................... 19 2.4.3 Chinese Folk Custom Patterns ............................................................................................. 22 2.5 Case Studies .................................................................................................................................... 29 2.5.1 Berlin Wall ........................................................................................................................... 29 2.5.2 York City Wall ...................................................................................................................... 32 2.5.3 Nanjing City Wall ................................................................................................................ 36 2.6 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 39 CHAPTER 3. BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................... 42 3.1 Introduction of Beijing City ............................................................................................................ 42 3.1.1 Ancient Beijing City (before 1949) ...................................................................................... 44 3.1.2 Modern Beijing City (after 1949) ........................................................................................ 50 3.2 Ancient Beijing City Wall ............................................................................................................... 55 3.2.1 Introduction of the City Wall ............................................................................................... 55 3.2.2 Beijing’s City Wall through Successive Dynasties .............................................................. 60 3.3 Demolition of Beijing’s City Wall .................................................................................................. 75 3.3.1 General History .................................................................................................................... 75 3.3.2 Debate about the Demolition of the Wall and Potential Solutions ....................................... 76 3.3.3 Significance of Liang's Proposal to This Creative Project ................................................... 79 3.4 Significance of the Ancient Wall for Today’s Modern City ............................................................ 80 3.5 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 82 3 CHAPTER 4. SITE HISTORY, SITE SELECTION, INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS .............................. 83 4.1 Beijing’s Historic City Pattern and Modern Urban Planning Ideas ................................................ 83 4.2 Current City Wall Policies and Projects .......................................................................................... 87 4.2.1 The Current Policy ............................................................................................................... 87 4.2.2 South Central Axis Park and Yong Ding Men Tower ........................................................... 90 4.3 Existing Conditions of Beijing’s Historic City Wall Remnants ...................................................... 93 4.3.1 Liao and Jin City Wall Museum ........................................................................................... 93 4.3.2 Historical Remnants from the Yuan Dynasty (AD 1206-1368) ........................................... 94 4.3.3 Historical Remnants from Ming and Qing Dynasty............................................................. 99 4.4 Site Selection Criteria ................................................................................................................... 119 4.4.1 Contexts of Three Alternative Sites ................................................................................... 120 4.4.2 Discussions of Criteria ....................................................................................................... 127 4.5 Site Location and Boundary .......................................................................................................... 130 4.6 Historical Context of the Site ........................................................................................................ 131 4.7 Surrounding Land Uses ................................................................................................................. 132 4.7.1 Historical Landmarks and Construction............................................................................. 134 4.7.2 Surrounding Green Spaces and Potential Future Opportunities ......................................... 136 4.7.3 Height of Surrounding Buildings and Views ..................................................................... 138 4.7.4 Surrounding Residential Land Uses ................................................................................... 140 4.7.5 Surrounding Institutions within 5-minute Walking Distance ............................................. 143 4.8 Transportation ............................................................................................................................... 144 4.9 Topography