Following the establishment of the “Huzhou University Student Practice Base” and the “Huzhou University Ecological Sensitive Area Landscape Data Collection Station” in Hanggai Town, Anji County, recently, the School of Design at Huzhou University, in collaboration with the “Rural Revitalization Doctoral Team” from Tongji University, organized a rural landscape design co-creation activity in Yao Village, Hanggai Town. This event involved design students from 10 universities across 6 cities in China, resulting in a packed schedule and fruitful outcomes.
Students from the Environmental Design major, including Zhuang Jinxi, Zhang Jingyi, and Zhang Ruiqing, primarily served in the design group, led by our lecturer and Tongji University PhD, Cui Yanyu. They undertook two tasks: the “Landscape Node Design for Yao Village” and the “Preliminary Design of the Visual Identity System for Hanggai Town.” The design group adopted the theme “Sharing Streams and Mountains: A Wonderland of Co-Creation,” and regardless of the scorching heat or typhoon weather, they remained dedicated in the fields, continuously engaging in research, design, reporting, and practice. They not only felt the heavy responsibility of rural revitalization but also experienced the fulfillment and growth of applying their knowledge.
First Round of Research: Establishing Groundwork and Consensus
The first round of research covered the central village of Yao Village, Shibi Village, Cong Village, and several natural villages including South Che and North Che, examining ten landscape nodes and conducting brainstorming sessions on five key nodes identified by the village secretary (South Che Waterfall, the Forest Guardian’s House, North Che Stone House, and the embankment, etc.).
Through team visits and in-depth discussions with Secretary Zeng and Secretary Shao, we brainstormed around the positioning of “Wonderland: Gao Yao Wu,” proposing a design framework of “Ecological Restoration + Cultural Narrative.” The secretaries highly recognized our ideas.
During this phase, we deeply understood the complexity of rural projects—not only needing to balance ecology and functionality but also responding to the actual needs of the villagers.
Second Round Focus: From General to Precise Breakthroughs
As the task was clarified to “Landscape Design for the Riverbanks of Cong Village,” the team quickly adjusted its direction, working overtime to enrich the planning content, hoping to attract the judges’ attention and promote Cong Village in Anji County with a better appearance and language.
During this time, we also participated in the construction briefing led by Dr. Yang Jianfei from Tongji University, learning about the details of concrete structure construction; in the afternoon, we measured the river boundary of Cong Village and recorded the terrain with drones to ensure that the subsequent design could be accurately implemented. This high-intensity interspersed work led team members to humorously remark that they “left the marks of the countryside on their feet.”
Third Round Deepening: Surveys, Interviews, and Cross-Disciplinary Practice
To accurately capture the needs of the villagers, the team designed a space usage questionnaire overnight, covering river usage habits, preferences for public facilities, and more. During the interviews, although we encountered language barriers, we unearthed local cultural clues from the “Stone House Story” told by the elderly. In our third report to the village secretary, we proposed a composite plan of “Ecological Bank Protection + Research Learning Trail,” which received praise for being “rich in ideas from young people.”
At the same time, the team also completed the cultural and creative derivative tasks for Hanggai Town: designing a logo system for “Jizhong Frog Outdoor Sports,” creating camping activity guides for “Little Duck Homestay,” and developing a children’s nature education manual in conjunction with “Little Bamboo Shoot Nature Research.” Although these “interludes” increased the workload, they taught us to extract commonalities from diverse needs—rural design must be “down-to-earth.”
Sweat and Harvest: Knowledge Grown from the Soil
Looking back on this period, the deepest feeling is that “the hard work is worth it.” The sweat from carrying instruments under the scorching sun, the coffee consumed late at night to prepare reports, and the mosquito bites during interviews have all become footnotes to our growth. But more precious is the enhancement of practical abilities: we learned how to get closer to the villagers, mastered the skills of connecting construction drawings with on-site conditions, and gained a deeper understanding of how the “Two Mountains Theory” is reflected in micro-design.
Secretary Shao Gang of Yao Village once said: “Your design should make the common people willing to come to the riverside.” This statement constantly reminds us that rural landscapes are not just blueprints on paper, but practices that concern the warmth of life. Moving forward, we will continue to use “deep beauty” as our rhythm and “sharing” as our theme, allowing the beauty of streams and mountains to truly integrate into the daily lives of the people of Yao Village.
This event received high recognition from Deputy Secretary Gao Zhikai, Deputy Mayor Li Qing of Hanggai Town, and Secretary Shao Gang of Yao Village, who expressed a desire to strengthen ties with the academy in the future to provide platforms for faculty research and student practice.
Proofread by | Zhong Xinyue
Typeset by | Zhu Keyu
Text by | Bao Xueying
Edited by | Fan Xiaoran
Final Review by | Zhu Yali
Follow us
Huzhou University School of Design