The Changing Relationship between Women and Chinese Landscape

Chinese landscape architecture has undergone a major transformation, not least for women landscape architects.

From a historical perspective, the traditional Chinese landscape and gardens have gone through a period of generation, turning point, heyday and maturity in the context of patriarchal society, which means it was difficult for women to influence the landscape profession in the feudal era (1). From the 14th century Ming dynasty, the traditional Chinese landscape became mature in art philosophy, but being confined behind the high walls of homes was the fate of most women – they were allowed to be the main users of the private gardens but without the right to participate in landscape design (2). In the 17th century, private gardens became common educational spaces for women learning life skills and understanding the natural world. Enduring restrictions and confinements, women attempted to seek opportunities to break through the contradiction between social confinements and their own needs (3).

With a reshaped world and culture post war, the connotation, boundaries and scope of work of Chinese landscape have undergone great transformation. While women demand equal rights with men, the characteristics of modern landscape appear to be a move away from distinction on grounds of gender. Rather than say neutral or equal, a more accurate approach to describe this is that the gender disparities have been ignored in general. However a positive trend for taking gender differences in account can be perceived, such as the industry pays more attention to encourage friendly work environments for females than previously (4). To illustrate women’s leadership of this transformation, we have selected three female landscape architects as examples.

1. Communal mini garden in Beijing

© Xiaolei Hou

The first is Xueping Han from Rockery Han, which is an extended clan of rockery landscape artists and creators throughout the ages. As a prestigious master in Chinese landscape and gardens, Rockery Han has a history from the 19th century Daoguang Dynasty. Since the traditional arts and craft families had a rule of passing on skills through males but not females, Xueping’s achievements can be seen as a milestone in breaking through the gender gap between men and women in the ‘inheritance system’ of Chinese traditional landscape and gardens. Xueping Han was born in 1964, Suzhou China, the fourth generation of the Han family. The first 12 years of Xueping’s career were in the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse Administration of Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1998, to take forward the inheritance of the Han rockery artistry, she resigned from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and opened a practice, Beijing Rockery Han Landscape Architects, which has been included in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Among Xueping’s numerous projects, one was the Head Office Tower of the Bank of China, allied with world-renowned architect Leoh Ming Pei, who brought a high degree of recognition to Xueping’s expertise (5)

2. Head Office Tower of the Bank of China

© Beijing Rockery Han Landscape Architects Co. Ltd.

Min Yu, the second example of women landscape leaders, represents a pioneer group born in the 1970s which have undertaken more than a hundred landscape planning and design projects. Min has won a dozen national awards and is well-known for managing large-scale ecological recovery schemes such as forestry parks and urban GI infrastructure. Working on the project Green Heart Forestry Park in the sub-centre of Beijing, she had a brief discussion with General Secretary Xi Jinping (6).

3. Urban Green Heart Winter Solstice Node

© Min Yu

Afterwards she was interviewed and reported for “Everyone Plants Trees Will Grow Into Forests” by the Xinhua News Agency (7). Min continuously promotes the benefits of the landscape profession to the public. She has been rated as the 2020 Capital Greening and Beautifying Advanced Individual, a national honour granted by the Office of the Capital Greening Committee, together with the Beijing Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, approved by the Beijing Municipal People’s Government and the Capital Greening Committee.

4. Ecological Restoration Project, North Caohai of Guizhou

© Min Yu

Professor Xiaolei Hou, who was born in the 1980s, is the third example we’d like to introduce. After receiving a Ph.D. at Beijing Forestry University, she has been working in the School of Architecture, Central Academy of Fine Arts. During a 14-year career including teaching, researching and practicing, Xiaolei has also undertaken around ten national and local funded projects, and has won international honours including ASLA and IFLA awards (8) Comparing with the two female examples above, Xiaolei is more focused on the leading role of landscape in the public harnessing of the power of information interconnection.

5. Advising on public engagement, Chongyong Street

© Xiaolei Hou

6. Olympic Forest Park Beijing

© Beijing Rockery Han Landscape Architects Co. Ltd.

Sha Li

Dr. Sha Li is Associate Professor in the School of Architecture and Design China University of Mining and Technology. Her research interests include Landscape-led planning and management; and landscape history.

Wei Kuang

Dr. Xin Yang is Professor in the School of Architecture and Art at the North China University of Technology. Her research interests include Carbon-neutral landscape; climate change landscape mitigation

Xin Yang

Dr. Wei Kuang is a Lecturer in the School of Landscape at Beijing Forestry University. Her research interests are Artificial Intelligence and landscape.

Notes and References

1. Du C. L.; Kuai C. The Garden Often See a Beautiful Woman— The Interdependence and Interaction between the Chinese Women and Garden. Chinese Landscape Architecture. 2014, 30, 11-14.

2. Liu S. S.; Huang X. Pursuit of Refinement: Women’s Education Shown in Chinese Garden Paintings. Chinese Landscape Architecture. 2019, 35, 76-80.

3. Zhou X. P.; Chen L. P. Freedom and Confinement: Women’s Use of and Influence on Garden Space in Late Ming Dynasty. Journal of Tongji University (Social Science Section). 2021, 32, 62-70.

4. Jacky B; Zhuang J. D. Where is Women’s Position in the Landscape Architecture Profession. Chinese Landscape Architecture. 2014, 30, 83-85.

5. Xueping Han. Shanshihan Dieshan. Beijing Fine Arts Photography Press. 2018.

6. Xinhua News Agency. The Green Heart adds a beautiful name card to the sub-center of Beijing. Available online: https:// baijiahao.baidu.com/ (accessed on 16 August 2022).

.7 Xinhua News Agency. Everyone Plants Trees Will Grow Into Forests. Available online: https://article.xuexi. cn/ (accessed on 16 August 2022).

8. Declaration of Landscape Architecture in China. Hou Xiaolei: root in the profession, expand and innovate. Available online: https://mp.weixin. qq.com/ (accessed on 18 August 2022).