Results of the appraisal of Beijing University Publicity & Cultural Innovation Studios for the New Era, organized by the Education Work Committee of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, were unveiled recently. BUA’s Three Hills and Five Gardens Studio was included into the list of Beijing University Publicity & Cultural Innovation Studios (To be Cultivated) for the New Era.
List of Beijing University Publicity & Cultural Innovation Studios (To be Cultivated) for the New Era
“Three Hills and Five Gardens” refer to the royal garden complex from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), with the Garden of Exuberant Spring (Changchunyuan), Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan), Summer Palace (Yiheyuan) in the Longevity Hill (Wanshoushan), Garden of Tranquility and Brightness (Jingmingyuan) in the Jade Spring Hill (Yuquanshan), and Garden of Tranquility and Pleasure (Jingyiyuan) in the Fragrance Hills (Xiangshan) at the core. They are among the first batch of demonstration areas for the protection and utilization of national cultural relics, and enjoy the same protection as Beijing’s old city in Beijing’s urban master planning. Relying on the landscape discipline, BUA has successively completed research on the restoration of the Garden of Exuberant Spring, interpretation of the design theory for the Old Summer Palace, research on the historical layout of the Three Hills and Five Gardens, and the systematic research on emperors’ activities in the imperial gardens from 2019. Members of the studio has published four books so far, including Joining Today’s Garden Tour - Illustrations of the Aesthetics and Life in Imperial Gardens, Touring the Three Hills and Five Gardens - Landscape, Art and Life of Chinese Imperial Gardens, Joining Today’s Garden Tour – Daily Activities in the Old Summer Palace, and History and Culture about Ancient Trees, a historical textbook, as well as a dozen of high-quality papers published on journals like Chinese Landscape Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Summer Palace, and Research on Three Hills and Five Gardens.
The Three Hills and Five Gardens Studio works to convert research outcomes into useful social resources in a creative manner. It hosted the “Beauty of Haidian Gardens – History and Culture Exhibition of Three Hills and Five Gardens” in 2024, co-sponsored the “Exploration of Tranquility and Beauty – Tour Exhibition of the Maps of Three Hills and Five Gardens Collected by the National Library of China & Garden Themed Culture and Art” launched by China National Arts Fund in 2023, and participated in the design for the utilization of Yangyunxuan Yard in the Summer Palace, and the R&D of the course on the Three Hills and Five Gardens for the primary school branch of Beijing Bayi School. It was also invited to two episodes of Journey with Books, a CCTV-10 program, namely Secret Place in the Beihai Park: Brilliant Four Seasons, and Secret Place in the Fragrance Hills: Jianxin Yard, to publicize the research results about the Three Hills and Five Gardens. Zhu Qiang, member of the studio and a young teacher, was named among the “Most Beautiful Scientific and Technological Workers” of Beijing in 2023.