Topos : Qinhuangdao Forest Park-Transforming a Working Landscape

Legend 

1 Meadow                      2 Construction Phase1     3 Flower Park     4 Alkali Drainage
5 Landscape Bridge      6 Acacia Forest                 7 Paddy Fields   8 Aquatic Flower River
9 Meadow with Flowers 10 Landscape Lake           11 Service Facilities       12 Pear Forest
13 Lotus Pond              14 Administration               15 Xinhe River                16 Wetland Park
17 Elevated Skywalk

Kongjian Yu
QINHUANGDAO FOREST PARK
Transforming a Working Landscape
Qinhuangdao Forest Park in Hebei Province in China emerged from a monotonous forest that served as a windbreak. Small changes generated an urban park with storm water management features, agriculture, and a varied ecosystem that can be experienced by visitors.

Through minimal interventions and a design technique of “landscape acupuncture.”a 233-hectare tree plantation and abandoned farm has been transformed into a lively urban park. The plantation, founded in the 1950s.will now be used for food production and storm water management. It well provide habitat for diverse fauna and recreational opportunities for visitors through a reconsideration of the park's  aesthetics.

The Qinhuangdao Forest Park on the west coast of the Bohai Sea is located in between two densely populated districts of Qinhuangdao, a renowned tourist beach in northern China. The whole area was forested in the 1950s to form a windbreak. Coastal sand dunes were transformed into a green wedge for the city and also protected the coast and railroad from erosion. The forest park was planted for expediency and is dominated by fast growing wood species, mainly poplar(Populus tomentosa and Populus canadensis) and black locust(Robinia pseudoacacia). Fish ponds and rice paddies dot the forest park but most were abandoned when the area was designated a national forest park in 1993.

The objectives of the project were to transform the over-mature and monotonous windbreak forest into a scenic urban park and the disused fish ponds and agricultural fields into functional public spaces. Site challenges included enriching and rejuvenating the original forest plantation to improve its aesthetic value and ecological diversity and make it accessible and attractive to visitors-all with a limited budget and timeline.

The former rice farm of Qinhuangdao Forest has been transformed into an urban park. Skywalks enable the visitors to walk through the new agricultural landscape park with its rice paddies. It allows walking through the park while minimizing the impact on the wetland habitat.

QINHUANGDAO FOREST PARK. HEBEI PROVINCE. CHINA
Client:The Landscape Bureau. Qinhuangdao Municipal Government
Landscape architects: Turenscape. Kongjian Yu
Design team:Lin Shihong.Hong Wei.Zhenhui.Liu Xiangjun
Completion:2011
Area:233hectares
Cost: 2.000 Chinese yuan (2 million euros)

The key approach was a kind of “landscape acupuncture” where the identification of critical points and positions and minimal interventions would dramatically change the landscape. These interventions comprised four measures.

First, the existing farm(growing rice, wheat and other crops) of five hectares was restored as an urban farm that would involve local communities in the production process. A skywalk and boardwalk built at the edge of the farm allow visitors to enjoy a working agricultural landscape.

Second, the abandoned fish farms were reused as storm water wetlands. Lotuses and a rich palette of wetland plants increase biodiversity and create a beautiful landscape. Some fish ponds were made more accessible by boardwalks and platforms, allowing for sport fishing in the park. Next, a self-propagating wild flowers were introduced into the forest clearings and along paths.

Finally, a network of footpaths and boardwalks linked various habitats and give visitors a rich experience of the landscape. Pavilions and platforms become orientation points and give the park identity.

The once monotonous windbreak forest and abandoned farms have been successfully reinterpreted as a unique urban park. Qinhuangdao Forest Park combines naturalistic ecosystems and productive landscapes. It now attracts tourists as the locals who now gather as a community to work in the park.

A wooden path with pavilions leads through the poplar and black locust forest that was partly enriched with new plants. An old fish pond that has been abandoned when the area was designated a national forest park in 1993 is now a resting place for visitors(left).