Qinhuangdao Botanical Garden Skywalk

Project Profile

Qinhuangdao Botanical Garden is located in Haigang District, Qinhuangdao City, covering 26.5 hectares. It borders the Tang River to the east, facing the internationally renowned landscape installation “Red Ribbon” across the water. Flanked by the western and northern ring roads, the garden forms a key node in the Tang River Ecological Corridor, linking mountain and sea. Once a nursery scattered with dilapidated factories and strewn with refuse, the site was transformed in 2006 when the city government commissioned the Haigang District Landscape Bureau to undertake its planning and construction.

The skywalk is situated within the garden’s Mountain Garden area. Inspired by the Yanshan mountain range, the design adopted an earthwork-balancing strategy—reusing construction waste to form layered slopes beneath the landscape and using leftover quarry stones to simulate the geological textures of Yanshan. At the garden's center stands a sculptural installation made of abandoned concrete blocks and rusted rebar found on-site, intended to prompt reflection on the consequences of rapid urbanization.

Hovering above the artificial “Yanshan terrain,” the skywalk elevates visitors into a realm of layered spatial experiences. The looping steel path links the sculpted landscape and forms a spatial continuum. The bridge encircles the central sculpture, allowing visitors a 360-degree viewing experience. From material palette and color to plant selection and composition, the design reveals a distinctly contemporary Chinese identity. As a medium-sized bridge, the skywalk stretches approximately 100 meters with a deck width of 1.7 meters and a design load of 3.5 kN/m². The superstructure consists of a steel frame, supported by steel columns with spread footings. Blending natural elements with recycled materials, the structure exemplifies ecological awareness and poetic expression.

Infused with the essence of the Yanshan peaks and the sea breezes of Bohai Bay, the garden shifts with the seasons: spring blossoms, autumn harvests, summer shade, and winter snow. More than a botanical collection, it embodies 5,000 years of Chinese cultural spirit—where even the humblest plants and stones convey meaning, and where soil and gravel speak to the soul.