Urban design and Chinese culture spirit: the symbolic significance of mountain factors in shaping cultural park[1]

Xiumin Xia[2]

Jingjing Zhou[3]

Abstract: An urban cultural park is a symbol of regional urban culture, and it also reflects the accumulation of human culture. It can become an important way to inherit regional historical and cultural heritage and promote the excellent traditional Chinese cultural spirit. The cultural role, played by the cultural parks, is, however, rather unsatisfactory and remains to be improved. It is extremely important to solve these problems and promote the design of urban cultural parks to better showcase their cultural ideas and meet the needs of cultural dissemination and development. Therefore, this article introduced mountain factors and analyzed the symbolic significance of mountain factors in the design of urban cultural parks. This research attempted to interpret the ideas, contained in modern urban cultural parks, from the perspectives of urban cultural parks and mountain factors, and elaborated on the design strategies, expression methods, expression techniques and exchange of ideas of urban cultural parks. Research has found that introducing mountain factors into the design of cultural parks can make them more aesthetically pleasing, with more complex shapes, and better highlight the theme ideas for regional cultural interpretation and expression. This research provides more design schemes and elements for the design of urban cultural parks by studying mountain factors, enriching the ideological meaning and expression of urban cultural parks, helping to promote the inheritance and development of culture, and providing more theoretical basis for landscape design.

Keywords: Urban Park Design. Mountain Factors. Chinese Classical Gardens. Regional Culture. Local Culture, Ecological Sustainability.

Introduction

Urban cultural parks can maximize the display of local regional culture and enhance people’s sense of identification with regional culture (Verheijen; Nyoman; Darma, 2020, p. 425). With the development of the times and the continuous updating of people’s concepts, the issue of cultural inheritance and dissemination has received more attention. As a new way of presenting regional culture, urban cultural parks are of great significance for the development of culture. Therefore, in today's era, the design of urban cultural parks has become extremely important. This article introduces mountain factors into the design of urban cultural parks, hoping to better explain the ideas of cultural parks and the spirit of Chinese culture through mountain factors, and provide more design strategies for urban cultural parks.

With the gradual acceleration of the current urbanization process, research on urban public space design is also gradually increasing, which has enriched the theoretical content of urban space design. The basic role of urban parks is to promote fairness and justice, while geographical imagination provides a limited capacity framework for addressing broader social issues in urban park design (Larson, 2018, p. 391). The purpose of urban public park design is to provide large open green spaces within the city and minimize the negative impact of industrialization. However, due to various reasons, such as lack of public awareness and poor maintenance, urban parks are currently abandoned or underutilized.

Therefore, when designing urban public parks, attention should be paid to usability and demand preferences. Abdelhamid and Elfakharany (2020, p. 311) studied Al Shalalat Park in the center of Alexandria as the research object. A questionnaire survey was conducted on 150 tourists’ needs and preferences from the local Alexandrian community of different ages and social backgrounds, as well as Alexandrian citizens, regarding the availability of public parks. Based on the survey results, design suggestions for the revitalization of Salarat Park were proposed. Plants in urban parks are considered effective elements, expressing form and texture. Planting and designing green plants are an important manifestation of formal aesthetics in urban park design principles (Yilmaz; Ozguner; Sema, 2018, p. 965).

Through the analysis of spatial psychological and behavioral needs, local culture is excavated and refined, and visual landscapes are abstractly expressed, which helps to optimize the design of urban park functions and ecological structures, and improve the spatial quality of urban park square entrances (Wang; Wu; Li, 2018, p. 154). Although scholars have different concerns about urban park design, they have all proposed methods for optimizing it. However, there is relatively little research on the cultural design of urban parks, which limits the research.

Some scholars have also explored cultural theme parks from the perspective of them and pointed out that traditional cultural elements, in urban theme parks, are extremely important for park design. The expression principles, techniques and elements of regional culture, in the design of urban cultural theme parks, have important value for the landscape design of urban cultural theme parks. It is also an appropriate way to create theme parks with urban characteristics and inherit traditional culture (Wang, 2019, p. 182). In cultural theme parks, authenticity related to activities is more important for tourists than authenticity related to objects. It is defined the design of urban cultural theme parks should pay attention to cultural elements in various products (Duan; Chan; Lawal, 2019, p. 321). These scholars’ exploration of cultural theme parks can provide a certain theoretical basis. However, due to the lack of consideration of mountain factors in their research, the actual reference for their research is not high.

This article studies the relationship between mountain factors and urban cultural parks, and provides a theoretical overview of the key points and principles of urban cultural park design, as well as the role of mountain factors in it. In addition, this article also elaborates on the design of urban cultural parks, considering mountain factors from four aspects. Through analysis, it is found that using mountain factors, in urban cultural park design, can better unleash cultural charm and maintain the vitality of cultural parks, thereby attracting more tourists and allowing them to enjoy and relax better.

1 Theoretical review of urban cultural park design

1.1 Urban cultural park

A cultural park is a modern and creative leisure and entertainment venue, formed by tourists as the main body to meet their diverse leisure and cultural needs and choices (Fruet-Cardozo, 2023, p. 218；Reiman; Ammons, 1985, p. 22). In cities, the landscape design of cultural parks is often centered around specific themes. It adopts cultural reproduction, cultural transplantation, cultural display, high-tech and other means to satisfy the tourists’ curiosity through virtual environment shaping and garden landscape. The theme plot runs through the leisure and entertainment cultural activity space of amusement parks, enhancing the value of the cultural space of the park (Dai; Chen, 2018, p. 52). When designing urban cultural parks, it is necessary to combine the theme conveyed by the park with the space, landscape, equipment, atmosphere, performances, venues, scenes, commodities, etc. in the park to jointly express the design theme, in order to design a unique and culturally meaningful park (Suwarlan, 2021, p. 1).

1.2 Design principles for urban cultural parks

The design of urban cultural parks usually follows four principles, namely regional principle, cultural principle, sustainability principle and scientific principle. These four principles are explained one by one below.

The first is the principle of regionalism. As a manifestation of the materialization of historical civilization, urban cultural parks must reflect the local customs, historical culture and other aspects. It is necessary to leverage its regional characteristics to influence surrounding residents, making them proud of their own regional culture and having a sense of promoting and protecting regional culture, which enables the traditional culture, formed over time, to be more widely disseminated (Niu, 2019, p. 366).

The second is the cultural principle. Unlike general parks, the characteristic of urban cultural parks lies in their culture and, compared to it, their entertainment is secondary. Due to China’s long history and extremely diverse culture, it is extremely important to better explore the evolution history of culture and disseminate it, while urban cultural parks can promote the excavation and dissemination of culture. The third is sustainable development principle. Urban cultural parks can integrate various cultures to showcase to the outside world, using intangible cultural charm to influence people and things around them. This is not a temporary phenomenon, but a long and subtle process. When designing urban cultural parks, attention should be paid to both their preservation value and inheritance one, as well as the sustainable development of the ecological environment in urban cultural parks (Shi, 2020, p. 156). The fourth is the principle of scientificity. For the design of urban cultural parks, it is necessary to scientifically utilize multiple cultures and technologies to ensure that space, time, culture and other contents meet practical needs as much as possible.

On the one hand, the design of urban cultural parks needs to implement their themes. The construction of urban cultural parks is to create a micro landscape that reflects the progress of human civilization. An excellent urban cultural park can showcase the changes in the city. However, the changes in cities have undergone a long period of evolution, which contains a large amount of historical and cultural emotions. In order to better express this emotion, the design of urban cultural parks must implement the design theme. Overall, in order to design urban cultural parks, it is necessary to conduct relevant market research, have a certain understanding of the city’s historical and cultural connotations, and combine them with modern ideas to meet the tourists’ needs from different age groups. In addition, the selection of themes should pay attention to the following aspects. Firstly, the theme must have expandability, which is in line with the modern society’s values.

At the same time, it is necessary to ensure the depth of cultural themes and deepen the various aspects involved. Secondly, when planning, it is necessary to fully reflect the city’s characteristics. Many cities today have overly single architectural forms and lack diversity, which cannot occur in urban cultural parks. Therefore, when designing it, it is necessary to ensure that its architectural form can reflect the city’s various aspects, such as culture and history. Finally, the theme must have its corresponding uniqueness. The tourists’ purpose visiting the park is to see things that they would not normally see. Designers need to use fresh events to attract tourists’ attention, making the cultural park more immersive and authentic, and better conveying the theme (Waysdorf; Stijn, 2018, p. 173; Harvey, 2017, p. 133). In the design process, there is no need to be too conventional, but they dare to innovate.

On the other hand, its garden landscape design needs to be closely integrated with the theme of the cultural park. Firstly, attention should be paid to spatial sequence combinations. When designing, the characteristics of various aspects, in the construction of cultural parks, should not be violated, and the principle of spatial sequence combination should be strictly followed. This can give the cultural park a good sense of rhythm, thus allowing tourists to have a good sense of relaxation. In addition, tourists entering cultural parks are mostly for leisure purposes and do not waste too much time and energy. Therefore, in the design process, these factors must be considered. Secondly, attention should be paid to the layout of park landscapes. Landscape design sequence arrangement refers to the comprehensive and three-dimensional display of the landscape during design, in accordance with scientific rules, so that the ideas conveyed by cultural parks can be better accepted by people. Then, the design of cultural parks needs to emphasize the theme, and the creation of their landscapes must conform to the theme to enhance the applicability of the design (Luo, 2022, p. 161). Regardless of the form of landscape design expansion, cultural parks must be at the core.

In addition, in order to make the park landscape design more approachable, it is also necessary to promote tourists to shift from passive visits to active participation. This not only meets the tourists’ leisure needs for the park, but also conveys the theme concept of the cultural park through the tourists’ interaction. Finally, modern technology must be applied to enhance artistic effects. A high-tech cultural park can bring more taste and visual pleasure to visitors, thereby achieving better landscape design effects (Baker, 2022, p. 199). Therefore, for the design of urban cultural parks, modern technology must be applied to enhance their artistic effects. The specific design points are shown in Table 1:

Table 1 – Key points of urban cultural park design

Serial number

Design points

Specific points

1

Need to implement the theme

The theme must have scalability

2

To fully reflect the city’s characteristics

3

To ensure the depth of cultural themes

4

The theme must have a corresponding uniqueness

5

Landscape design needs to be closely integrated with the theme of cultural parks

Pay attention to spatial sequence combinations

6

Attention should be paid to the layout of park landscapes

7

The design of cultural parks should emphasize the theme

8

Modern technology must be applied to enhance artistic effects

Source: Zhang; Song; Li et al. (2024, p. 81)

However, generally speaking, the role of mountain factors in urban parks can be analyzed from both micro and macro levels. From a micro perspective, the role of mountain factors, in urban parks, can be explained from multiple aspects. Firstly, the undulating terrain of mountainous areas can provide a rich and diverse ecological environment for cities, thereby promoting biodiversity. This diverse ecological environment can provide opportunities for various organisms to inhabit, forage and reproduce, making cities richer in biodiversity. Secondly, mountain parks play a positive role in improving the urban environment and climate. The vegetation in mountain parks can purify the air by absorbing carbon dioxide and other pollutants from the air.

At the same time, they can also release water through transpiration, reduce urban temperature, increase air humidity and improve urban climate conditions. From a macro perspective, the role of mountain factors, in urban parks, is equally significant. Firstly, mountain parks, as large green spaces in cities, play an important role in the city’s ecological balance. They can absorb noise in the city, purify the air, weaken the urban heat island effect, and also provide oxygen and water for the city, which has a positive impact on the city’s ecological environment. Secondly, mountain parks can also provide cultural value for cities. The natural landscapes and historical relics, in mountain parks, can become important components of urban culture, attracting a large number of tourists and citizens to visit, learn and appreciate, promoting the development of the city's tourism industry and bringing economic benefits to the city. Overall, mountain factors play an important role in urban parks at all levels, from micro to macro, and have a profound impact on the city’s ecological environment, cultural value and other aspects.

2 Mountain factors in urban cultural parks

2.1 Mountain factors in urban park design

2.1.1 Theoretical Basis for the Use of mountain factors in Urban Park Design

Mountainous areas usually refer to hilly areas and relatively rugged plateaus (Zhang, 2020, p. 42). This study suggests that mountainous areas have a significant impact on the urban landscape of ancient times. Due to the constraints of natural mountainous terrain, such as different mountain ranges, urban design also differs greatly, such as the six slopes of Daxing City. In addition, due to the influence of mountain culture, the city’s design also became a symbol of the ruler's power, such as the construction of high platforms in the city, and the Daming Hall of the Tang Dynasty and other buildings were built on top of these platforms to demonstrate their power. Moreover, many ancient cities have mountainous areas as their urban background, while standing in the city and gazing into the distance can present a hazy poetic atmosphere. Therefore, in ancient Chinese freehand landscape painting, mountainous areas are often the background.

In traditional Chinese garden construction, mountain factors play a crucial role. During the Qin and Han dynasties, Shanglin Yuan was once an island formed by the accumulation of soil in the TaiYe Pool, and was used as a symbol of the Penglai Mountain in the East China Sea. It was the pioneering design in landscape design due to mountain factors. Afterwards, the introduction of mountain factors into Chinese classical gardens became even more common. In modern times, mountain factors are more often combined with water. The most prominent, among them, is the Shanshui City, which was proposed in the context of ecological crisis and moral and cultural one.

2.1.2 Role of mountain factors in Urban Parks

The application of mountain factors in urban and landscape design, in China, is relatively widespread. This article provides a brief overview of the use of mountain factors in landscape design, followed by an introduction to the role of mountain factors in park design. Generally speaking, the role of mountain factors in urban parks can be analyzed from both micro and macro levels.

From a micro perspective, introducing mountain factors into urban park design can achieve spatial segmentation and organization, and play a role in setting off and embellishing park space and landscape. The rockeries, constructed through mountain factors, have diverse forms and varying volumes. Therefore, in the process of garden matching, rockeries can be paired with other landscapes or become the main scenery. For example, the Lion Forest Garden, in Suzhou, and the Four Seasons Rockery, in Yangzhou, are both based on mountains and supplemented by water to achieve unique garden designs.

In addition, mountain factors can be used in the design of stone steps, flower beds, embankments, steps and slope protection in parks, which not only ensures the aesthetic and simple cultural landscape of the park, but also makes it more durable and sturdy. At the same time, the use of mountain factors in park furniture, natural home furnishings and table design (such as stone tables, benches, screens, drums, etc.) not only eliminates the fear of wind and sun, but also enhances the nature’s beauty. As for the introduction of mountain factors into urban parks to construct rockeries, there are many construction methods that are not limited by the environment, making it easier to form art and reflecting regional cultural characteristics.

From a macro perspective, urban park design that considers mountain factors cannot only curb urbanization process and maintain urban ecological stability, but also play an important role in enriching urban landscapes. It mainly manifests in six aspects.

Firstly, it provides a unique landscape foundation. In the land of gardens, only the mountains and forests are the most beautiful. The construction of urban cultural parks cannot be separated from the use of mountain factors. Due to its "high and concave, curved and deep, steep, suspended and flat" characteristics, compared to flat land, mountainous areas can exhibit vertical fluctuations in height and have different spatial attributes, which is conducive to creating a layered landscape space. In this ever-changing space, designers can have more choices and create unique urban park landscapes, thereby obtaining more spatial experiences and better spiritual enjoyment.

Secondly, it can be made as a backdrop for the entire park. The plants, water bodies, buildings, etc., in the park, can be set against the backdrop of mountains to enhance the environment. In the background of vegetation landscape, such as Huagang Fish Garden, in Hangzhou, cedar branches extend downward and soil protrudes upward, forming a complementary spatial relationship against the backdrop of water features, such as the Beijing Olympic Forest Park. When setting off buildings, as the buildings themselves cannot be too high, they must rely on rich mountain factors as a foundation, such as the Tu Shan on Qionghua Island, in the North Sea, to set off the White Pagoda, the Wanshou Shan on the Summer Palace and the Buddha Fragrance Pavilion.

Thirdly, it surrounds the landscape space. The protruding terrain forms the external contour of the space, like a wall, which encloses the city’s landscape space. As the difference in terrain increases, the boundary lines of space would also become apparent, and the combination with landscape elements, such as vegetation, would further strengthen the sense of enclosure. In urban parks, utilizing mountain factors can enclose various types of spaces: open spaces, semi-open narrow spaces, enclosed spaces, etc. For example, unattractive objects, such as nearby urban roads, parking lots, toilets, etc., are placed in a concave terrain, which is enclosed by the surrounding convex terrain, so that visitors, in the park, cannot see their existence.

Fourthly, it can increase the green planting area. Due to the increase in vertical area, the green planting area, in mountainous areas, is larger than that on flat land. Normally, as the slope of the surface increases, the variation of the surface would be between 1% -4%. At the same time, the expansion of the ground also increases the contact area between soil and the atmosphere, which is beneficial for the respiration and growth of plant roots.

Fifthly, it can organize park drainage. The water is flowing down. After rainfall enters the mountain area, except for a small part of infiltration and evaporation, the rest of the rainfall flows along the surface to low-lying areas under the action of gravity, forming surface runoff. The lower the terrain, the greater the runoff; the larger the surface slope, the greater the water flow velocity. Drainage, based on the height of the terrain, can save investment in artificial drainage equipment.

Sixth, it can improve the microclimate. Introducing mountain factors into urban parks can provide support for the stability of small ecosystems and preserve valuable ecological resources that existed before urban development for the survival and development environment of various animals and plants.

To a certain extent, the number and design level of parks can reflect the economic, cultural and other development status of a city. In the design of urban parks, the consideration of mountain factors cannot only provide residents with various activities, but also shape the city’s image, create a bright business card for the city, and provide support for the dissemination and development of local culture.

From the above, it can be seen that, in China, the use of mountain factors, in urban park design, has existed since ancient times and occupies an important part. How to design urban cultural parks, based on considering mountain factors, is currently a problem that needs to be addressed. Therefore, based on the above theoretical analysis, this article conducts a detailed study on the design of urban cultural parks in mountainous areas.

2.2 Impact of mountain factors on urban cultural parks

The long-standing attachment to mountains has given ancient people a deeper understanding of the landscape environment, one of which is the worship of mountains and waters. The ancient people’s reverence for mountains, from their initial belief in “mountains” to the formation of China’s unique aesthetic concept of landscape, has been widely reflected in the factors of mountainous areas in Chinese classical gardens. The magnificent and beautiful landscapes in nature are the source of the model mountains of Chinese classical gardens. Mountain factors have a profound impact on park design.

Firstly, urban cultural park landscapes are designed through the use of mountain shapes. Mountain shape is the most direct feeling in mountainous areas, and many mountainous areas are named after mountain shape, such as “Bijia Mountain” and “Bangzhui Mountain Yunv Peak”. People’s speculations and associations about mountain shapes can add a layer of mystery to mountainous areas. In traditional mountain culture, whether it is the “deification” or “humanization” of mountains, the ancestors divided the levels of mountains, and one of the main standards is the mountain shape. Among them, tent, canopy, and Santai are the highest level mountain forms. In ancient times, the ancestors determined the city’s layout and axis position based on the shape of the mountains, thereby determining the city’s location. Starting from the Han Dynasty, geomantic omen doctrine combined the shapes of mountains and rivers with the classification of the Five Elements, so that the shapes of mountains and peaks were no longer simple natural ones, but were given a special meaning. Borrowing mountain shapes, in urban park design, cannot only add mystery to the park, but also reflect the local mountain culture.

Secondly, urban cultural park landscapes are designed based on mountain terrain. Compared to the shape of the mountain, the mountain range is like a larger picture, allowing for a larger perspective to glimpse the direction and outline of the mountain range. Because mountains are a dynamic image, they are often endowed with a continuous and expanded aesthetic connotation in the understanding of mountains. The design of urban park landscapes also strives to echo the surrounding mountains and rivers, and complement them with momentum. For example, the western embankment of the Summer Palace and the layout of scenic spots on the embankment are all arranged according to the overall trend of the Western Mountains. Borrowing mountain scenery, in urban park design, cannot only add aesthetic significance, but also present the local mountainous landscape.

Thirdly, a cultural park is designed, using mountain shadow. In traditional Chinese concepts, shadow represents a feeling of detachment from the world. In the landscape design of urban parks, the mountain shadows in mountainous areas are used to create a delightful contrast with the lake light. The Shadow Garden is named after its shade among willow shadows, water shadows and mountain shadows. The mountain shadows, in the shadow garden, emphasize a harmonious beauty. The upper part is strong and vigorous, while the lower part is a fish like shadow, full of vitality. Borrowing mountain shadows, in urban park design, cannot only create a harmonious beauty of the park, but also add vitality to the park and increase tourists’ interest in sightseeing.

Fourthly, through the use of mountain music, cultural parks are designed. The sound of the mountain is not in the mountains, but in the mountains where people, objects and hills meet, and birds, in the mountains, sing from afar, listening to their songs. The Lingering Garden is famous for climbing Donggao and composing poems along the Qingliu River. It is located on a rockery on the west side of the Lingering Garden. Roaring in the Shuxiao Pavilion, the sound echoed in the valley, with a sense of pride and the red sun by the pool, and a sense of comfort and welcome from the rocky valleys and white clouds. Borrowing mountain music, in urban park design, cannot only enhance the artistic conception of the park, but also convey local characteristic music culture.

Fifth, through the use of mountain elephants, cultural parks are designed. Mountain elephants are the weather of a mountain that changes with the seasons. The scenery in mountainous areas varies from season to season. The first is the smoke, the second is the clouds from Chu Xiu, the third is the autumn breeze and the forth is the spring scenery of Dongting. Clouds, mists, rain and mists, in mountainous areas, can create scenery. Clouds come from the mountains. Clouds go from the mountains like paintings. Clouds are dim and share the height of the mountains, which is to use mountain elephants, from different seasons, to create scenery. Yangzhou Geyuan Garden borrowed the influence of mountain elephants on the color of the mountain scenery to create the Four Seasons Artificial Mountain. On the Chunshan Mountain, bamboo is planted, and stalagmites are scattered among the bamboo trees, representing spring shoots after rain. Xiashan Mountain uses the gray stone of the Taihu Lake as the background to create ever-changing light and shadow, forming different forms of summer mountains. Qiushan is made of yellow stones, and when the sun sets, the sunset fills Qiushan. Dongshan uses white Xuanshi, with white particles resembling unmelted ice and snow. In the opening of the pear blossom wall, on the west east mountain of Dongshan Bieyuan, one can vaguely see the bamboo and stalagmites on the spring mountain outside the garden, conveying their inner hopes through the cycle of repetition to this day. Borrowing mountain elephants, in urban park design, cannot only create scenery of the four seasons, but also convey philosophical ideas.

In traditional Chinese gardens, the influence of mountain factors on garden design is mainly reflected in the above five aspects. Gardeners rely on different factors in mountainous areas to create landscapes, which have had a profound impact on future garden design. In the current design of urban cultural parks, mountain factors have a significant impact on urban park design.

However, there are also some negative aspects, such as inconvenient transportation, water shortage, fragile ecological environment, variable climate, geographical limitations, insufficient utilization of cultural resources, poor accessibility and incomplete facilities. Therefore, when designing cultural parks, designers need to fully consider various unfavorable factors and develop targeted solutions to minimize the impact of these unfavorable factors on the design of cultural parks, providing tourists with a better travel experience. At the same time, it also helps to promote sustainable development and cultural inheritance in mountainous areas (Milspaw, 1997, p. 363).

2.3 Expression elements of mountain factors in the design of urban cultural parks

In the design of urban cultural parks, in addition to objective conditions, such as geographical location and technical conditions, the expression of mountain factors is also a significant influencing factor. The unique landscape and theme of the park can be fully expressed through architectural design. For example, in most buildings, in Western parks, pointed arches appear, and some buildings are decorated and embellished with various stone columns and sculptures to showcase the magnificence of the building. Most traditional Chinese buildings are made of wooden frames. To give the park a strong sense of history and culture, mountain factors can be introduced into the park, and more corridors, pavilions and rockeries can be designed.

Due to China’s vast territory and long history, as well as significant differences in regional culture between the north and south regions, in order to highlight regional culture, various expressive elements must be relied on. In different cities, due to different natural conditions, different plants can be produced, and the mountain landscapes, composed of different plants, can be different. With the improvement of architectural techniques and the transformation of design concepts, different mountain factors can also exhibit diverse regional characteristics. Chinese architecture often centers around mountains and water. By integrating mountain and water elements into parks, it not only reflects the characteristics of Chinese urban culture and traditional one, but also enhances the overall cultural heritage of parks. In addition, mountains and stones also play a crucial role in Chinese park culture. Since ancient times, many architects have used mountains and stones to create different cultural connotations and express their unique urban culture in unique forms.

2.4 Expression techiques of mountain factors in the design of urban cultural parks

Chinese architecture has a long history and is a reflection and expression of the culture of various periods. In various periods, architecture reflects the regional culture of that period in a unique way. The buildings, left over from ancient times, are not only the crystallization of ancient wisdom, but also a cultural treasure. However, with the society’s rapid development and the people’s increasing spiritual needs, some cultural expression techniques in architecture and gardens have become difficult to adapt to the current social development. With the continuous development of technology, the design concept of cultural landscapes has also undergone changes. In some modern buildings, functionality is gradually being replaced by aesthetics, and functionality is becoming increasingly low. Therefore, the expression techniques and the ones of cultural parks have also become more diverse.

In recent years, regional culture that integrates mountain factors has tended to be expressed in a simpler and more direct form, without the need for excessive processing. It can allow tourists to more intuitively feel the existence of regional culture in park landscape design, such as sculptures, mountains, etc. However, there are also some cities with a long history and culture. For these urban parks, their cultural connotations can be expressed through various forms. Mountain factors can be considered to refine regional culture and present it in the form of symbols, highlighting historical culture. This abstract expression technique can make the connotation of regional culture more prominent. In addition, urban cultural parks can also focus on interaction with tourists. This type of park has strong regional characteristics and is often complex. The design of such cultural parks usually has strong expressiveness and can be combined with mountain factors to create a unique cultural atmosphere through metaphorical techniques.

2.5 Creating the artistic conception of mountains in the design of urban cultural parks

The “realm” in the artistic conception consists of two aspects: “image” and “external image”. The so-called “image” refers to the real world, while the “image outside the image” refers to the illusory world. Virtual and real seem to be two different fields. However, once it comes to artistic expression, it must be implemented in the creation of real situations. The function of stone elements in mountainous areas, in artistic conception, is to rely on stones for landscape creation, thereby constructing a real context and providing a natural environment for the creation of artistic conception.

Most private gardens, in Chinese classical gardens, are built to meet the garden owners’ needs to enjoy the nature’s beauty. Therefore, when designing gardens, one can draw inspiration from the freehand brushwork techniques in landscape painting, stacking soil and stones to simulate mountainous areas, immersing them in nature and experiencing the magnificent momentum brought by the mountains and forests. For example, stacking stones to form mountains is one of the most distinctive and expressive garden imagery techniques in Chinese classical gardens. Yangzhou Nanyuan, as a famous garden in the Qing Dynasty, is famous for its Nine Peaks and Lake Stones. The design of this park is mainly based on rockery and lake stones.

Among them, the stacking design of rockeries is often a concept, formed by craftsmen, referring to the mountain scenery and artistic conception. Sometimes, it is placed according to the garden owner’s preferences, which is very subjective. To this day, in Yangzhou gardens, the craftsmen’s stacking techniques back then can still be vaguely seen. From this, it can be seen that, for the creation of the artistic conception of Zhongshan in modern urban cultural parks, designers can consider natural stones with different shapes, colors and textures in the mountainous areas. In the park, rockeries with different styles, such as peaks, rocks, gullies and caves, can be created to create a majestic mountain atmosphere, making tourists feel like they are among the nature’s mountains.

In addition, it is also possible to create a virtual and real mountain scenery artistic space, based on the viewer’s aesthetic experience. Here, the mountain can be both a landscape and a design of spatial structure. By introducing mountain factors and designing the mountains in urban cultural parks, the clear and limited space becomes winding and circuitous. This not only adds a sense of hierarchy to the mountain scenery and enriches the fun of the landscape, but also amplifies the tourists’ psychological sense of space, making the mountain scenery richer in artistic conception.

At the same time, some caves can be built in the mountains, with walkways inside. The Dengdao is built along the mountain, and tourists walk back and forth on the stone slabs, flickering and showing, which also has some fun. Following the walkway, one can step out of the mountain and enter the pavilion. Introducing mountain factors into modern urban cultural parks not only allows tourists to experience the joy of mountain climbing and appreciate the mountain scenery, but also provides a resting place for tourists. It is a combination of leisure, entertainment and mountain scenery. In addition, attention should also be paid to combining the artistic conception of mountain scenery with plants. In the mountains, there should be plants, such as winter jasmine, pine and cypress. There can also be green vines in the walkway. At the foot of the mountain, there is also a deep pool, with green water and lush vegetation, adding a sense of vitality (Buzard, 1988, p. 155; Jonah, 2023, p. 156).

3 Communication of ideas in urban cultural parks

In urban park landscape design, the most intuitive manifestation is to simply overlay cultural elements with the landscape. Without too much analysis and summary, it can touch people’s hearts, make people feel regional culture and appreciate the local spirit of the environment. Ancient Chinese gardens often created artistic conception in the form of poetry. Taking the “Pavilion of Surging Waves” in Suzhou as an example, the beauty of “Pavilion of Surging Waves” is its “borrowing scenery”. Through the “inner corridor” and “outer corridor”, it integrates the nearby water and distant mountains, forming a harmonious and unique aesthetic feeling. The couplets on the stone pillars write that the clear breeze and bright moon are not worth money, and the mountains and rivers are full of worries. In traditional culture, such elements often appear, such as stone tablets and carvings, stone figures and horses, totem symbols, character carvings, and so on. In Western gardens, patterned flower beds, sculptures and fountains also use direct expression methods.

3.1 Communication of soil cultural ideas in mountainous areas

Soil is the loose surface layer on the Earth's surface that can grow plants, and it is a component of the ecosystem composed of decomposers, plants, animals and their environment. Soil is a loose surface layer on the surface of the lithosphere, providing attachment points for plants and living space for microorganisms, allowing material circulation and energy flow to continue. Without soil, there would be no growth of plants and no survival of animals and microorganisms. Soil has the function of conserving water sources and maintaining soil and water in the hydrosphere. Rainwater, snow water, river water, etc., are utilized by plants through the soil, and plant litter can also be decomposed and utilized through the soil. When soil erosion is severe, the function of soil, to conserve water sources, would weaken. The impact of soil on the biosphere is more significant and important. Soil provides nutrients and water for living things, so they can take root and grow. The feces and residues of organisms contribute to soil decomposition. Soil microorganisms can synthesize various nutrients for biological absorption and utilization. The changes in soil quality would directly affect many organisms living on earth, and organisms would directly or indirectly affect environmental quality. Therefore, in all cases, soil is an important component of human survival and ecosystems.

As a tributary of the long river of world culture, soil culture is carried by land. By narrating or expressing emotions, it is reflected in the relationships between the working people and various social classes in different eras, as well as the ideological and emotional aspects of production and the life’s ones. Soil is not only the cornerstone of human survival, but also a symbol of vitality, holding a noble position in the ancient people’s hearts. In fact, “soil” is an abstract concept in the Chinese people’s minds, and its “endless” meaning has long had a profound impact on the spiritual world and Chinese people’s actual life. From the ancient ancestors’ fervent worship towards the earth to the proposal of the Confucian concept of “benevolence”, and from the respect for life in the form of “etiquette” to the concept of “endless growth” integrated into the Chinese life’s long river, all deeply reflect the important position of soil culture in traditional Chinese culture. Therefore, introducing soil into the design of urban cultural parks is not only the transmission of cultural ideas, but also the characteristic of mountain park culture.

3.2 Communication of water culture ideas

Water is an important thing for human survival and development. Civilization also came from water at first. For example, the Chinese civilization originated from the Yellow River. The evolution of the two river basins depends on the Tigris River and the Euphrates River. The characteristic of the cultural connotation of “water” is the water culture given by humans. In ancient times, the beauty of water was intoxicating, making it a creative theme for many poets and painters., In China, there are many landscape paintings and poems that inject new content into the connotation of water culture. The ancient Chinese concept of “water” has had a profound impact on the development of Chinese classical gardens. During the Han Dynasty, the Jianzhang Palace had a Taihe Pool, represented by the “Penglai’, ‘Yingzhou” and “Abbot”, with a traditional Chinese garden landscape pattern in the “one pool and three mountains” style. It is a cultural symbol of Chinese classical gardens.

In the design process of urban cultural parks, it should be recognized that water culture, which is closely combined with mountain factors, as a regional culture, cannot only reflect the inherent cultural connotations through direct water features, but also through other carriers, such as sculptures, reliefs, buildings, etc., to reflect the long-standing and unique water culture.

3.3 Communication of architectural ideas

As a direct carrier of regional cultural expression, there are various types of architecture. It is a direct reflection of regional culture that introduces mountain factors, and also a manifestation of regional culture in spatial form and humanistic attributes. In terms of spatial form, architecture mainly includes materials, colors, structures and other aspects. From the perspective of cultural attributes, the local space, created by architecture, meets the society’s material functional needs, while also reflecting the local people’s lifestyle. This also reflects the deeper regional cultural connotations hidden within it from one side. Architecture is the visual center and focal point of plane composition in the park, which can convey historical and cultural atmosphere to people. It is a good carrier of regional culture and an important part of urban cultural park architectural design, based on mountain factors. The ancient tree and flower pavilion scenic area of the Beijing Olympic Park applies traditional architectural cultural symbols to the gray tiles, blue bricks, curly roofs and hard mountains of the courtyard, forming an architectural form that combines the local characteristics of Beijing with the local culture of old Beijing.

3.4 Communication of road paving culture

Chinese traditional culture is rooted in China’s vast history, and the road is an indispensable part of it. The road has greatly enriched traditional Chinese culture, promoted the exchange of different cultures, and also made China’s economy and culture prosperous. Roads enable some important buildings, in ancient China, to be preserved and spread, such as the Great Wall and Taishan Mountain. In addition, China’s roads are closely related to the culture of spiritual practices. In urban cultural parks, roads form the boundary between the hard landscape space of the park and the soft landscape space of plants. They are important places for people’s activities in urban cultural parks and are highly symbolic. Therefore, personalized roads are more likely to leave a deep impression on people and become a representative carrier of regional culture. The characteristic of park road paving is to have clear boundaries and forms, which can integrate cultural symbols, colors, totems, etc., with regional characteristics. Mountain factors can also be cited to reflect the regional cultural characteristics of local urban cultural parks.

3.5 Meaning of native plants

One side of soil and water can support people’s one side. Different geographical environments breed different native plants. Local plants have become a good carrier of local culture due to their own regional characteristics. For example, when people think of Chongqing, they can associate it with Huangge and Yulan. When they think of Chengdu, they can associate it with cotton rose. Local unique plants can become the city’symbol. The use of localized plants can make people feel the local characteristics more intuitively. In the landscape design of urban cultural parks, in order to reflect regional characteristics, it is necessary to introduce local plants unique to the mountainous areas and give sufficient respect to local plants. It is important to focus on local plants as the main body. The configuration structure should simulate the local plant community, highlight the regional culture and form a plant landscape with distinctive characteristics. Based on the special functions of urban cultural parks, local plants should be utilized for landscaping and greening to protect the ecological environment.

3.6 Communication of mountainous terrain ideas

“Terrain” refers to various landforms on the earth’s surface, including mountains, hills, plains, gullies, plateaus, etc. Terrain is determined by natural factors, such as geology, climate and hydrology, which together shape the topographic features of the earth's surface. Terrain has important impacts on land use, resource distribution, climate and ecosystems. By understanding and analyzing terrain, people can better understand the geographical environment, plan and manage land resources reasonably, and formulate relevant policies and measures to adapt and respond to the challenges and opportunities brought by terrain.

Nature has shaped a variety of mountain landforms on the earth’s surface, and different mountain landforms can reflect different cultural characteristics, which is also an important factor in reflecting and forming the landscape characteristics of urban cultural parks. To conduct a comprehensive analysis of the geomorphic characteristics of mountainous areas, it is necessary to select suitable locations and landscapes. For urban cultural parks, their landscape composition and layout framework should be combined with the existing landforms in mountainous areas to form corresponding visual characteristics. By changing the terrain and landforms to enrich the landscape form, a distinctive and personalized urban park can be formed.

For example, Freeway Park, in which the concrete canyon is a metaphor for the desolate scenery in the United States’ northwest, has become the center of the park. Landscape design should draw all creativity from the natural environment. In a specific environment, natural, cultural and aesthetic factors have their inevitable historical reasons. Landscape designers must have sufficient understanding of these factors in order to determine what should happen in this environment, based on these factors. Therefore, in the landscape design of urban parks, human natural elements should be integrated with the surrounding environment, based on the local geographical characteristics, and overall planning and layout should be carried out. This is also an important step in designing urban cultural parks, based on mountain factors.

Under the guidance of design aesthetics, adapting to local conditions, designing according to the specific local conditions and people’s aesthetic habits are the most basic design principle of urban cultural parks. Different cities have different natural environments, customs and cultural histories, and have also formed different urban landscapes. Garden landscape is an important component of urban landscape, which has its own characteristics in landscape layout, plant landscape, architectural landscape and other aspects. Adhering to the principle of adapting to local conditions is beneficial for maintaining the ecological regulation function of nature itself. It can create a variety of biological Lebensraum and provide a suitable living environment for human beings. The starting point is to protect the natural environment while conserving natural resources.

Therefore, to a certain extent, the principle of adapting to local conditions can promote the development of ecological design, thereby making the landscape design of urban cultural parks more in line with the requirements of ecological beauty. This article takes this principle as the starting point of human behavior. It is not only the urban cultural park design based on mountain factors, but also a new situation of the healthy and vigorous development of the whole human design activities. It plays an important role in the inheritance and expression of regional culture.

3.7 The presentation of art and cultural elements in parks

Art and cultural elements are the soul of urban cultural parks. Designers can present the city's history and culture in parks through sculptures, murals, cultural exhibition galleries and other means, allowing tourists to have a deep understanding of the city's history and culture while enjoying leisure and entertainment. At the same time, through the integration of artistic elements, the cultural taste and artistic sense of the park are enhanced, providing tourists with an artistic and cultural leisure place. Through sculpture art, elements, such as city history, culture and character images, can be presented in parks. The theme of sculpture can be historical events, cultural symbols, celebrity images, etc.

Through the expression form and artistic style of sculpture, it conveys the city’s historical and cultural connotations. Murals can serve as an important carrier for presenting urban history and culture. Setting up murals in the park can showcase the historical changes, cultural heritage, and the city’s important cultural heritage. The theme and content of murals should be related to the city’s history and culture, presenting visitors with a sense of urban history through visual art forms. The cultural exhibition gallery is an important place to present urban history and culture. Exhibition galleries can be designed as architectural forms with local characteristics, showcasing the city's historical relics, cultural activities, celebrity stories and other contents, enabling tourists to gain a deeper understanding. The design of the exhibition gallery should be coordinated with the surrounding environment and reflect the city’s cultural characteristics.

Setting up cultural performance venues in parks can showcase the city’s traditional performing arts, such as local opera, dance, music, etc. The layout and facilities of performance venues should be designed according to the needs of performing arts, providing tourists with opportunities to appreciate traditional urban art. Holding historical and cultural exhibitions in parks can systematically showcase the city's history and culture. The content of the exhibition can include the city’s historical evolution, cultural heritage, important historical figures, etc. By planning and arranging exhibitions, tourists can gain a deeper understanding and understanding of the city's history and culture. Through the presentation of the above specific points, art and cultural elements have played an important role in the design of urban cultural parks based on mountain factors, providing tourists with a leisure place rich in historical, cultural and artistic atmosphere. At the same time, the integration of these artistic and cultural elements also enhances the cultural taste and artistic sense of the park, making it a vivid display hall of urban culture.

Finally, innovation and sustainable development should be fully considered in the design of urban cultural parks. It requires the design of forward-looking infrastructure to meet the needs of future urban development. Intelligent technology can be used to provide tourists with convenient and safe services. Considering climate change factors, park facilities and functions should be designed to adapt to future environmental changes. Public participation, in the management and maintenance of parks, can be encouraged to ensure their sustainable development.

Conclusions

Through analysis of urban cultural parks, it is found that the design of any high-quality urban park cannot be separated from the inheritance of excellent culture. Modern cities record the cultural elements of today’s nation, and also include the cultural accumulation of various historical periods and the learning achievements after taking its essence and removing its dross. It can be said that the urban cultural park reflects the development of human civilization, with distinct characteristics, a long history and a highly representative national cultural museum. In addition, this article also analyzed the factors of mountainous areas and found that “mountains” play an important role in Chinese classical gardens. Excellent classical garden design cannot do without the application of mountain factors.

On this basis, this article believed that, in the design of modern urban cultural parks, considering mountain factors could better leverage regional cultural characteristics and spread local culture. In general, the design of urban cultural park lies in the deep understanding and accurate interpretation of national culture, as well as the application of mountain factors. Therefore, while pursuing high-quality park landscape design, the inheritance of culture and the application of landscape elements cannot be forgotten. However, this study also has some limitations. In the design of urban cultural parks, the characteristics of mountainous areas are often overlooked, and there are also specific climate characteristics in mountainous areas, such as temperature changes and wind direction, which can affect the design and layout of parks.

At the same time, the culture of mountainous areas is also an important element in the design of urban cultural parks. However, existing research often only focuses on the culture of plains or coastal areas, while neglecting the culture of mountainous areas. In addition, in the design of urban cultural parks, the relationship between mountainous areas and cities is also a question worth exploring. The use of parks, to show the link between mountains and cities and to promote people's understanding and respect for mountains, is the focus of research. Future research should pay more attention to the role and value of mountain factors in the design of urban cultural parks, in order to promote the development of more comprehensive and effective design methods and technologies. At the same time, it should also be noted that mountainous areas are not an isolated environment, but have close connections with the surrounding environment, and need to be understood and analyzed in a larger context.

O design urbano e o espírito da cultura chinesa: a simbólica importância dos elementos de montanhas na modelagem de parques culturais

Resumo: Um parque cultural urbano é um símbolo da cultura urbana regional, além de refletir o acúmulo da cultura humana. Ele pode se tornar uma forma importante de herdar o patrimônio cultural e histórico regional e de promover o excelente espírito cultural tradicional chinês. Entretanto, o papel cultural desempenhado pelos parques culturais é bastante insatisfatório e ainda necessita de melhorias. É extremamente importante resolver esses problemas e promover o design dos parques culturais urbanos, a fim de mostrar melhor suas ideias culturais e suprir as necessidades de disseminação e desenvolvimento culturais. Por isso, este artigo introduziu elementos de montanhas e analisou a simbólica importância deles no design de parques culturais urbanos. Esta investigação tentou interpretar as ideias contidas nos parques culturais urbanos modernos, a partir das perspectivas de parques culturais urbanos e elementos de montanhas, e elaborou estratégias de design, métodos de expressão, técnicas de expressão e troca de ideias sobre parques culturais urbanos. As pesquisas mostraram que introduzir elementos de montanhas no design de parques culturais pode torná-los mais agradáveis esteticamente, com formatos mais complexos, de modo a destacar melhor as ideias de temas para interpretações e expressões culturais regionais. Esta pesquisa oferece mais projetos de design e elementos para o design de parques culturais urbanos, estudando os elementos de montanhas, enriquecendo a expressão e o significado ideológicos de parques culturais urbanos, ajudando a promover o patrimônio e o desenvolvimento da cultura e fornecendo mais base teórica para o design de paisagens.

Palavras-chave: Design de Parque Urbano. Elementos de Montanhas. Jardins Clássicos Chineses. Cultura Regional.

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Received: 19/07/2023 – Approved: 11/09/2023 – Published: 15/05/2024

Notes

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This study by the Major special projects of Ningbo Science and Technology Bureau (Grant nº 20211ZDYF020034); the Scientific Research and Creation Project of Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism (Grant nº 2022KYY009).

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Professor. College of Design, NingboTech University, Ningbo 315000 – China. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5878-6734. E-mail: xiaxiumin@nit.zju.edu.cn.

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Ph.D. College of Design, NingboTech University, Ningbo 315000 – China. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4594-7743. E-mail: zhoujj@nit.zju.edu.cn.

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