Hongcun: A Village of Rivers and Lakes

Entrance into Hongcun
A great example of urban planning and with a village scale of about 30 hectares, Hongcun is roughly the size of our site in Tianjin. The Hongcun Village is nestled in the beautiful hills of China with channels of water giving life to the residents. The white walls and black roofs throughout give a cohesive vernacular to the village. Artificial water channels, three feet deep and two feet wide, hug the edges of both buildings and alleys throughout the village, providing water to each household.


Paths inside Hongcun

These channels meet at the middle of the village forming a crescent moon pond in front of the clan ancestral hall. More channels continue from there through the village to South Lake. This water channel system is often referred to as the Water Buffalo framework of the village, due to certain pieces of the system resembling parts of a water buffalo. The role of the water channel ranges from washing, fire protection, drainage, and temperature and humidity adjustment for the inhabitants. Achieving a tranquil harmony between nature and building, the Hongcun Village is an inspiration for urban planning.


Small canal running through Hongcun

Suzhou

“Above, there is heaven, on earth there is Suzhou,” a well known Chinese saying describing the city of Suzhou, China. Suzhou is one of the most beautiful cities in China. Marco Polo described Suzhou as the “Venice of the east,” for its intricate canal system connected to the cities bounding moat. The crisscrossing canal system, is not as elaborate as it once was, having been a victim of the automobile. Based on the transportation requirements to accommodate 4 million people, many canals were filled in to accommodate the growing city, but Suzhou still proudly retains its title. Suzhou’s intersecting walkways and expansive streets create an interesting dialogue of layered transportation modes. The existing canals are still used by the locals to transport goods, while the tree lined streets are divided to create a division between vehicular traffic, bike and scooter corridors and foot traffic. Our group spent an afternoon studying Suzhou’s streetscapes and a wide variety of districts.


Lobby of Courtyard Hotel in Suzhou

Lodging in Suzhou may be one of the most memorable parts of the visit to the city. The group had the opportunity to stay in an authentic Chinese courtyard home. Once belonging to a wealthy local family, the house had one and two story jians and 11 courtyards, distinguishing this as a house of the elite. This home was in a well preserved condition and each jian became a sleeping room opening up to a courtyard. Based on a typical southern Chinese prototype the progression through public space to private courtyards was our first experience with this housing type. Progression of space and its relationship with family hierarchy is an important regulating devise in traditional housing. The farther one moved into the compound the more important the position of that family member. The courtyards and their separation from the lively street activity reinforced by this sequence yielded a quiet retreat from the dense urban fabric.


Public Courtyard before entry into lobby space of Courtyard Hotel

Luzhi

Admission Ticket for Temple and Courtyard Houses

On our way from Shanghai to Suzhou, the group had an opportunity to visit Luzhi, a famous water town in the southeast of China. With a history of more than 1400 years, the town of Luzhi is known as ‘the first water town in China’. Its old stone bridges, winding canals, and preserved historical way of life were a peaceful retreat for the group. Traditional homes and temples gave us a chance to explore the unique Chinese traditional lifestyle.


Water canal with one street in Luzhi

Through sketches and photographs the group was able to analyze the typology of the traditional Chinese water town and its applicability to our design problem in Tianjin. We discovered the typology to be a high density traditional development incorporating residential, commercial, and recreational uses into one cohesive development, working successfully through hundreds of years. The group concluded that Luzhi provided an important precedent that could be incorporated into our design solution.


Water canal with two streets linked by a stone bridge