Objective  The concept of “Xingsheng” (favorable geographical position and landscape) had long existed in ancient China. It has gone through a long process of connotation evolution from perceptual understanding to rational thinking, and from initial military significance to the later concept of landscape and urban construction. The characteristics of landscape design and the concept of ecological protection are integrated in the historical records of ancient books, coinciding with the current concept and connotation of urban landscape design. Hangzhou, as a typical landscape city whose urban area is embraced by mountains on three sides, has unique natural background conditions and relatively complete achievements in urban landscape construction. Therefore, on the basis of in-depth evaluation and analysis of the current problems in regard to the urban landscape style and feature of Hangzhou, this research considers Hangzhou as a sample of case study. This research aims to inherit and develop the concept of Xingsheng from the perspective of modern urban planning based on a thorough research on varying representative cases of Hangzhou landscape.

Methods  Throughout this research, adequate types of variable landscape patterns and urban landscape construction from ancient and modern Hangzhou have been collected respectively as the research objects. These selected cases and samples are categorized depending on the methodology of identical standards of historical records, text and image analysis, case studies, as well as local chronicles. Furthermore, this research also attaches critical importance to ancient books and annals demonstrating and evaluating the concept of Xingsheng. The aforesaid materials play an important role in tracing the development of the landscape style and feature of Hangzhou over the centuries and helping fully explore and sort out the concept of Xingsheng applied in the coexistence and correlation between “Yunshan” (mountains) and “Jianghu” (“rivers and lakes”) in Hangzhou. Moreover, the historical evolution of landscape is highly associated with the construction of the residential environment, contributing to the integration of the ancient concept of Xingsheng and the theory of modern planning in urban areas.

Results  Research reveals that there has been a unique pattern of Xingsheng prevailing in Hangzhou. This city has been considered to have made essential achievements in the integration between Xingsheng and the construction of the living environment throughout history. Based on the collation and excavation of Xingsheng in Hangzhou prefectures and counties in ancient local chronicles, it is found that the construction of Xingsheng landscape has the characteristics of taking mountains and rivers as the pattern, landscape as the style, four-dimensional relationship as the location and steep terrain as the the main point. The relatively mature achievements of Hangzhou in urban landscape construction integrating Xingsheng can be viewed as a typical paradigm for studying the concept of Xingsheng, which are of important interpretive and referential significance. This research evaluates the current achievements in urban landscape construction, and summarizes the triple historical values of Xingsheng as a description of natural resources and landscape patterns, a memory of social development and historic culture, and a record of city site selection and scenic spot protection, based on which the research explores and designs a paradigm that achieves the integration and balance between Xingsheng and natural and cultural environment by taking into account many problems that exist in the current urban landscape style and feature in China into consideration, such as the original shape and natural resource space are increasingly compressed, the modern construction style is separated from the natural landscape, and the urban landscape style lacks overall and partial separation. Moreover, the research also proposes eight strategies by the problem-oriented approach: constructing a graph of Xingsheng information, interpreting the historical value of Xingsheng, enhancing the wisdom of Xingsheng creation, promoting innovation through Xingsheng techniques, focusing on high-quality living environments, maintaining urban context through historical remains, empowering the environment through natural ecology, and anchoring empowerment through cultural ecology.

Conclusion  This research is conducted from the perspective of top-level design integrating Hangzhou Xingsheng, which finds that Hangzhou has paid continuous attention to its own distinctive style of Xingsheng and the construction of human settlements early since its establishment, which together constitute the Xingsheng paradigm of Hangzhou. Therefore, in the theme of “Xingsheng of mountains and rivers”, this research analyzes and evaluates the relationship between landscape pattern and modern space, interprets and displays the Hangzhou paradigm at the macro level, and takes Hangzhou as an example to summarize relevant experience with the goal of dual integration and restoration of the natural and artificial environment. Looking ahead, based on the materials mentioned above, new methods and attempts may be considered and carried out for urban landscape planning and ecological environment resource protection in modern days, and new ideas and mentalities are expected to be provided for the design of specific projects in the future.