Natural Landscape and Pastoral Interest: A Case Study of the Planning and Construction of Modern Parks in Kunming

This paper focuses on southwest China which has attracted little attention. Citing Kunming as a case, it carries out archival literature research and field investigation, sorts out the process of modern park construction in Kunming, and elucidates the construction characteristics featuring mixture of the tradition and modernity, and traces back to the source of theory. The modern parks of Kunming developed from the edge to the hub of the city in the process of the modernization. A preliminary park green space system was built up during the War of Resistance Against Japan. Kunming modern parks were constructed by inheriting the merits of traditional temple gardens while making full use of the natural landscape, to keep the real interest of the fields and gardens. They were specifically manifested in the selection of park locations, construction layout and emphasis on horticulture. Meanwhile, they were also subject to the influence of foreign cultures. For instance, they had borrowed from Japan’s understanding of the concept of “Garden City”, the practice of industrial expos, and the zoning planning of Germany. Among them, advanced figures and municipal publications played an important role in the introduction of the ideas.