PREFACE

PREFACE

The luckiest and most important thing for everyone in their pursuit of studies would be going to a good school and meeting some good teachers. Fortunately，I spent my four years’ college life at the Department of Architecture of Tongji University，a well-renowned university that laid stress on the teaching and practice of design. Every day，we almost bent on the drawing board to drawing plans and shared and exchanged the drawings with our classmates. Almost every design class was delayed or even we missed the lunch time. Under such a design training atmosphere，the students developed their understanding of design and established a solid foundation for design practice. At that time，Professor Feng Jizhong was designing the Fangta Garden. The drawings of Fangta Garden was hanging as an example in our classroom and the models of Fangta Garden was exhibited in the administration office of our department. After the completion of Fangta Garden，we visited the garden and did our field work there. The space principle and creativity of Professor FENG unconsciously influenced students of the Department of Architecture.

Later，I went to Beijing Forestry University to continue my postgraduate study. I still remembered during my reexamination for the entrance of Postgraduate，Professor SUN asked how I was thinking about Fangta Garden. Apparently，Professor SUN held a different interpretation of gardens to that of Professor Feng. Professor Feng focused on the space，functions，structure and scale. But Professor Sun stressed the use of different topography and plants to create space. The Hua Gang Guan Yu project designed by Professor Sun and Fangta Garden designed by Professor FENG were two milestone projects in the history of landscape architecture. But these two projects held huge difference. Everyone has his views of the world and every designer holds different design approach. Especially，when they are masters of this field，their ideas are more unique. When they are teachers，this uniqueness will reflect in the teaching. The different interpretation of landscape architecture of Professor Sun and Professor FENG also presented in the great difference of the teaching of landscape architecture of Beijing Forestry University and Tongji University.

After I completed my Master Study，I went to Universität Kassel in Germany for my Doctor Study under the supervision of Professor Von REUSS. When Professor Von REUSS met me at the first time，he introduced a brown field renovation project in the Ruhr Area of Germany. The project type，design thoughts，design language and design method were all new for me who was the first time to leave China for abroad. The teaching at Universität Kassel，from the classroom to the teaching method and design assignments，were all beyond my understanding of landscape architecture at that time. The students at Universität Kassel attached importance on the observation and interpretation of the site，the research on the site history，as well as the concern about the nature process and the abstract expression of design. All of these were completely differently from the landscape design that I learned in China，and I found it hard to fit in at the beginning.

The three universities that I went for my undergraduate，postgraduate and doctor programs offered different landscape architecture courses. I appreciated the diversity of Design Pedagogy and I feel gratified to receive different landscape design training at three different universities. But as a teacher，I also feel perplexed about how design could be taught，what could be taught in the design course. Would there be any fixed pattern for the landscape architecture education？ Any basic standard should be made？

Compared to the days when I went to college，the landscape architecture at present is more complicate and covers broad scope. The landscape architecture education is more comprehensive. Meanwhile，the development of digital technology and internet has changed the education system of landscape architecture. Due to history，status quo and development of different schools，the interpretation of landscape architecture still exist in difference. But overall，the difference of different school has obviously reduced and the design pedagogy has presented more and more similarity.

At present，students of landscape architecture are reading the same book，use the same tool and receive the same pedagogy in the similar teaching environment. For example，they receive the same courses for modeling，color，drawings，landscape engineering，eco-technology，planning，architecture，plants and CAD. With potential and hard-work，students could build up their design capability. Every year，the IFLA Student Design Competition and CHSLA Student Design Competition receive hundreds of submissions from the Chinese students. The submissions from students at different universities all show their excellent design foundation. However，when I look at those submissions，I feel a little disappointed，for all of the submissions present the surprisingly similarities in terms of their creative concept and drawings. I do not see any difference between different students which are very common at my college life.

Landscape Architecture is a very comprehensive subject. Therefore，design pedagogy should be all-round developed. The final target of design pedagogy is to provide instructions for students to solve problems with their design practice，which is a space design in specific site. Since each plot of land has different conditions and different people hold different views，the universal similarity should not appear. The design pedagogy ，which provide comprehensive learning and training courses，should focus on developing student's perception and thinking on design and their unique perspective on addressing problems and encourage them to view the world with their own views and to see things that people usually don’t see. Meanwhile，it should develop students’ability to interpret the site，to establish the connection between design and the site. Therefore，such design is unique and can arouse sympathy and elucidate the true meaning of design，rather than getting lost in the pursuit of fashion.