Alpine Garden and Amphitheater

Honor Award

General Design

Lijiang, Yunnan, China
Z'scape
Client: HYLLA

“

The design solution is a graceful expression of cultural context and responsible restoration of the site, and carefully addresses hazard mitigation, climate adaptation, and resilience strategies.

”

- 2024 Awards Jury

Project Credits

Liangjun Zhou, International ASLA, Ting Zhou, Internation ASLA, Lead Designers

Xueting Liu, Hao, Yuan Man, Liping Chen, Fang Qin, Pei Han, Chang Sun, Junxing Lv, Huiting Shi, Weiguang Hou, Hongjie Shi, Zijian Wang, Jingzhi Du, Qiuyu Zhang, Jingzhi Du, Yueheng Liu, Zhenhua Yang, Jiaqi Liu, Meng Zhang, Wei Dong (Intern), Zilan Wang (Intern), Landscape Designers

Lijiang Cairunhong Engineering Co., Ltd., Local Naxi Stonemason

Shangri-La Hongmutang, Local Naxi Carpenter

Zhou Hongliang Lighting Design Beijing Co., Ltd., Lighting Consultant

Sichuan Xingli Garden Environment Engineering Co., Ltd., Landscape Contractors

Chengdu Shangye, Horticulture Co. Ltd.

Project Statement

The Alpine Garden, once a village dumpsite, was transformed as a model for habitat restoration, outdoor environment education and indigenous culture promotion in Yunnan multi-tribal region.

Located 5km from Yulong Snow Mountain, a UNESCO Natural Heritage Site in the Pan-Himalaya Region, this 6-hectare project is designed to function as a self-sustaining ecosystem and celebrates the beauty of alpine plants. It also features a stormwater system to safeguard Baisha, a World Cultural Heritage town, from flooding.

The design incorporates historical elements and patterns of Naxi tribal crafts with a contemporary reinterpretation. The artful amphitheater enriches visitor experience and becomes culturally important for the local community.

Project Narrative

Situated on the ecological hillside of Yulong Snow Mountain in Lijiang, at an altitude of 2540m, the site has regrettably been abandoned as a village dumpsite over the past decade. Over time, habitat loss poses great threat to sensitive local species. During the Pan-Himalayan monsoon season, there is a risk that it may fail to capture and retain stormwater runoff, thereby leaving the low-lying Baisha historic town vulnerable to flooding.

To improve soil health, this project restored 5,600 cubic meters of soil. Soil restoration treatments included removal of contaminated disposal, extensive testing on chemical and organic content, screening soil, and adding organic compost. During the restoration process, the Naxi tribe helped effectively tackle invasive plants by employing a natural solution: grazing cattle.

To fulfill up to 95% of the project’s water requirements, a rain garden system is implemented, reducing the risks of stormwater to the town. Stormwater swales also act as part of natural stream system to deliver snowmelt for agricultural water to Baisha historic town. The northern circular retention pond, known as the “Eye of Hylla” by locals, serves dual purposes as an irrigation source for the entire garden and a critical wildlife pond.

While restoring 90% of the native plant communities, the design transforms the space into a diverse alpine habitat. Conserved walnut and pear trees offer food and nesting spaces for birds. The boardwalk is elevated by 60cm to ensure undisturbed movement for animals and insects. Rocks not only act as aesthetics element but also serve as shelter for wildlife. The perennial meadow serves as a vital feeding and nesting habitat for pollinators throughout the year. The wilderness garden has become an outdoor educational center focusing on the importance of indigenous plants and wildlife to the biodiversity of Lijiang.

While the Naxi tribe possesses vibrant and rich cultural heritage, the educational prospects and interests of the tribal population face obstacles due to inconvenient transportation, population outflow, and limited educational resources.

The landscape design, shaped through the community engagement process, was enriched by the cultural context and experiences of tribal stakeholders, fostering a deep understanding of identity, culture and nature. With uncompromising craftsmanship, local stonemasons and carpenters executed all tasks related to stone and wood, utilizing materials sourced from within a 50 km radius. By using traditional techniques to carve and stack, they deliberately remained subtle texture details on every stone while making the design form contemporary and simple. The team carefully kept the tribal spiritual tree, Xupai, untouched and used it as a visual focal point to create culturally sensitive landscape which blends together new and old seamlessly. In response to the surrounding farmland context, the meandering wooden boardwalk led visitors through a characteristic alpine lawn interspersed with shamrocks, symbolizing the linear ridges of wheat fields.

As an elegant piece of land art, the amphitheater is thoughtfully positioned due north to provide a view of the sacred Yulong Snow Mountain. It accommodates great opportunities for tribal sculptors to exhibit their excellent works and becomes a welcoming outdoor social space for locals. During annual traditional festivals, the amphitheater becomes an immersive and interactive setting for experiencing Naxi dances and music.

Products

  • Furniture
    • Hylla Furniture
  • Fences/Gates/Walls
    • Dasso Flooring
  • Lumber/Decking/Edging
    • Dasso Flooring
  • Hardscape
    • Lijiang Cairunhong
    • Sichuan Xingli
  • Lighting
    • Tons Lightology
    • Shanghai ET Lighting
    • Ikestar Lighting

Plant List

  • Celtis kunmingensis Cheng et Hong
  • Pyrus sorotina
  • Armeniaca mume Sieb
  • Rhododendron lapponicum (L.) Wahl.
  • Citrus medica
  • Myrica rubra
  • Pistacia chinensis Bunge
  • Sapium sebiferum (L.) Roxb.
  • Acer buergerianum
  • Zelkova serrata
  • Liquidambar formosana Hance
  • Michelia chapensis
  • Rhododendron delavayi
  • Prunus cerasoides var. majestica (Koehne) Ingram
  • Viburnum macrocephalum Fort.
  • Spiraea thunbergii
  • Vitex agnus-castus Linn.
  • Brunfelsia acuminata(Pohl.)Benth.
  • Rhododendron decorum Franch
  • Deutzia scabra Thunb
  • Teucrium Fruticans
  • Nephrolepis auriculata （L. ）Trimen
  • Edgeworthia chrysantha
  • Panicum virgatum L.
  • Miscanthus sinensis
  • Cortaderia selloana
  • Eragrostis pilosa (Linn.) Beauv.
  • Stipa capillata L.
  • Pennisetum alopecuroides
  • Festuca glauca
  • Equisetum hyemale L.
  • Verbena bonariensis L.
  • Gaura lindheimeri
  • Patrinia scabiosaefolia Fisch. ex Trev.
  • Nepeta cataria L.
  • Ajuga multiflora Bunge
  • Iris collettii Hook. f.
  • Euphorbia pekinensis Rupr.
  • Sisyrinchium rosulatum
  • Rosmarinus officinalis
  • Sedum polytrichoides
  • Ceratostigma plumbaginoides Bunge
  • Farfugrium japonicum (L. f.) Kitam.
  • Acorus tatarinowii
  • Curculigo orchioides Gaertn.
  • Agave americana L.