How can gardens be brought closer to the people and the countryside be rejuvenated? On November 18th, the 15th Annual Conference of the Chinese Society of Landscape Architecture officially kicked off in Kunming. This industry grand event brought together approximately 1,500 experts, practitioners and university teachers and students from all over the country.

At the opening ceremony, Mr. Rusheng Li ,the president of the Chinese Society of landscape architecture, pointed out that this year's annual conference continues the concept of "people 's gardens" proposed last year and responds to the goal of building a modern people' s city.

Conceptual Guidance: Focusing on "People's Gardens" and "Rural Landscapes"

The theme of this year's annual conference, "People's Gardens and Local Scenery," precisely echoes the core issues of contemporary urban and rural development. In his speech, Li Rusheng elaborated in depth on the profound connotations of this concept.

"Urban landscaping should closely align with people's livelihood needs, carry forward cultural genes, and integrate digital technologies to contribute industry strength to China's modernization," Li Rusheng emphasized. He stressed that urban resilience should be enhanced through nature-based landscaping solutions, and green transformation should be promoted by the value of ecosystem services.

                   Li Rusheng

In terms of rural landscapes, he called on the industry to deeply explore the resilient value of native plants, widely mobilize social participation in the maintenance of rural ecology, inherit local ecological wisdom, create rural landscapes, and safeguard the bottom line of ecological security. This concept ran through all the discussion sessions of the entire annual conference.

Guo Dajin, the vice governor of Yunnan Province, introduced the achievements and rich natural cultural resources of Yunnan Province in urban landscaping. Li Xiaolong, the chief engineer of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, proposed that landscaping is a key component of ecological civilization construction and should be promoted to a high-quality level from three aspects: people's well-being, cultural inheritance, and talent and technology. Ruan Cao, the director of the Science and Technology Communication Center of the China Association for Science and Technology, affirmed the achievements of the association in ecological construction and science popularization, and suggested further deepening the reform of the association, strengthening international services, promoting collaborative research and development, and cultivating young talents.

At the opening ceremony, the "Initiative for Enhancing Urban Biodiversity" was simultaneously released. This initiative advocates for the establishment of a harmonious urban ecosystem where humans and nature coexist. It demonstrates the industry's shared commitment to ecological protection. Additionally, the book launch ceremony for "Encyclopedia of Landscape Architecture" and "Landscape Architecture Terminology" was held concurrently during the conference.

Guo Dajin, the vice governor of Yunnan Province, introduced the achievements and rich natural cultural resources of Yunnan Province in urban landscaping. Li Xiaolong, the chief engineer of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, proposed that landscaping is a key component of ecological civilization construction and should be promoted to a high-quality level from three aspects: people's well-being, cultural inheritance, and talent and technology. Ruan Cao, the director of the Science and Technology Communication Center of the China Association for Science and Technology, affirmed the achievements of the association in ecological construction and science popularization, and suggested further deepening the reform of the association, strengthening international services, promoting collaborative research and development, and cultivating young talents.

At the opening ceremony, the "Initiative for Enhancing Urban Biodiversity" was simultaneously released. This initiative advocates for the establishment of a harmonious urban ecosystem where humans and nature coexist. It demonstrates the industry's shared commitment to ecological protection. Additionally, the book launch ceremony for "Encyclopedia of Landscape Architecture" and "Landscape Architecture Terminology" was held concurrently during the conference.

Frontier Exploration: Academic Exchange and technological Empowerment go hand in hand

The annual conference invited several academicians and experts to deliver keynote speeches. Chinese Academy of Engineering member Liu Jiaping expounded on the collaborative development path of green buildings and landscape construction. Academician Chen Jun discussed the enabling role of the construction of real-world three-dimensional China in territorial spatial planning. National engineering survey and design master Wang Kai and Zhang Pengju respectively shared their experiences on planning practices, local buildings and rural landscapes under the background of Chinese-style modernization.

In addition, Chen Fadi, the president of Nanjing Agricultural University, Zhang Dayu, the president of Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Li Xiong and Wang Xiangrong, professors from Beijing Forestry University, Xu Dongxin, the second-level inspector of the Shanghai Bureau of Greening and Urban Appearance, and Liang Yongning, a professor from Kunming University of Science and Technology, respectively delivered reports on topics such as the role of the flower industry in promoting rural revitalization, the protection of traditional villages, industry transformation and talent cultivation, the transformation of landscape architecture design, ecological garden construction in Shanghai, and the protection of World Heritage Sites in Yunnan.

The annual conference also specially set up 8 thematic sub-forums, 5 special forums and 1 dialogue salon, forming a multi-level and wide-ranging academic exchange platform that covers all key areas of industry development.
The sub-forum topics covered "Beautiful China and Landscapes Conservation", "Urban Renewal and Landscape Architecture Actions", "Rural Revitalization and Rural Landscape Protection", etc. on hot topics. The special forum specifically explored characteristic issues such as "People's Garden Concepts and Practices", "Youth and Future Landscape Architecture", and "Rural Landscape Utilization and Tourism". The dialogue salon engaged in cross-disciplinary exchanges centered around "Disciplinary and Professional Construction for Industry Transformation".

The deep integration of digital technology and landscape architecture has become a key highlight of this year's conference. Li Risheng stated that digital gardens are an essential part of smart cities and represent the inevitable path for the transformation and development of the landscape architecture industry. He elaborated on the application prospects of digital technology in all aspects of garden planning, design, construction, and operation.

At the special forum titled "Rural Landscape Architecture and Health-Promoting Tourism Residences", scholars such as Professor Li Shuhua from the School of Architecture of Tsinghua University and Professor Yang Yi from the School of Architecture and Urban Planning of Kunming University of Science and Technology discussed how to promote urban-rural integration and people's health through landscape architecture construction, demonstrating specific practical applications of the industry in serving the people's needs.
In addition, during the annual conference, a series of supporting activities were concurrently held, including the 2025 Landscape Architecture New Products and New Technologies Innovation Achievement Roadshow, the Blue-Green Space Ecological Conservation Forum, the Special Exchange Meeting on Scenic Spots and Heritage Protection, the Exhibition of University Students' Design Competition Works and the Paper Poster Exchange, etc., comprehensively showcasing the latest practices and innovation achievements in the industry.
The conference is hosted by the Chinese Society of Landscape Architecture and jointly organized by the Yunnan Garden Industry Association, Southwest Forestry University and Kunming University of Science and Technology.

（The image source of this article: The organizing committee of the conference）

Editor: Ma Qiang. Produced by: Li Zanyi