Invited by Dr. Zhang Rouran, two experts, Ken Taylor and Steve Brown, arrived in Tianjin on September 7th, and delivered academic report on two topics of “Historical Town and Urban Cultural Landscape: A New Concept of Urban Conservation” and Integration of Nature and Culture to Establish Public Connections: About the Sydney Opera House World Heritage for the teachers and students of the College of Tourism and Service Management and academic scholars on September 8th and 9th, respectively. By presenting the charm of landscape and heritage research in a lively and vivid style, many participants expressed that they had benefited a lot. After the meeting, they conducted in-depth academic discussions on the over-commercialization in the development of scenic spots in ancient towns in China.
Ken Taylor explores changes in people’s understanding of urban landscape in different periods, starting with the role of cultural elements in the process of urbanization, and analyzes the protection and development trend of Historic Town Landscape in the new period and re-recognition and perception of urban cultural landscape through the concept of Urban Historical Landscape (HUL) to strengthen its impact on the daily life of local residents.
Starting with the operation mode of Australian Heritage Management System, Scott Brown introduced the Sydney Opera House, a local world-class heritage site in Sydney, Bondi Beach, a national heritage site, and Arncliffe Market Garden, a state-level (or certain area) heritage site, Indigenous War Memorial in Hyde Park, a prefecture-level heritage site to clarify the top-down system design that Australia is implementing in the heritage management.
Ken Taylor, currently a professor at the Australian National University, an expert consultant at the UNESCO World Heritage Center, and an expert consultant at the International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), is one of the most influential experts and scholars in cultural landscapes and world urban landscapes. In 1992, Prof. Taylor, as a major participant, was responsible for the inclusion of cultural landscape types in the UNESCO Operational Guidelines. From 1990 to 2010, he evaluated more than ten world cultural heritage sites in France, Britain, India and Canada. In 2001, he also acted as a professor at the Faculty of Landscape Planning and Design at the University of Canberra, Chairman of the Australian Landscape Architecture Society and Chairman of National Heritage Center of Canberra.
Steve Brown, former chairman of the International Scientific Committee on Cultural Landscapes (ISCCL), is currently an expert consultant to the UNESCO World Heritage Center and an expert consultant to the International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). As one of the most influential cultural landscape scholars in the world, he participated in the declaration and evaluation of many world cultural heritages including China, South Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, etc. He also compiled several standards for the World Heritage Center.
On September 11th, Prof. Ken Taylor, Prof. Scott Brown and Dr. Zhang Rouran were invited to participate in the academic lecture organized by China Urban Construction Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd., China Urban Planning Society Scenic Environment Planning and Design Academic Committee, and Chinese National Committee for the International Council on Monuments and Sites(ICOMOS CHINA) in the conference room of Beijing Desheng Kaixuan Building. The two professors explained the relevant contents of cultural landscapes to the audience in a simple and profound way. Dr. Zhang Rouran provided translation and interpretation services throughout the whole process and gave support for the smooth running of the meeting. After the meeting, accompanied by Liu Jian, deputy director of the Institute of Architectural History of China Architecture Design and Research Institute, they visited the Palace Museum and the Summer Palace. Li Yue and Tian Jiajia, undergraduate students of our college, accompanied them through the whole tour.
