Deeply Mourning Professor Yu Kongjian

Yu Kongjian, an outstanding member of the Communist Party of China, founding Dean of the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at Peking University, Peking University Peking University Distinguished Professor, distinguished international landscape architect, and landscape design educator, tragically passed away at the age of 62 in a plane crash on 23 September 2025 local time while conducting ecological research in the Pantanal region of Brazil.

Professor Yu Kongjian was born in Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, in April 1963. He enrolled in the Department of Landscape Architecture at Beijing Forestry University in 1980, where he obtained both his bachelor's and master's degrees. After graduating in 1987, he remained at the university as a lecturer, dedicating himself to cultivating landscape design talent. In 1992, he pursued further studies in the United States, earning a Doctor of Design degree from Harvard University in 1995. He subsequently engaged in design practice at SWA Group in America. In 1997, he resolutely returned to China to dedicate himself to the nation's educational and scientific endeavours, accepting a professorship at Peking University's School of Urban and Environmental Sciences. Upon his return, he spearheaded the establishment of Peking University's Centre for Landscape Planning and Design Research, the Institute of Landscape Architecture, and the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. He also founded the academic journal Landscape Architecture, devoting his life's work to advancing the disciplinary framework of landscape architecture and cultivating a substantial cohort of highly qualified professionals for the nation.

Professor Yu Kongjian consistently regarded urban and landscape design as ‘the art of survival’. He pioneered the ‘Big Foot Aesthetics’ concept advocating a return to natural ecology, systematically implementing this philosophy through theoretical research, teaching, and project practice, thereby charting the course for industry development. Professor Yu Kongjian has served as an expert advisor to central government bodies including the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Ministry of Natural Resources, Ministry of Water Resources, and National Cultural Heritage Administration, as well as local governments such as Beijing Municipality. Appointed as a ‘Nationally Distinguished Expert’ by the Central Organisation Department and the Ministry of Labour and Personnel, he concurrently holds positions including Vice Chairman of the Chinese Society for Urban Studies, Director of the Landscape Architecture and Beautiful China Professional Committee, Vice Chairman of the Sponge City Technical Committee under the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and Chairman of the Climate Change Response Working Committee of the Chinese Society of Landscape Architecture. He has contributed significantly to national ecological civilisation construction and urban planning development. Professor Yu has been jointly awarded the ‘Achievement Award for Returning Overseas Scholars’ by the Central Organisation Department, Central Propaganda Department, and Central United Front Work Department, and received the ‘First Outstanding Entrepreneurship Award for Overseas Chinese Professionals’ from the State Council's Overseas Chinese Affairs Office.

In both academic and practical spheres, Professor Yu Kongjian pioneered the theory of the ‘Ecological Security Pattern’ and the ‘Reverse Planning’ methodology. He introduced the concept of ecological infrastructure into landscape and urban-rural regional planning, providing scientific solutions to reconcile the conflict between ecological conservation and urban development, thereby laying the groundwork for national territorial spatial planning. He led his team in meticulously developing and designing a series of replicable and scalable engineering models. These achievements have been successfully applied in over 1,000 urban ecological restoration projects across more than 200 cities in over ten countries worldwide, making outstanding contributions to improving local living environments and restoring ecosystems. Numerous completed projects under his stewardship have garnered international acclaim for their seamless integration of ecological functionality and artistic expression, offering forward-thinking Chinese solutions and wisdom to address global ecological crises. Professor Yu Kongjian has delivered over 50 keynote presentations at premier global academic and professional conferences, including the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA), establishing his scholarly influence worldwide. His accolades include twelve awards from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), nine World Architecture Festival Global Landscape Awards, three International Architecture Awards, and two American Architecture Awards. He has also received the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Global Excellence Award and the Gold Medal at the 10th China National Art Exhibition, among other prestigious domestic and international honours. In 2016, he was elected as a Foreign Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; in 2017, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Rome; In 2019, he received an honorary doctorate from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. In 2020, he was awarded the Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe Award, the highest lifetime achievement honour in the global landscape architecture and planning academic community, in recognition of his ‘outstanding and profound contributions to improving human society, the built environment, and enhancing human wellbeing.’ In 2021, he received the John Cobb Common Good Award; In 2023, he was honoured with the National Landscape Architecture Award in the United States. That same year, he was selected from over 300 global nominees as the biennial Oberland Prize laureate; the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) conferred upon him the title of ‘Global Leader in Nature-based Solutions’; In September 2025, he was included in Forbes' 2025 Global Sustainability Leaders list, with his contributions receiving widespread international recognition.

Professor Yu Kongjian was born in Dongyu Village, Jinhua, Zhejiang Province. where the now-vanished feng shui forests and the Baisha Stream separating his village from neighbouring Linjiang Village became the wellspring of his ecological philosophy. Nourished from childhood by traditional Chinese wisdom on survival, he dedicated his life to the ideal of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature. With boundless passion, he devoted himself to ecological civilisation and the practice of ‘Beautiful China’, tirelessly striving to heal our planet in crisis. On the eve of his passing, he remained steadfast in Brazil's Pantanal wetlands—the ‘lungs of the Earth’—voicing a piercing question: When even the last Eden retreats, where can humanity find hope for survival?" Though Professor Yu Kongjian has departed, the journey he embarked upon to heal our planet continues unabated. The legacy of his pioneering work in landscape architecture shall endure through the dedication of those who follow in his footsteps!

The locust trees stand silent, yet the old garden remains warm; the Master has departed, but his spirit endures. Alas! We have forever lost a beloved and revered teacher, a kindred-spirited colleague, a loyal friend who shared our deepest thoughts, and a warm and compassionate family member. The passing of Professor Yu Kongjian represents a profound loss for Peking University and a grave bereavement for the field of ecological landscape design in China and indeed globally. We extend our most sincere condolences to Professor Yu's family, express our deepest mourning for Professor Yu Kongjian, and shall forever cherish his memory! Accompanying Professor Yu Kongjian on this mission in Brazil were his colleagues: Brazilian film director Luís Fernando Feres da Cunha Ferraz, documentary filmmaker Rubens Crispim Jr., and pilot Marcelo Pereira de Barros. Tragically, all aboard the aircraft perished. We hereby extend our profound condolences to the victims and their families. May those who explored nature's grandeur until their final moments rest in peace upon the Earth they so dearly cherished.

The specific timing and format of Professor Yu Kongjian's farewell ceremony will be determined in full respect of his family's wishes and announced separately.

School of Architecture and Landscape,Peking University

School of Urban and Environmental Sciences,Peking University

25 September 2025