Admissions Brochure | “Theories and Methods of Cultural Heritage in Urban and Rural Built Environments: Watershed Civilizations” Peking University Summer School Program
To promote exchange among outstanding graduate students and young faculty members across national universities, the “Theories and Methods of Cultural Heritage in Urban and Rural Built Environments: Watershed Civilizations” summer school program is scheduled to run from July 27 to August 8, 2021. This program is part of Peking University's “Graduate Education Innovation Initiative,” organized by the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture and the NSFC-DFG Collaborative Group on Urbanization and Localism. Professor Wang Fang serves as the course director.
u Course Overview
Grounded in an understanding of urban-rural development, this summer school program focuses on China's outstanding traditional culture and cultural heritage to advance cultural heritage education within urban planning disciplines. As President Xi Jinping emphasized, “Historical and cultural heritage is the soul of a city; we must protect it as we would our own lives.” Neglecting historical accumulation would render urban-rural development “water without a source.” The planning profession aims to serve the future development of cities and villages, and a profound understanding of their historical processes will facilitate sustainable development. Prehistoric sites, historic buildings, heritage districts, traditional villages, and cultural routes serve as vital carriers documenting human civilization's evolution and historical transitions across diverse scales. Deepening the discipline's understanding and research into the historical development of built environment cultural heritage will enable students to continually advance their comprehension of urban-rural development patterns and human life trajectories. This will significantly broaden their horizons and perspectives, elevate their spiritual realm, and elevate their thinking to new heights.
China's built environment faces challenges arising from the restructuring of the national spatial planning system in this new era. The focus extends beyond what to develop in the future to what must be protected first. In line with the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council's “Several Opinions on Establishing a National Spatial Planning System and Supervising Its Implementation” (2019), cultural heritage protection under the national spatial planning system requires building a strategic historical and cultural framework from the perspective of national cultural security to enhance the quality and efficiency of spatial development and conservation. Simultaneously, cultural heritage protection necessitates integration with disciplines such as history and archaeology to clearly understand its scientific value, defining what to protect and how to protect it. Chinese civilization requires both preservation and courageous innovation. Cultural heritage research is a mission concerning the value system, historical origins, and unique civilization of the Chinese nation, carrying and perpetuating the spiritual lifeblood of the nation and its people. Guide students to contemplate, through research and practice, how to advance the creative transformation and innovative development of Chinese civilization, thereby revitalizing cultural heritage.
Concurrently, major national strategies in recent years have consistently prioritized comprehensive watershed environmental protection and high-quality urban-rural development systems. Examples include ecological conservation and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin, the Yangtze River Economic Belt, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal Cultural Belt, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. This summer course will focus on major national strategies related to river basins, taking the human habitat environment within these basins as its research subject. Centered on the theme of cultural heritage in the built environment of urban and rural areas, it aims to promote the inheritance of cultural heritage values and the coordinated sustainable development of urban and rural areas from the perspective of integrating cultural heritage with practice.
u Course Content
The curriculum will explore topics including the historical evolution of river basins and cultural heritage preservation, human-land relationships and socio-environmental transformations within river basins, as well as the renewal of human settlements and traditional communities in these landscapes.
u Faculty
This summer school will feature renowned scholars specializing in “Theories and Methods of Built Environment Cultural Heritage: Watershed Civilizations” as lead instructors. They will deliver a series of cutting-edge academic lectures introducing the latest developments and research findings in the field. The faculty primarily consists of experts with backgrounds in archaeology, urban and rural planning, and cultural heritage who have long conducted research on watersheds, embodying interdisciplinary integration across the arts and sciences.
u Teaching Method
In accordance with Peking University's summer school requirements, this program will be conducted online.
1) Instructor Lectures: Covering the history and foundational theories of built environment cultural heritage, these sessions will explore the geographical distribution, disciplinary characteristics, regional variations, and key case studies within the field. By integrating current domestic and international research trends, they aim to stimulate critical thinking among participants.
2) Classroom Discussions: Centered on the Yellow River Basin as a case study, instructors will guide students in selecting key issues related to the cultural heritage of this region. Through reading and discussing cutting-edge literature in class, students will deepen their understanding of contemporary challenges facing the built environment and cultural heritage in the Yellow River Basin. This approach aims to advance methodological development and encourage students to articulate diverse perspectives on hot topics and complex issues within the field.
u Course Outcomes
3,000-word final report and 300-word course reflection
u Target Audience
Graduate students and young faculty in urban planning, archaeology, cultural heritage, and related fields are welcome to apply. Enrollment is limited to 50 participants. As this course is delivered online, it will be simultaneously livestreamed on Bilibili and open to the public.
Participants who attend all sessions and submit qualifying final deliverables will receive a Peking University Graduate School Summer School Course Completion Certificate.
u Course Schedule
The course runs from July 27 to August 8, comprising 10 sessions. Each session lasts 2–2.5 hours: 1.5–2 hours for presentations and 0.5 hours for student discussion.
Instruction will be conducted online. The specific course content is outlined below:
1) Sessions 1–9: Lecture Series on “Theories and Methods of Cultural Heritage in the Built Environment: Watershed Civilizations”
2) Session 10: Thematic Discussion on “Theories and Methods of Cultural Heritage in the Built Environment: Watershed Civilizations”
Note: Specific session times are pending coordination with the lead instructor.
u Related Fees
All related fees are covered by the course; no payment is required from participants.
u Application Process
1) Application Period: From now until 11:00 PM on July 17, 2021;
2) Application Method: Submit the completed application form (download the attachment via the link at the end of this text—Peking University “Theory and Methods of Cultural Heritage in Urban and Rural Built Environments: Watershed Civilization” Summer School Application Form) and send it to 2001213410@stu.pku.edu.cn (Email subject line format: “Name-University (or Institution)-Summer School Application”);
3) Admission results will be notified to successful applicants via SMS or email.
u Administrative Requirements
1) Applicants must provide truthful and valid information. Any misrepresentation may result in revocation of enrollment eligibility and certificates issued.
2) Participants must adhere to the summer school's activity schedule and comply with Peking University's summer school regulations.
u Organizing Institution Information
The “NSFC-DFG Urbanization and Regional Cooperation Group” is a collaborative platform approved by the Sino-German Science Center of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and jointly funded by NSFC and the German Research Foundation (DFG). It focuses on research comparing the Yellow River basin in China and the Rhine River basin in Germany. The group is co-chaired by Professor Wang Fang of Peking University and Professor Martin Prominski of Hannover University, Germany.
We welcome your participation!
Contributed by: Yang Yiming
Edited by: Liu Yuwei
