The writing of discovering rural landscape is based on the historical perspective. Jackson believes that rural landscape is the mark left on the earth by the constant conflict, adaptation and compromise between human spontaneous existence and natural environment. In this landscape, the spatial traces of political organizations do not exist or do not exist at all to a large extent. In Jackson's view, local landscape has many characteristics: timeliness, adaptability, fluidity and transmutation. Among them, mobility and transmutation are the core characteristics of local landscape, which often occur unconsciously and unwillingly, highlighting the temporary and adaptive characteristics of local landscape in the process of adapting to the changes of natural environment and political environment.
The book is divided into 13 chapters. The first chapter traces the origin of the word "landscape" and discusses the origin of the word "landscape" to set the tone for this book. The second chapter discusses the difference between political landscape and local landscape and its main characteristics; Chapters 3 to 12 discuss the changes of American landscape and the changes influenced by European landscape. The last chapter comprehensively discusses the characteristics, changes and future development trends of three different landscapes: medieval landscape, Renaissance landscape running through15th century and contemporary American landscape.
The first chapter discusses the word "landscape" and its budding process through the development of the word "landscape" and the change of its meaning. After tracing the origin of the two words "land" and "landscape", it is determined that the superficial meaning of the word "landscape" is the collection of land, and the relationship between the word "landscape" and landscape or landscape description is distinguished. It is pointed out that landscape is a synthesis of landscapes created or transformed by human beings, and it is the foundation and background of human existence. The in-depth study of this chapter laid the foundation for the full text.
In the second chapter, the author divides the landscape into two parts: political landscape and residential landscape, discusses the transformation process from the initial residential landscape to political landscape and the organizational structure of landscape space, and discusses the characteristics of political landscape and typical political landscape in detail, paving the way for the definition and characteristics of local landscape. In addition, this chapter also discusses the emergence of the original residential landscape (a part of the local landscape), indicating that the research and design of the local landscape is conducive to the emergence of human sense of belonging and happiness. Among them, the discussion of "Change and Eternity" focuses on the difference between residential landscape (local landscape) and political landscape. The characteristics of political landscape: the visibility and sacredness of the boundary, the importance and status of memorial buildings and radiation roads are closely related to the closed space. )
The third chapter to the twelfth chapter mainly discusses the development and changes of landscape from ancient times to the present, and deeply explores the evolution of American native landscape. In the author's view, the emergence of American landscape is closely related to the development and transformation of European landscape, and there is a certain inheritance relationship. However, due to the change of geographical environment and the difference of local environment and living habits in the United States, the landscape is very different from that in Europe. The definition of "native" in the chapter of "native": farmers, self-production and tradition, gives a clearer definition of native landscape, and points out that contemporary American native landscape presents the characteristics of traditional native landscape.
In the last chapter, the author continues to explore the significance of landscape, and constructs a framework for understanding contemporary American native landscape: three landscapes. Landscape 1, a landscape in the early Middle Ages, has the characteristics of temporality, adaptability, fluidity and transmutation, which is produced by unconsciously and patiently adapting to the environment endlessly, with blurred boundaries and chaotic functions; Landscape II (mainly political landscape, represented by classicism), which was formed in the late15th century and ran through the whole Renaissance, attached great importance to visibility and insisted on the homogeneity and single use of space. It clearly defines the space between the countryside and the city, visualizes the boundary through city walls, hedges, open green belts or lawns, and opposes any temporary, temporary and movable objects (opposite to the local landscape); Landscape III not only inherits the fluidity, timeliness and adaptability embodied in landscape I, especially the preference for timeliness, but also inherits the characteristics of memorial, stability, long history and established landscape value of landscape II. Through the discussion of three kinds of landscapes, Jackson thinks that environmental design is not only to simply adapt to and protect the original appearance of nature, but also to create new nature and beauty, and points out that the future landscape development presents the dual characteristics of compatible rural mobility and stable social and political order (which is also the development direction of future landscape).
According to Jackson's "Three Landscapes" theory, China's rural landscape is very similar to it. According to its classification criteria: 1. Indigenous tribes, houses, farmland, geomantic forests, roads, temples, totem poles and even cemeteries before the formation of feudal society. Everywhere in China, it is the landscape of ordinary people, with universal grass roots, and it is the product of people's constant adaptation to the natural environment, which contains universal recognition of the public. Secondly, after the formation of feudal society, with the great improvement of productivity and economic strength and the unprecedented improvement of political control ability, symbolic political landscapes appeared: checkerboard cities, luxurious imperial tombs, the Grand Canal, the ancient Great Wall, Confucius Temple and so on. Even similar urban landscape avenues, memorial centers, cultural squares, sports centers, conference centers, etc. From feudal society to this day. It has obvious visibility characteristics, mainly serving political rule and showing unified national identity, but it has little to do with ordinary people, does not belong to the grassroots, and has nothing to do with faith; Thirdly, there are many elements different from the traditional landscape in China today: street snacks, pedestrian streets, farmers' markets, QQ farms and suburban vegetable gardens. These landscapes are spontaneous and peculiar, but they all meet the needs of ordinary people, adapt to changes in the environment, and show corresponding characteristics of fluidity and transmutation. They are both stable and unforgettable, and they are new local landscapes in China.
With the rapid development of urbanization and rural tourism, many areas are carrying out "transformation" and "beautification" under the slogan of development. Some landscape features with their own unique personality and local culture are disappearing, replaced by Roman Avenue, Xiaoyanglou, shopping centers, lawns, central avenue and other things. These landscapes can neither reveal national style nor identity on the land of China. The main reason is that these landscapes often only serve political needs, ignoring the needs of ordinary people, especially the needs of local people, lacking the participation of local people, divorced from the local natural and cultural environment, and not helping to generate a sense of identity and belonging, let alone happiness. And because of the administrative and political pressure, street snacks, roadside stalls, villages in the city and other new rural landscape elements are often suppressed in the name of "transformation" and "cleaning up", showing a difficult and abnormal development state.
The interpretation of Discovering Rural Landscape forced me to re-examine the rural landscape in China and gave me a new understanding of rural landscape. But there are also many problems that bother me, such as the early living habits of its nomadic people in the United States and the primitive farming customs of the early colonists, which have a profound impact on the formation of motels and are also its historical reasons. However, under the traditional concept of China's blood belief and family life habits, the sacredness of ancestors being buried in farmland and returning to their roots, does the motel still have its living soil? What new landscape elements will we create in the era of population explosion and dense population flow?