Creation100 Students Conduct Research on Lingnan Gardens Explore Cultural Inheritance and Creative Renewal
On December 8, 2025, the opening ceremony of the 6th "Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area Youth Creative Design (Creative 100) Talent Training Program" was grandly held at the Four Seas Art Space of Jinan University. The program was specially planned by the UNESCO Chair in the Inheritance and Innovation of World Traditional Handicrafts, hosted by the Cultural Heritage and Creative Industry Research Institute of Jinan University, and supported by the Beijing Chenjianghe Public Welfare Foundation.
The theme of this training session will be in collaboration with the Guangzhou Forestry and Landscape Bureau, with the theme of "Blooming in Guangzhou", exploring the path of harmonious coexistence between tradition and creativity from the unique perspective of Lingnan garden culture. This training session lasted for ten days, and 23 students from Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao conducted a three-day field research first. On the first day, the students walked into the two cultural landmarks of Zhongshan Memorial Hall and Chen Family Ancestral Hall, and through on-site observation, filming and recording, deeply explored the creative codes contained in traditional architecture and craftsmanship, and put into practice the project purpose of "youth activating creativity, creativity shaping youth".
Student research on the first day
This study tour carefully organized students to visit representative buildings of Lingnan gardens, aiming to promote the deep integration of Guangzhou's profound cultural heritage with contemporary youth creative practice. Under the leadership of Dean Chen Ping from the Cultural Heritage and Creative Industry Research Institute of Jinan University, students carried cameras and laptops deep into the park to conduct field research. Everyone carefully observed and explored the architectural layout, craftsmanship details, and cultural connotations of the garden. At every critical point, they stop to take photos, record in real-time, and actively exchange views and discoveries, creating a strong and focused learning atmosphere on site.
This study tour carefully organized students to visit representative buildings of Lingnan gardens, aiming to promote the deep integration of Guangzhou's profound cultural heritage with contemporary youth creative practice. Under the leadership of Dean Chen Ping from the Cultural Heritage and Creative Industry Research Institute of Jinan University, students carried cameras and laptops deep into the park to conduct field research. Everyone carefully observed and explored the architectural layout, craftsmanship details, and cultural connotations of the garden. At every critical point, they stop to take photos, record in real-time, and actively exchange views and discoveries, creating a strong and focused learning atmosphere on site.
Creation 100 students visit Zhongshan Memorial Hall
The students focused on the imitation wooden pole support structure of the tree trunk and the vigorous branch and leaf morphology, capturing and preserving details. At the same time, they circulated real photos of the flowering period of cotton flowers through tablets, and engaged in lively discussions around the cultural symbolism and visual expression of the "hero flower". Beside the 120 year old Bai Lan tree, everyone observes the protection principle of the German imported PP rope "Cobra System" and carefully records data such as crown size. The mottled marks on the northeast corner wall of the memorial hall are bullet marks left by the Japanese air raids in 1937-1938. The students took photos of these historical marks and exchanged creative ideas on "reproducing historical scenes with digital technology"; Before the design of the 63 meter span beamless column roof and the Chinese Western fusion dome roof in the hall, everyone used their mobile phones to capture structural details and enthusiastically discussed the inspiration of spatial aesthetics for modern exhibition hall design. When students saw award-winning products such as the "Sugar Treasure" decompression doll and Zhongshan suit themed cultural and creative products, they carefully photographed the product details and delved into the simplified expression and practical transformation techniques of traditional symbols.
investigation of Chen Clan Ancestral Hall
The Chen Family Ancestral Hall was first built in the 14th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1888) and was completed in 1893. It covers an area of 15000 square meters, faces north and south, and adopts a layout of three roads and three entrances. It is a cultural landmark that combines the great achievements of Lingnan architectural art. During the research process, the students walked along the corridor and stopped at Qingyun Lane to capture the "borrowed scenery" composed of steps and walls. Many students explore the reference significance of the sense of staircase hierarchy for modern spatial design while taking photos; In front of the decoration of male and female stone lions and bats in Qianmen Square, everyone exchanged ideas on modern expressions of auspicious meanings; Faced with the "Seven Wonders of Dongguan Green Brick Carving, Glutinous Rice Brown Sugar Grey Sculpture" and other "Seven Wonders Skills", the students took close-up shots of the craftsmanship details, carefully recording key information such as the process of single block carving and splicing of brick carving, and the 6-7 year renovation cycle of grey sculpture. Hong Kong and Macau students also exchanged experiences with mainland students on topics such as preservation techniques for traditional materials and contemporary transformation of intangible cultural heritage crafts, sparking sparks of thinking.
Flowers bloom in Guangzhou, with a long cultural heritage. This cross temporal dialogue on garden culture not only helped students unlock the cultural code of the Bay Area, but also opened up a new track of "garden+creativity". In the future, Jinan University will continue to rely on platforms such as "Creative 100" to build a bridge for cultural exchange among young people from Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, promote the revitalization and inheritance of Lingnan traditional culture through creative design, inject vigorous youthful energy into the innovative development of culture in the Greater Bay Area, and let the flame of tradition and creativity bloom more brilliantly on the land of Lingnan.
