Lingnan floral charm empowers creativity

Bay Area Youth Explore New Path of Blooming Guangzhou

Students enter Yunluo Botanical Garden to visit and conduct research

On November 10, 2025, the sixth field survey of Jinan University's "Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area Youth Creative Design (Creative 100) Talent Training Plan" entered the third day. 23 young students from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao followed the charm of Lingnan gardens, visited the Yunluo Botanical Garden, South China National Botanical Garden and the core landmark of the Pearl River New Town, and around the theme of "Blooming Guangzhou", excavated the combination code of tradition and modernity.

In the morning, the students walked into the Yunluo Botanical Garden, an important part of the Baiyun Mountain Relocation Protection Demonstration Zone in the National Botanical Garden system, and conducted research through plant science popularization and cultural and creative practices. Everyone walks through the eight major botanical gardens, admiring the over 50 year old Rhododendron trees grafted with seven different colors, the yellow dwarf morning glory cultivated for ten years, and the kapok tree symbolizing the spirit of heroes, and experiencing the cultural heritage of Guangzhou's "Flower City".

The design of the cliff style tourist service center and the kapok themed boardwalk, combined with the environmentally friendly cultural and creative elements of coffee grounds making cups and waste building walls, has sparked discussions among students about the design concept of "plant elements+practical functions". The cultural and creative requirements of "easy to take, visible, usable, and affordable" have become a consensus.

The students are in the Healing Life Hall of Yunluo Botanical Garden

Ornamental plant specimens from Yunxi Service Park

At noon, the students transferred to the South China National Botanical Garden. Unlike the popular friendly positioning of Yunluo Botanical Garden, Yunxi Service Park focuses on government reception and achievement display, and its Tang Song style micro terrain landscaping is quite distinctive. The students listened to the popular science explanations of nearly 250 varieties of water lilies, learned about the characteristics of viviparous plants, and the stories behind the specimen wall, understanding the cultural dissemination of "science+creativity". The national second-class protected animal Baiyun Jinsi in the Honey Source Plant Exhibition Garden further showcases the symbiotic possibility of ecological protection and cultural and creative development.

Students walked into the Pearl River New Town to feel the creative tension of "city living room"

In the afternoon, the students walked into the Pearl River New City to feel the creative tension of "city living room". The 600 meter high Guangzhou Tower interprets modern architectural aesthetics with its unique design, and the teaching schedule of designer Cao Xue fills the students with high expectations; The unique structure of the "Round Double Gravel" of Guangzhou Grand Theatre, the "Transparent Crystal" of the East and West Towers, and the vertical lines together form the "Three Towers Locking the River" landscape. From the transformation of Xiancun and Liede villages to the rise of financial centers, the characteristic of "coexistence of traditional texture and modern vitality" in urban changes provides students with a creative new perspective.

This survey is a vivid practice of the "Creative 100" project's "interdisciplinary integration, industry university research integration" model. The path of "cultural heritage+creative design+international dissemination" proposed by Professor Chen Ping, the overall planner of the project, was fully confirmed during the three-day itinerary. The "Park Cultural and Creative Invitation" issued by Guangzhou Forestry and Landscape Bureau has clarified the design direction of the students: to deeply explore the cultural connotations of Lingnan flowers such as kapok and azalea, in line with the urban development temperament, and to achieve the mission of "activating culture with creativity and serving society with design".

During the ten day training, students will also receive expert lectures and conduct cross-border discussions, ultimately presenting design results that integrate Lingnan garden culture with cutting-edge creativity. As a brand project that has been held for six consecutive years, "Creative 100" has trained over a hundred young creative elites in the Greater Bay Area. Taking "Blooming Guangzhou" as an opportunity, it will further promote the deep integration of cultural innovation forces in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, injecting youthful energy into the high-quality development of the cultural and creative industry in the Greater Bay Area.