Nightscape in Jingmai Mountain2023.12.08 – 12.13 Kyoko Takubo + Hongna Chen Located on the southwest border of China, Jingmai Mountain is the birthplace of Pu’er tea, where the indigenous people have created an ancient tea forest cultural landscape, which was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in September 2023.While working on the project, we became interested in the local culture. So we decided to survey the villages at night and to observe and report the impact of tourism development on the local nightscape. ■Introduction Visiting Jingmai Mountain isn’t easy. First, spend the night in Kunming, then leave early morning for the destination by plane or train.We had planned to fly from Langcang Jingmai airport, but our flight was suddenly cancelled. So we had to travel to Pu’er by train and grab a cab to Jingmai Mountain.During our stay, we were based in Huimin Town where our project TEA CELLAR is located. We visited Nuogang Village, Wengji Village, and Jingmai Village to observe the people’s daily life and the nightscape there. ■ Nuogang Village Nuogang Village is a historic village of the Dai tribe, where the villagers have maintained their traditional lifestyle. The first floor of the house, with its distinctive gabled roof, is used for tea production and for the teahouse. The second floor with a tiled roof is a living space.The owner of the teahouse told us that the first floor is open to guests and the family…

Guangzhou on the north shore of the Pearl River Delta As the saying goes “Eating in Guangzhou,” Cantonese cuisine is prepared in a wide variety of ways using almost anything under the sun. Residents carry that energy into the lighting environment that is equally diverse and full of activity, maybe a symbol of the recent economic development in China. Guangzhou Pearl River In the city limits of Guangzhou the Pearl River runs from west to east. The streets and buildings along the river face the water with people enjoying the night view from various places by cruising, strolling, and dinning. Guangzhou Xia Jiu Lu The pedestrian shopping street Xia Jiu Lu is famous for old shop houses and as a redeveloped entertainment district. Along with Chinese type red lanterns that line this street are an infinite amount of neon and other luminous signage that create a chaotic and exciting atmosphere. Shenzhen from Saige Plaza Tower After being labeled a special economic zone in the 1980`s, the population escalated and transformed the Shenzhen area into a gigantic urban beat. The city grew overnight like an illusion from a virtual world, but the population and high-rise condominium boom keep growing; which makes for an interesting nightscape.

City Night Survey : Saitama-Shintoshin 2019.04.11　　Lin Hu + Hikaru Kimura Saitama Shintoshin is a district established around the year 2000. Centered on JR Saitama-Shintoshin Station, it is an intensively structured urban area featuring a variety of functions, including large-scale commercial facilities, a major multi-purpose arena, government office complexes, and hospitals. This survey examined how this planned city has evolved from the perspective of lighting. Nightscape over the heliport from the Saitama Government Office Complex Light Linking Spaces A pedestrian walkway system is installed around Saitama-Shintoshin Station, utilizing an active pedestrian-vehicle separation plan that allows for smooth circulation from the second-floor station gates to various facilities. While the ground level is brightly illuminated by roadway pole lights, the pedestrian walkways feature lower-level lighting such as uplights and footlights—excluding some decorative pole lights in park areas—creating distinct expressions of light for each zone.Saitama-Shintoshin Station is connected to Kita-Yono Station by a walkway spanning approximately 600m. A continuous cantilevered glass canopy allows pedestrians to walk without getting wet in the rain or being stopped by traffic signals. Along this route, there is a straight path of about 100m running parallel to the railway tracks. Here, despite the cantilevered canopy structures being identical—likely due to differing construction phases—the lighting techniques varied across three distinct types. Although the architectural design is similar, the change in lighting methods results in varying levels of brightness depending on the location. While achieving uniformity may seem important, using different…

Muslim District within New Development Context2025.11.06-11.09 Quratuaini Jamil + Xu Sunny The survey aims to examine the Muslim Quarter District with a focus on its religious, cultural, and urban context, while assessing how it integrates with the emerging modern development within Xi’an. ■ Brief Summary of Lighting SurveyWith a vast metropolitan population of 12.9 million—of which 4.45% reside in the urban center—Xi’an is a renowned historical and cultural hub in China that pursues an urban planning strategy blending tradition with modernity. The city integrates its rich heritage with the demands of contemporary development while carefully safeguarding key cultural areas. A prime example is the Muslim Quarter, which plays a crucial role in preserving living heritage, ethnic diversity, and the traditional urban fabric. Xi’an’s planning approach emphasizes “development within preservation and preservation within development,” reflected in the harmonious coexistence of new growth and historic architecture. Accordingly, this research focuses on how the old and new parts of the city—particularly distinct areas like the Muslim Quarter—are effectively integrated. ■Xi’An Muslim QuarterOn the first day, we observed the Friday congregational prayer at the Great Mosque of Xi’an. This visit provided a valuable opportunity to study the mosque’s internal spatial organization and architectural characteristics. The Great Mosque of Xi’an is distinctive for its unique synthesis of traditional Chinese architectural language and Islamic religious functions. It differs markedly from the Middle Eastern style—characterized by prominent domes and tall minarets—commonly seen in places like Singapore. Instead,…

The largest Chinatown in Japan has become an established feature of the Yokohama downtown area, but still an area with its own culture and identity. We surveyed Yokohama to discover the Chinese style of lighting environment alive within Japan. At night, there are many hanging lanterns with soft glowing light. This “Light with a Shape” or, through colorful shades, “Light with Color” is a staple of Chinatown and helps to create excitement and a sense of elation. Along the main street there is no specific street lighting, but shop lighting and luminous signage create a natural ambiance along the street. Most structures have columns painted red and use warm tone lighting, but the facade design and signage is all different. This unification of the streetscape through color temperature creates a balance and lasting impression of Chinatown.