Don't miss Jinji Lake

©AECOM photo by David Lloyd.

If you’re passing through Shanghai you may think all the action is right underneath one of the world’s most recognizable skylines. Certainly there’s plenty. If you’re in a more contemplative frame of mind you might stop in Suzhou, just outside Shanghai to the west, where traditional gardens once inspired the explorer Marco Polo. Don’t miss Jinji Lake, an extensive scenic area where those ancient aesthetics have been infused into contemporary designs for places that reconnect people to the water. Recently featured in depth by the Shanghai Daily, Jinji Lake offers a variety of public landscapes, ranging from garden, to forest, to plaza, to promenade. A ten-year redevelopment process cleansed and restored these once degraded lakeside environments before recreating them as recreational space.

“We were not satisfied to just improve the greening on the east bank. We’d want to make it iconic,” AECOM’s chief executive in China, Sean Chiao, told Shanghai Daily. Sean said that “Intertwining the lake with city life and transport, we try to find new excitement and impulses for urban life. Each year I come back, there’s something new.” Sean describes the flow of space and its changing tone, saying that “the upper part is dynamic and vigorous, while the lower part is more tranquil and elegant.” Integrating elements “in a succinct but modern way,” designers “didn’t just copy the classic Suzhou garden that intertwined with stone bridges and water. Instead, we used a more Western approach to make it modern, even masculine, to some extent,” while “there are also hints or metaphors for Suzhou gardens.” Sean said, “We’d like to encourage a growing trend of short-distance vacations for which you attach your bicycle to your car, drive to the site and cycle around.”

Take a virtual stroll here, and visit Jinji Lake if you’re in the neighborhood.