Water, Sanitation, and Relaxation - The Construction of New Parks in Beijing in the 1950s -

Official sources on Beijing’s parks tend to present the history of the parks in a somewhat retrospective manner, which somewhat distorts the context of their construction. The relationship of the parks to the renovation projects undertaken to address sanitation and water supply issues helps us understand the context in which these large parks were newly constructed while emphasizing the principle of self-sufficiency. In the early years of the PRC, the construction of new parks was more of a side effect of the water supply project. Without the urgent needs of the water works, it would have been difficult to build large-scale new parks in the early years of the PRC. The expansion of parks in the early years of the PRC resulted in the creation of spaces of relaxation and recreation for citizens in a rapidly growing city. However, once established, parks were still relatively fragile spaces, subject to appropriation, reduction, and closure amidst political turmoil. Compared to the survival essentials of air and water, space for recreation was not an urgent need.