Designed by Turenscape, The Red Ribbon running through this Qinhuangdao park can be seen against the background of natural terrain and vegetation, spanning 500 meters (547 yards), integrating the functions of lighting, seating, environmental interpretation, and orientation. While preserving as much of the natural river corridor as possible, this project demonstrates how a minimal design solution can achieve a dramatic improvement to the landscape. The park is located on the Tanghe River at the eastern urban fringe of Qinhuangdao. The following site conditions presented both opportunities and challenges for the design:

? Good ecological circumstances: The site was covered with diverse native vegetation, providing varied habitats for assorted species.
? Unkempt and deserted: Located at the edge of a beach city, the site was a garbage dump with a deserted shantytown and obsolete irrigation facilities such as ditches and water towers

? Potential safety and accessibility problems: Covered with shrubs and messy grasses, the site was virtually inaccessible and therefore unsafe for people to use.

? Functional demands: With encroaching urban sprawl, the site was used by the new communities for recreation, including fishing, swimming, and jogging.

? Development pressure: With the lower reaches of this river channeled, it seemed likely that the same was going to happen on this site. The natural river corridor would probably have been replaced with concrete embankments and ornamen...