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From the 1950s to the 1990s, China underwent a significant transformation of its political system and economy, from socialism to rapid development after the reform and opening up. In the 1980s and 1990s, to meet the demand for housing and urban modernization under the rapid growth of cities, almost all Chinese cities underwent large-scale urban construction, transformation and expansion. With this background of rapid advancement, many cities have lost their traditional urban features and characteristics. However, it was during this period that Hangzhou not only restored the historical scenery of West Lake through multiple projects but also explored overall planning of the city and introduced conservation ideas, making West Lake, which was originally located outside the city, part of the city. This period also shaped the contemporary urban characteristics of Hangzhou with traditional landscape features. To explore Hangzhou’s positive experience and determine the critical junctures and influencing factors, this study observed the entire historical process using morphological methods. Based on a summary of the characteristics of each development stage, this study further focuses on the key issue of how conservation ideas are gradually introduced into urban planning and affect the development process.

Traditionally, city construction in China was to follow an order guided by the Book of Rites, and city management has no independent law but relies on the traditional Lu Li legal system. Overall, their modern transition started after the Opium War, beginning with the foreign settlements and concessions, and spurred on by the Late Qing Reform for constitutionalism and a modern state legal system. From then to the 1930s, the whole nation experienced frequent wars and overlapping political powers. Local urban planning exploration was active and diverse, but the overall development path was complex. In this context, two urban planning laws were born in late 1930s. Given this complex development background, further review of knowledge dissemination and interaction is needed to clarify the formation history and concurrently analyze its meaning. Japan, which not only shared a similar modernization experience but was also one of the important sources of introduction for modern knowledge, was selected as an object of comparison. By comparing the terms used, the specific content, and development path of the respective countries' laws, this article aims to reveal and outline the overall characteristics of how the legal system for modern planning formed in China.

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