南京水域都市春季学校成功举办Nanjing Hydropolis Spring School Successfully Held

以水为媒研思结硕果 中外学子共话水城共生：东南大学-曼彻斯特大学南京水域都市春季学校成功举办

Exploring Symbiosis of Water, City and People through Research and Dialogue: SEU-UoM Nanjing Hydropolis Spring School Successfully Held

3月21日-3月31日，东南大学-曼彻斯特大学南京水域都市春季学校成功举办。本次活动由东南大学与曼彻斯特大学联合主办，南京市外办与发改委提供有力指导和统筹保障，活动还得到英中贸易协会（China-Britain Business Council，简称CBBC）的支持，入选了教育部和东南大学“⻘年使者交流学习计划”（Young Envoys Scholarship，YES项⽬），同时也是“青春汇金陵——2026南京国际青少年交流营”的启动活动。来自英、美、瑞典、波兰等国的15位国际学生与14位东南大学学子将在两国教师带领下深入南京，共同探寻城市水域空间的创新性演进路径。

01 Spring School Launch: At the Confluence of Lakes and Rivers, Chinese and International Students Gather in Nanjing

On the morning of March 24, the opening ceremony of the 2026 Southeast University–University of Manchester Nanjing Hydropolis Spring School was held in the main hall of the Qiangongyuan Building Atrium, School of Architecture, Southeast University. At the opening ceremony, Professor Li Xiangfeng, Secretary of the Party Committee of the School of Architecture, Southeast University, and Professor Deljana Iossifova, Chair of Architecture and Urban Studies at the University of Manchester and Director of the Confucius Institute, delivered speeches respectively, expressing their sincere expectations for deepening cooperation between the two universities and promoting youth exchanges between China and the UK. 

Afterwards, six scholars delivered a series of keynote lectures, focusing on topics such as the temporality of waterfront landscapes, infrastructure and daily life: Prof. Deljana Iossifova (UoM), Mr. Jin Yongjun (Deputy Chief Engineer of Nanjing Macroeconomic Research Center), Dr. Liu Hua (Executive Chief Planner, Architects and Engineers Co. Ltd. of Southeast University), Dr. Jin Xin, Prof. Sinan Burat, and Prof. Wang Yifan (SEU). Huangfu Zhaohui, Deputy Director of Nanjing Foreign Affairs Office, and Wang Lijian, Director of the Yangtze River Economic Belt Development Division, Nanjing Development and Reform Commission, attended the opening ceremony and answered questions raised by students in detail.

In the afternoon of the same day, teachers and students conducted on-site research at Xuanwu Lake and the Nanjing Urban Planning Exhibition Hall. They experienced the unique pattern of Nanjing where mountains, waters, city and forests integrate, and systematically learned about the evolution of the city’s natural water systems and planning history, laying a foundation for subsequent joint research and creation.

02 Field Exploration: Decoding Water-City Symbiosis from Multiple Perspectives

Centered on Nanjing’s hydrological heritage featuring an intricate network of rivers, lakes and waterways, this spring school has established a three-dimensional study system: Academic Empowerment – Field Verification – Industry Collaboration. Over the 11-day programme, Chinese and international students conducted systematic field investigations along key water systems in Nanjing.

On March 25, the group visited the Architects & Engineers Co. Ltd. of Southeast University for a forum and exchange with industry experts including Dean Yuan Wei and Executive Chief Planner Liu Hua. Accompanied by Ding Guangming, Vice President of the Landscape Architecture Institute, Li Zhu, Director of the Architecture Technology & Art (ATA) Studio, and Fang Wei, Chief Architect of the Architectural Design & Creation Center, they conducted on-site research at Jinling Style, Shuimu Qinhuai and Jiangxinzhou Drainage Pumping Station, gaining insights into innovative practices integrating water conservancy facilities with cultural tourism. On March 26, they toured both sides of the Yangtze River. Guided by the Publicity and United Front Work Department of the Working Committee of Jiangbei New Area and Nanjing Yangzi State-owned Investment Group, they visited Nangang Ecological Wetland Park, Xinghu Park, Yangtze River Water Source Heat Pump Station and Pukou Railway Station Historic District, to systematically examine achievements in ecological restoration, clean energy application and industrial heritage revitalization.On March 28, the group visited the Nanjing Riverside Planning & Construction Exhibition Center, Nanjing Eye Youth Olympic Axis and Yuzui Wetland Park, experiencing the ecological transformation and public vitality of the riverside waterfront space.

Under the full guidance of five Chinese and international instructors, namely Deljana Iossifova, Wang Chuan, Wang Yifan, Wang Weiqiao and Jorge Ortiz Moreno, the students completed model making, preliminary exhibition design and report writing throughout the process, forming a complete academic closed loop from field research to creative transformation.

On the morning of March 31, the final defense and closing ceremony of the Spring School were held in the atrium of the Former Engineering Building at Sipailou Campus, Southeast University.Nine groups delivered their final presentations in sequence, with physical models, design videos, research images and professional drawings as the core presentation media.Centered on five core themes — waterfront environments as cultural and historical anchors, perceptual behaviors and daily life in waterfront spaces, waterside architecture and place identity, environmental transformation and water environment governance, and water infrastructure and practices in daily life — each group reported their achievements by combining research analysis and design proposals.

Experts including Zhu Yuan, Yuan Yangyang and Sinan Burat, together with the five supervising instructors, were invited to form a judging panel to review and provide professional comments and guidance on the outcomes.

04 Looking Ahead: Nanjing Practices Step onto the International Stage

At the closing ceremony, Professor Wang Chen, Director of the Office of International Cooperation at Southeast University, Ms. Huangfu Zhaohui, Deputy Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of Nanjing Municipal People’s Government, Professor Zhang Tong, Dean of the School of Architecture at Southeast University, and Professor Deljana Iossifova, Chair of Architecture and Urbanism at the University of Manchester and Director of the Confucius Institute, delivered speeches successively.They congratulated the successful holding of the Spring School and encouraged young students to take this research programme as an opportunity to continuously explore the path of water-city symbiosis and serve as a bridge for urban exchanges and academic cooperation between China and the UK.As a research practice with both academic value and international communication significance, the outstanding achievements of this Spring School will be further refined and exhibited at the Building China: People’s Infrastructure exhibition hosted by the Confucius Institute at the University of Manchester in October 2026. From a youth perspective, it will showcase to the international community Nanjing’s urban construction achievements featuring the harmonious coexistence of mountains, water and the city. 

Although the 11-day Nanjing Hydropolis Spring School has come to an end, the exchanges between Chinese and international young people linked by water continue.This event has not only contributed young academic strength to the research of water urbanism, but also deepened the inter-university cooperation between Southeast University and the University of Manchester, and opened a new chapter for the exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and foreign youth in fields such as urban construction and ecological governance.