There has long been a strong division between the urban and the rural. The theme of this issues studies the area in between; presenting a conceptual frame?work that aims to define, understand and describe an area that is largely un?studied, unseen and unexplored by scholars in our field. This Hinterland is an overlooked realm that houses large parts of the population, is responsible for a large share of economic output, harbors diverse cultures and represents a large territory. Inspired by the literal meaning of the Chinese translation for Hinter?land, 腹地 (fùdì), ‘abdomen land,’ the Hinterland framework emphasizes the hidden yet vital nature of this realm as part of a larger whole. This definition serves as the foundation for a fractal theory applicable across multiple scales— from global perspectives, regions, and cities to neighborhoods and individual buildings.
      This issue includes texts on the theoretical foundations, practice and teaching activities that highlight both the possible range and depth of exploration in the Hinterland, as well as the challenges it is facing, with a focus on examples from China. The first text presents a theoretical foundation of the definition of this Hinterland, and puts forward the suggestion to establish a ‘Science of the Hinterland’. This is followed by Lidia Preti shows how architects in China have been involved in China’s hinterland throughout various periods since the mid 20th century. Following this, Chonghei Chan who describes the histori?cal definitions of the Hinterland and its evolution in Chinese culture, through a study of the known variations of the Qingming Scroll. Then we have two examples of design teaching related studies of the Hinterland, one from Italy, one from China. Established independently of one another, they both took the same area in Lishui, Zhejiang province as their study sites. One text is written by Camilla Forina and Leonardo Ramondetti from the Polytechnic University Turin is a review of their design research work for a ‘Prosperous Lishui’. The second one, Hosomi, about his experiences with a comprehensive, internation?al urban design studio hosted by the English Master Program in Architecture at Tsinghua University . Finally, as an example to illustrate the range of the frac?tal nature of the application of the hinterland framework, Jennifer Wei Zhang describes her thesis project for the adaptive re-use of existing dilapidated structures in the Hinterland.
      In our understanding this issue marks the first time that this terminology is scholarly introduced in our discourse and as such aims to be the starting point for future research. By integrating insights from key architectural and urban planning theories and drawing on case studies to illustrate challenges, this issues aims to lay the groundwork for a comprehensive and adaptable Science of The Hinterland, and we look forward to your suggestions for exploring this ignored realm together going forward. [Detail] ...