Shuimo Town, Wenchuan new town

After the Wenchuan earthquake on May 12, 2008, the reconstruction plan of Shuimo town in Wenchuan, which was held by Prof. Chen Keshi, first proposed the core idea of “realizing the sustainable development after the disaster by cultural reconstruction”. He and the design team set up a composite model of resettlement + culture + economy + ecology to improve the natural ecological environment, create long-term employment opportunities, and coordinate residents' resettlement and sustainable development. Based on British town planning experience, Chen Kesha proposed to adopt the “chief designer responsibility system” in the design of Shuimo Town, taking urban design as the guide and multiple design methods in parallel, combining Western Sichuan folk houses, Qiang and Tibetan buildings, forming a unique landscape and “Fengshui” pattern with the rich spatial form of mountain towns, pavilions, and lakes, reproducing the beauty of traditional Chinese poetic towns.
Nowadays, Shuimo town has been transformed from a heavily polluted industrial area into a famous tourism town with an eco-friendly environment and unique characteristics. It has become a national 5A scenic spot, highly recognized by the Chinese government and won the highest national design award. At the same time, Shuimo town has also been rated as “the best global model for post-disaster reconstruction” by the Global Council of Human Settlements and UN-Habitat. As the chief designer of the post-disaster reconstruction of Shuimo Town, Prof. Chen Keshi was invited to introduce the successful experience to the representatives of many countries at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

Shuimo town is located on the southeast edge of Wenchuan County, Aba Prefecture, Sichuan Province. Shuimo town has a long history, living in Tibet, Qiang, Hui, Han, and other ethnic groups. The cultures of each ethnic group blend, rich and profound, forming a unique regional cultural landscape. On May 12, 2008, the earthquake disaster in Wenchuan County and its surrounding areas shocked the world. After the earthquake, the Chinese government immediately organized counterparts from all provinces and cities across the country to support the reconstruction of the disaster area. After more than two years of planning and construction, the reconstruction of the Wenchuan disaster area has been praised by the world. Shuimo Town, which was built with the aid of Foshan City, Guangdong Province, has rebuilt three districts, namely “old Chanshou street, Shouxi lake, and Qiang town”. There are many ancient streets in the town, and Shuimo town is considered the first town to be rebuilt after the Wenchuan disaster.