This book adopts topography as a central analytical framework, examining Shenzhen's urban parks through the dual lenses of physical topography and lifeworld topography. It investigates how these parks serve as dynamic interfaces in the socio-natural relationship. By interweaving political-economic contexts with geographical-topographical contexts, the study moves beyond traditional formalist paradigms in the history of landscape architecture to uncover the power relations embedded within natural landscapes.

Dr. Xinyu Liu is an early-career scholar in the field of the built environment. After earning a Master's degree in Urban Design from the School of Architecture at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, he completed a joint doctoral program between City University of Hong Kong and Southeast University, receiving PhD degrees from both institutions. His research interests lie in urban political ecology, urban environmental history, and the history of landscape architecture. He has long been engaged in exploring the historical relationship between cities and nature.