Baguazhou island sits in the Yangtze River, a vast agricultural landscape right in the centre of Nanjing city. Until now, the island has retained its unique landscape character, but with a new bridge and highway soon to be constructed, how can both the agricultural and recreational importance of Baguazhou be preserved for the local farmers and residents of Nanjing? A large abandoned holiday resort sits in a prominent position at the river’s edge, close to the new highway. The project imagines the site as a gateway to the island, transforming the resort into an educational and recreational landscape.

A series of abandoned concrete pools are transformed into ponds of different functions. Nursery ponds provide agricultural plots for local farmers who will lose land to the construction of the new highway, whilst providing an educational experience for visitors. Some pools will be transformed into ecological conservation areas, encouraging existing species to expand their habitats across the expansive site. Natural swimming ponds and fishing lakes complete the new landscape. The ponds are linked together with publicly accessible boardwalks and the abandoned holiday resort’s central plaza is reimagined as a farmer’s market for local Bagua produce.