The upgraded landscape lighting design project along the Haohe River in Nantong wins the Outstanding Award of the 2021 IFLA Asia-Pac Landscape Architecture Awards. [Photo/WeChat account: zgntrb]

The International Federation of Landscape Architects, or IFLA, announced the list of winners of the 2021 IFLA Asia-Pac Landscape Architecture Awards on Oct 18. The landscape lighting design of the Haohe River scenic area – located in Chongchuan district, Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province – has won the Outstanding Award.

Founded in the UK in 1948, the IFLA has its headquarters in Versailles, France, and has 57 national societies of landscape architecture as its members. Guided by UNESCO, IFLA is the most influential academic organization in the international landscape architecture industry.

In 2005, the Chinese Society of Landscape Architecture became an IFLA member on behalf of China.

Flowing around the old urban area of Nantong, the Haohe River is shaped like a gourd and regarded as the city's "emerald necklace". With a history of over 1,000 years, the river is China's best preserved ancient moat and is located at the heart of the city.

With the goal of comprehensively improving the quality of night views in the Haohe River Scenic Area, the project consisted of seven major immersive experience zones for people's night tours, including many lights and colors to provide a distinctive Haohe-style nighttime travel route.