International concern for significant cultural landscapes has expanded in recent years. This course teaches the principles, methods and tools of cultural landscape documentation and analysis, engaging a number of sites in Beijing and Hangzhou for the theoretical and practical application of cultural landscape principles. The focus is on the interaction of cultural and natural systems, and analyzing the manner in which human activity has shaped significant heritage landscapes. Special attention is given to the history of these landscapes, their role in contemporary China, and the pressures that they face in a growing China and evolving communities.