Dr Pengcheng Zhou

BA, MA, PhD

School of Architecture and Landscape

Postdoctoral Research Associate in Architecture

Profile picture of Dr Pengcheng Zhou
Profile picture of Profile picture of Dr Pengcheng Zhou
pzhou17@sheffield.ac.uk

Full contact details

Dr Pengcheng Zhou
School of Architecture and Landscape
Arts Tower
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TN
Profile

I completed my PhD at the University of Sheffield, where I studied the cultural history of conifers in China. I am interested in China’s landscape history, and I approach this through the perspective of trees, using particular species and individual trees to understand how landscapes were shaped and valued in different historical periods. My research is based on qualitative methods, including archival research and literature review. I have presented some of this work at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London, including research on the cultural history of the Welcoming Pine on Mount Huangshan.

Research interests

I am interested in the history of Chinese gardens, the cultural history of landscape architecture, and the history of conifers in China. My current research looks at the cultural history of timber in the Dong architecture of southeastern Guizhou, with a focus on how beliefs, rituals, and folklore associated with trees are embedded in old Dong buildings.

Grants

2026, ‘Indigenous Dong builders network and evidence-based policymaking’, TUoS Knowledge Exchange Fund, PDRA.


2020, The Landscape Design Trust Management Prize, Department of Landscape Architecture, University of Sheffield.

Teaching activities

I have worked as a teaching assistant on the following modules:


LSC118 Histories of Landscape Architecture
LSC404 Landscape Humanities 2 – History and Practice of Landscape and Urban Planning

Professional activities and memberships

International Dendrology Society Junior Membership, 2022-;