20世纪90年代，中国掀起了一场关于21世纪社会主义中国城市发展模式的大讨论。钱学森教授提出的山水城市概念是把中国传统文化中的山水诗词、山水画和中国古典园林与现代城市建设结合起来。山水城市的核心思想是，兼顾城市生态和历史文化，兼顾现代科技和环境美学；它考虑未来城市生产、生活发展的需要；它是为中国老百姓享受的生活、工作环境。21世纪是城市的世纪，主要是发展中国家的城市化。中国已经开始进入城市化高速发展的时期，世界关注中国城市化发展的道路。这是山水城市讨论的时代背景。中华民族对山水有特殊的感情，山水意识几乎融入中华民族的遗传基因，山水文化的特色之一是综合艺术，这是山水城市的文化背景。

In the 1990s, a great discussion on city developing model in socialist China in the 21st century was raised widely. At that time, a new concept —“Shan-shui city” was first put forward by Professor Qian Xuesen. The concept integrates Chinese traditional culture, which includes Chinese poetry, paintings and classical gardening architecture, with modern city construction. “Shan-shui city” model puts emphasis on local history and culture, which is a kind of comprehension of natural ecological processes, historical source and cultural veins. To go to a unification of man, its society and nature and to realize a kind of visual and psychological sense of beauty to their living and working environment are basic goals of building a “Shan-shui city”. The 21st century is named city's century because of developing countries' urbanization. In the mean time, China has come into the new phase of accelerated urbanization. This is the era background of discussing the idea of “Shan-shui city”. Another background contributes to culture and the spirit genes that Chinese love natural mountains and water. The culture about natural mountains and water plays an important role in China.