Siheyuan: Silly Pillar is Kind

# Rebirth of Siheyuan: Brilliant Life (Continued Chapter 26) Based on everyone's suggestions, He Luo and Lin Yue immediately set about implementing a plan to increase the carrying capacity of Siheyuan. They first went to the surrounding area to inspect the residential houses that were available for rent. When checking out a residential house, He Luo said to Lin Yue: "This house has a good location, is relatively close to the Siheyuan, and has enough space. We can transform it into a special cultural exhibition hall to display some large exhibits related to the history and culture of the Siheyuan." Lin Yue nodded in agreement: "Yes, such as some ancient Siheyuan building components, and restored models of Siheyuan life scenes in the past. There may not be enough space to display these in the Siheyuan, so it is just right to put them here." They contacted the landlord and began to discuss the rental. The landlord was a little hesitant: "I have lived in this house all the time and have feelings for it. I wonder how you are going to renovate it after you rent it?" He Luo explained patiently: "We will respect the original structure of your house and will only do some internal decoration and layout. We want to make the cultural display of the Siheyuan more abundant, so that more people can understand the history of the Siheyuan. And we will maintain this house well. If you have any special requirements, we can negotiate." After listening to this, the landlord felt relieved: "Okay, I hope you can make it better here. I also hope that our Siheyuan will get better and better." After renting the house, they invited a professional designer to plan the layout of the cultural exhibition hall. While checking the structure of the house, the designer said to He Luo and Lin Yue: "We can divide the exhibition hall into several areas. The entrance is an introduction to the history of the Siheyuan, the middle part displays architectural components and life scene models, and finally an interactive experience area can be set up to allow tourists to have a deeper understanding of the Siheyuan culture." Lin Yue suggested: "The interactive experience area can set up some multimedia displays, such as playing documentaries about Siheyuan, or allowing tourists to learn more about Siheyuan stories through touch-screen devices." While renovating the cultural exhibition hall, Lao Zhang led some staff to optimize the tour route of the Siheyuan. Lao Zhang took the planning map and said to everyone: "We need to design the tour route into a ring to prevent tourists from going back. And at some popular attractions, we need to set up diversion channels so that tourists can visit more smoothly." A staff member asked: "Then some tourists may still go the wrong way or deviate from the route, what should we do?" Lao Zhang thought for a while and said: "We can set up obvious signs at key intersections and arrange some guides to provide on-site guidance when there are many tourists." After a period of hard work, the renovation of the cultural exhibition hall was completed and the new tour route was implemented. Visitors can experience more comfort and convenience when visiting the Siheyuan. After visiting the cultural exhibition hall, a visitor said to He Luo: "This exhibition hall is great. It gives me a more comprehensive understanding of Siheyuan. Those architectural components are really exquisite, and the life scene models are like taking me back to the past." With the improvement of carrying capacity, the development of Siheyuan is getting better and better, but He Luo and Lin Yue have not neglected the in-depth excavation of cultural heritage. They are considering launching new theme activities during the Mid-Autumn Festival. He Luo said to Lin Yue, "Mid-Autumn Festival is a festival of reunion. We can hold some activities as a family, such as parent-child mooncake making, guessing Mid-Autumn lantern riddles, and the traditional moon worship ceremony." Lin Yue's eyes lit up: "The moon worship ceremony is very meaningful. We can invite some folk experts to guide us, so that tourists can feel the importance the ancients attached to Mid-Autumn Festival." When preparing for the moon worship ceremony, the folk experts said to them, "The moon worship ceremony must be solemn and pious. We need to prepare a sacrificial table with moon cakes, watermelons, apples and other offerings on it, as well as incense and candles. During the ceremony, certain procedures must be followed, such as burning incense first, and then bowing to the moon." Lin Yue asked, "Then when explaining, how can we make tourists understand the cultural meaning behind the moon worship ceremony?" The folk expert replied, "You can start with the ancient people's worship of the moon. The custom of moon worship during the Mid-Autumn Festival reflects people's yearning for a better life and their hope for family reunion and happiness. We can combine some legends, such as Chang'e flying to the moon, to let tourists feel it more intuitively." On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the courtyard was filled with a warm atmosphere. Parents and children laughed and talked in the mooncake making area, and the children held up the finished mooncakes to show their parents. "Mom, look at the mooncakes I made, there are words I carved on them." The lantern riddle guessing area was also very lively, and tourists guessed lantern riddles related to the Mid-Autumn Festival under the moonlight. When the moon worship ceremony began, the scene became quiet. Folklore experts presided over the ceremony, and tourists followed incense and worshiped the moon, feeling the solemnity of the ancient ceremony. A parent said with emotion: "This ceremony makes the Mid-Autumn Festival more meaningful. It is really good to let children understand these traditional cultures from an early age." With the successful conclusion of the Mid-Autumn Festival activities, Siheyuan has made new gains on the road of inheriting traditional culture. But He Luo and Lin Yue know that there are more traditional festivals and cultures to explore, and the development of Siheyuan will never stop. They look forward to bringing more unique and meaningful experiences to tourists.

# Rebirth in Siheyuan: Brilliant Life (Continued 27) The afterglow of the Mid-Autumn Festival has not yet faded, and He Luo and Lin Yue have begun to prepare for the next traditional festival - Double Ninth Festival. They know that each festival contains unique cultural values, and hope to show the most essential part of the Double Ninth Festival in the Siheyuan, so that tourists can have a brand new experience. On this day, He Luo and Lin Yue sat in the teahouse of the Siheyuan with several folklorists to discuss the activity plan for the Double Ninth Festival. A folklorist said, "The traditional customs of the Double Ninth Festival are rich and varied. Climbing heights, appreciating chrysanthemums, inserting dogwood, and eating Double Ninth Cake are all very distinctive. We can design activities around these customs." After thinking for a moment, He Luo said, "Although there is no mountain to climb in the Siheyuan, we can build a simulated climbing platform, set up some climbing-related challenges and cultural explanations, so that tourists can feel the artistic conception of climbing high and looking far." Lin Yue nodded in agreement: "The two activities of appreciating chrysanthemums and inserting dogwood can be combined. We arrange large areas of chrysanthemums in the yard, and prepare materials for making dogwood sachets, so that tourists can not only appreciate the beauty of chrysanthemums, but also make sachets by themselves and experience traditional customs." Another folklorist suggested: "The experience of making Double Ninth Cake is also indispensable. We can invite pastry chefs to teach tourists how to make Double Ninth Cakes of different flavors, and share the cultural stories behind the Double Ninth Cake." During the preparation process for the event, some problems were encountered in building the simulated climbing platform. The worker in charge of the construction said to He Luo: "This climbing platform must be safe, and the structure must be carefully considered, and it must be coordinated with the style of the courtyard." He Luo replied: "Safety is the top priority. You can refer to the construction methods of some ancient buildings and use some traditional materials and crafts. The appearance should be simple and elegant, and blend with the surrounding environment." Lin Yue was busy preparing the materials for chrysanthemum and dogwood sachets. She said to the purchasing staff: "The varieties of chrysanthemums should be diverse and colorful, so as to create a beautiful chrysanthemum viewing atmosphere. The materials for the dogwood sachets should be of good quality, and the spices should be authentic, so that tourists can truly feel the charm of traditional sachets." In terms of Chongyang cake making, the pastry chef came to the courtyard and discussed the details of the production experience with He Luo and Lin Yue. The pastry chef said: "There are many ways to make Chongyang cake. We can choose several representative ones, such as flower cake and chestnut cake. However, attention should be paid to hygiene and the freshness of ingredients during the production process." Lin Yue said: "We will arrange special staff to assist you to ensure a smooth production experience. Tourists may have different levels, so you have to take the trouble to guide." On the day of the Double Ninth Festival, the courtyard was once again bustling. Tourists were attracted by the colorful chrysanthemums and took photos to commemorate the occasion. A tourist exclaimed: "These chrysanthemums are so beautiful! It feels like being in a sea of ​​flowers." In the dogwood sachet making area, tourists sat together and followed the staff to learn how to make sachets. "What is the meaning of the pattern of this sachet?" A young tourist asked curiously. The staff replied: "The pattern on the dogwood sachet means to exorcise evil spirits and pray for blessings. Wearing a dogwood sachet on the Double Ninth Festival is an ancient traditional custom." On the simulated climbing platform, tourists lined up to challenge the climbing task, while listening to the staff explain the cultural significance of climbing on the Double Ninth Festival. "In ancient times, people climbed high on the Double Ninth Festival to avoid disasters and pray for blessings. It was also a good opportunity for scholars to express their feelings, leaving behind many beautiful poems." The Double Ninth Cake Making Experience Area was filled with fragrance. The pastry chef patiently guided tourists to make it. "First, mix glutinous rice flour and japonica rice flour, then add appropriate amounts of water and sugar, and knead into dough..." A child made a beautiful Double Ninth Cake with the help of his parents and said happily: "Look, this is the cake I made. I want to take it back for my grandparents to eat." After the Double Ninth Festival event ended successfully, the Siheyuan received unanimous praise from tourists. But He Luo and Lin Yue did not stop. They began to think about how to incorporate more educational elements into daily cultural activities and make the Siheyuan a traditional cultural education base. He Luo said to Lin Yue: "We can cooperate with schools and educational institutions to develop some traditional cultural courses for students, and use the resources of Siheyuan to let children learn traditional culture more intuitively." Lin Yue agreed: "Yes, we can set up courses with different themes, such as traditional architecture, folk culture, traditional handicrafts, etc. Invite experts and folk artists to teach, and combine the field experience of Siheyuan." They contacted several schools and educational institutions and proposed the idea of ​​cooperation. The leaders of the schools were very interested. A principal said: "This is a very good opportunity for students to go out of the classroom and learn traditional culture in a real environment. We can organize students to come to Siheyuan for classes regularly." So, Siheyuan began to prepare traditional cultural education courses. They sorted out the course content, prepared teaching materials, and trained teachers. The development of Siheyuan has taken a new direction and continued to move forward on the road of inheritance and education.

# Rebirth of Siheyuan: Brilliant Life (Continued 28) With the finalization of cooperation with schools and educational institutions, Siheyuan quickly invested in the comprehensive preparation of traditional cultural education courses. He Luo and Lin Yue held frequent meetings with experts, folk artists and teaching teams to carefully polish every detail of the course. At a preparatory meeting, He Luo said to the expert in charge of the traditional architecture course: "Teacher Zhang, the architectural structure of the Siheyuan may be complicated for children. How can we help them understand it better?" Teacher Zhang pushed his glasses and said: "We can start with the life scenes that are familiar to children. For example, let them observe the differences between their own houses and the Siheyuan. Then, use simple and easy-to-understand models to show the layout of the Siheyuan, such as why the Siheyuan is surrounded on all four sides and what the function of each room is." Lin Yue added: "Yes, you can also let the children build a simple model of the Siheyuan by themselves, so that they can have a deeper understanding of the structural principles." Teacher Li, who is in charge of the folk culture course, said: "For folk culture, we can teach through stories and games. For example, when talking about the festival customs of the Siheyuan, you can let the children perform the scenes of these customs in groups." Folk artist Master Wang also spoke: "Traditional handicraft courses must let children get started personally. When I teach kite making, I can first show them various beautiful kites to stimulate their interest, and then teach them step by step from tying the frame to drawing and pasting paper." He Luo and Lin Yue personally participated in the preparation of teaching materials. They selected traditional cultural books suitable for children to read, collected pictures of Siheyuan historical materials and simple and easy-to-understand text descriptions. Lin Yue said to He Luo: "These materials should be vivid and interesting. We can find some illustrators to draw some complex content into cute illustrations, so that children can accept them more easily." He Luo nodded and said: "Yes, we can also make some animated videos, such as the construction process of Siheyuan and people's activities during traditional festivals, so that children can understand through dynamic pictures." When the traditional culture course officially began, Siheyuan welcomed batches of students. In the traditional architecture course, Teacher Zhang took the Siheyuan model and asked the children: "Children, look at this Siheyuan, why is the gate opened in the southeast corner?" A little boy rushed to answer: "I know, it's because of Feng Shui!" Teacher Zhang smiled and said: "Yes, this is a saying. In traditional culture, the southeast direction is considered auspicious. Then who else knows what the role of this courtyard in the middle of the Siheyuan is?" The children raised their hands one after another, and the classroom atmosphere was very active. In the folk culture course, Teacher Li was talking about the customs of the Spring Festival. "During the Spring Festival, people in the courtyard will post Spring Festival couplets, set off firecrackers, and eat New Year's Eve dinner. Now let's divide into groups and perform the scene of posting Spring Festival couplets." The children were excited to perform in groups, and the classroom was filled with laughter. In the traditional handicraft course, Master Wang was teaching the children to make kites. "Look, the skeleton of this kite must be tied symmetrically, so that the kite can fly steadily. Come on, everyone try it yourself." A little girl held a bamboo stick and said in confusion: "Master Wang, I can't tie it well, it's always crooked." Master Wang walked over patiently to help: "Look, it should be fixed like this here, right, take your time." As the course progressed, the children spent a happy and fulfilling learning time in the courtyard. But in this process, some small problems also occurred. Due to the large number of students, in the handicraft course, materials are sometimes not enough. A teacher said to He Luo: "Teacher He, there are fewer materials for making kites today, and some children can't finish it." He Luo immediately arranged for someone to replenish the materials and said: "We have to establish a more complete material management system. We must carefully check the quantity before each class to ensure that it is sufficient." In addition, when organizing students to visit the Siheyuan, there were many tourists in some areas, which affected the teaching order. Lin Yue said to the staff in charge of guiding: "We have to properly divert tourists during the students' visit, such as opening a special student visit channel or adjusting the tourists' tour route." After continuous adjustment and improvement, the traditional cultural education course is going more and more smoothly. The teachers and parents of the school have given high praise to the Siheyuan course. A parent said to He Luo: "Since my child participated in the Siheyuan course, he has been particularly interested in traditional culture. He will tell us what he has learned when he goes home. Thank you very much." He Luo smiled and replied: "This is what we should do. We hope to let more children understand and love traditional culture." With the successful development of the traditional cultural education course, the reputation of Siheyuan has gradually spread in the field of education. More schools and educational institutions hope to cooperate with Siheyuan to develop more diversified courses. He Luo and Lin Yue started a new busy life, continuing to work hard for the cultural heritage and education of the Siheyuan and writing a new chapter.