Siheyuan: Silly Pillar is Kind

"Siheyuan Storm" With the continuous expansion of the cultural and educational functions of Siheyuan, new opportunities have blown into this ancient courtyard like a spring breeze. The local government decided to promote Siheyuan as a cultural demonstration project to more communities, hoping to use Siheyuan as a model to create a series of cultural heritage sites with local characteristics. Government staff came to the Siheyuan and said to the residents: "Ladies and gentlemen, the development model and cultural heritage achievements of Siheyuan are very outstanding. We hope to share your experience and drive the cultural construction of surrounding communities." Xiao Ming responded on behalf of the residents: "This is a good thing, but how do we do it specifically?" The staff explained: "We plan to organize representatives from other communities to visit and learn from Siheyuan. You can introduce them to the experience of Siheyuan in tourism development, traditional cultural protection, and educational activities. At the same time, you can also send some residents to other communities to guide them in transformation and cultural construction." The residents all felt that the responsibility was heavy, but they were also full of enthusiasm. Lao Zhang said: "Then we have to prepare well and show everyone the best parts of our Siheyuan." So the residents began to organize materials and summarize their experiences. During the preparation process, everyone also discussed the content to be displayed. Old Li said, “I think we need to talk in detail about the architectural protection measures of our courtyard houses. This is the foundation. Without good buildings, everything else is just empty talk.” A resident who has participated in cultural and educational activities added, “The organization of cultural and educational activities is also very important. We can share the curriculum setting and the model of cooperation with schools.” When representatives from other communities come to visit, the courtyard house is bustling with activity. Xiao Ming took the representatives on a tour of the courtyard and introduced: "You see, we pay great attention to details in architectural protection of our Siheyuan. For example, when repairing the roof, we follow traditional techniques and use specific materials. This not only ensures the quality of the roof, but also maintains the ancient style of the building." A representative asked: "In terms of funding, how did you solve the cost of these repairs?" Xiao Ming replied: "On the one hand, the residents raised funds themselves, and on the other hand, we also attracted some investment and sponsorship, and the government also provided certain support." When visiting the development of cultural and educational activities, the resident in charge of educational activities said to everyone: "We have different courses for children of different ages. For young children, we focus on fun, such as paper cutting and making traditional handmade toys. For older children, we will add courses such as folk culture research and traditional architecture appreciation." A community representative asked again: "How do you ensure the participation of children?" The resident smiled and said: "We will set up some reward mechanisms, such as displaying outstanding works and awarding small prizes. And we encourage children to share with each other, which can increase their enthusiasm." After the visit and study, the residents of the Siheyuan were divided into groups to go to different communities to guide construction. In a community that is being renovated, Lao Wang, a resident of a courtyard house, said to the local residents: "You can adjust the layout of your courtyard to leave more public space so that it is convenient for activities." The local residents were a little confused: "But we don't know how to design the public space?" Lao Wang said patiently: "You can design it according to the shape of the courtyard and the needs of the residents. For example, set up a small stage here for performances, and put some tables and chairs over there for everyone to rest and chat." During the guidance process, the residents of the courtyard house also encountered some challenges. Some communities do not have a deep understanding of traditional culture, and some incongruous designs appeared during the renovation process. After seeing the decorations that did not conform to the traditional style in a community, Xiao Li, a resident of the courtyard house, said to the community leader: "This part of the design is not suitable. We must highlight the traditional cultural elements and cannot pile up modern popular things at will." The leader explained: "We want to innovate." Xiao Li shook his head and said: "Innovation must also be based on traditional culture and cannot destroy the overall style. We can cleverly integrate new elements on the basis of tradition, such as the combination of traditional patterns and modern colors." After a period of hard work, several surrounding communities have undergone great changes under the guidance of the courtyard house. These communities have gradually formed their own cultural characteristics, and traditional culture has taken root in more places. The residents of the Siheyuan were very pleased to see the results. Lao Zhang smiled and said, "The influence of our Siheyuan is getting bigger and bigger. It's worth it to do so much for the inheritance of traditional culture!" Other residents also nodded. They knew that the story of the Siheyuan is still continuing, and it will bloom more gorgeously on a wider land, becoming a shining star on the road of cultural inheritance, illuminating the hearts of more people who love traditional culture.

As the surrounding communities gradually got back on track under the guidance of Siheyuan, the development of Siheyuan itself did not stop. An environmental protection organization heard about the outstanding achievements of Siheyuan in cultural heritage and community development and took the initiative to approach the Siheyuan, hoping to cooperate with the Siheyuan to carry out a project integrating environmental protection and traditional culture. The head of the environmental protection organization said to the residents of the Siheyuan: "Siheyuan is a treasure of traditional culture and carries the memory of history. We hope to promote some environmental protection concepts here, such as the use of green building materials, energy-saving and emission-reduction measures, and garbage sorting and recycling, so that traditional culture can be combined with modern environmental awareness." The residents were very interested in this. Xiao Ming asked: "How do we implement it specifically? Most of the buildings in our Siheyuan are traditional. How can we improve in this regard?" The person in charge smiled and replied: "We can start with some small aspects. For example, set up more trash cans with detailed classification in the Siheyuan, and publicize the knowledge of garbage classification to tourists and residents. In addition, the lighting system can be replaced with energy-saving lamps. In addition, we can plant some native plants with environmental protection functions in the yard." Lao Zhang was a little worried: "Will these new things affect the original style of the Siheyuan?" The person in charge explained: "We will choose trash can styles and energy-saving lamp designs that match the style of the Siheyuan. As for plants, they will not only not destroy the style, but will add vitality to the Siheyuan and purify the air at the same time." So, the cooperation project began to be implemented. Residents and members of environmental protection organizations took action together, placing trash cans in every corner of the courtyard and affixing eye-catching classification signs. A member of the environmental protection organization said to the tourists: "Hello, please sort your trash. Plastic bottles and cans are recyclable trash, put them in this blue trash can; used paper towels and food scraps are non-recyclable trash, put them in the gray trash can." The tourists were very cooperative, and some even asked curiously: "Your environmental protection action is very meaningful, are there any other measures?" The members replied: "We will also replace the lighting in the courtyard with more energy-saving lamps, which can reduce energy consumption." When replacing the lighting fixtures, the electrician said to the residents who helped: "This energy-saving lamp is bright enough and can save electricity, and its appearance design is also in line with the ancient style of the courtyard as much as possible, so it will not look abrupt." At the same time, everyone planted some mint, green radish and other plants in the yard. A resident looked at the newly planted plants and said, "These plants look really good. I hope they can grow luxuriantly." An expert from an environmental protection organization said, "These plants can purify the air and regulate the temperature, which is very beneficial to the environment of the courtyard. And mint can also repel mosquitoes." In addition to these hardware changes, the environmental protection organization has also carried out a series of environmental education activities in the courtyard. They held an environmental protection knowledge lecture and invited residents and tourists to participate. At the lecture, an environmental expert held a picture and explained, "Look, these marine creatures died because they accidentally ingested plastic waste, so it is so important for us to reduce the use of plastic products and do a good job of garbage sorting." A young tourist asked, "Then what specific environmental protection actions can we take in our daily lives?" The expert replied, "For example, bring your own environmental protection bags when you go out, reduce the use of disposable plastic products, and save water and electricity. These seemingly insignificant behaviors will contribute greatly to environmental protection when accumulated." With the advancement of environmental protection projects, residents of the courtyard have gradually developed environmental protection habits. When children play in the yard, they will remind each other, "Don't litter, and put it in categories." The environmental protection actions of the courtyard have also attracted media attention. A TV reporter came to the Siheyuan for an interview. The reporter said to Xiao Ming: "This project of integrating environmental protection and traditional culture in your Siheyuan is very innovative. Can you talk about your original intention?" Xiao Ming replied: "We hope that Siheyuan can keep pace with the times while inheriting traditional culture, contribute to the cause of environmental protection, and make more people realize that environmental protection and traditional culture can promote each other." The reporter interviewed another tourist, who smiled and said: "I think this project is very good. Traveling here can not only experience traditional culture, but also learn environmental protection knowledge. I will also promote it to people around me when I go back." Under the influence of the environmental protection project, the reputation of Siheyuan has expanded again, attracting more like-minded people to visit and learn. Even some cultural relics protection units in other cities have come to exchange experiences, hoping to copy the Siheyuan model to them. Siheyuan has become a new model, walking more and more steadily on the road of interweaving culture and environmental protection, and continuing to write its glorious chapter. In this process, residents are also very proud of their homes.

"Siheyuan Storm" As the Siheyuan environmental protection and traditional culture integration project has received widespread attention, more and more groups and individuals have come to learn from it. The residents of the Siheyuan are busy and happy, but they also realize that they need to further deepen this project to make it more valuable. One day, a scholar engaged in scientific and technological environmental protection research came to the Siheyuan. He found the residents and said, "I think the Siheyuan can introduce some intelligent environmental protection systems, such as intelligent irrigation systems and intelligent energy monitoring systems." Xiao Ming asked curiously, "Intelligent irrigation system? What is that? Is it good for the plants in our yard?" The scholar explained, "The intelligent irrigation system can automatically water according to the moisture of the soil, so that water resources will not be wasted, and plants can get enough water. And it can be controlled by a mobile phone APP, which is very convenient to operate." Lao Li said on the side, "What about this intelligent energy monitoring system? Can you tell us about it?" The scholar smiled and replied, "This system can monitor the energy consumption of the Siheyuan in real time, such as electricity consumption, water consumption, etc. Through data analysis, you can clearly know where energy consumption is high, so as to take corresponding measures to save energy." The residents thought this proposal was very good, so they decided to give it a try. When installing the smart irrigation system, the staff said to the residents while installing it: "This sensor should be buried in the soil. It can accurately detect soil moisture and then transmit the data to the controller." A resident asked: "What if it rains? Will it still water?" The staff replied: "No, the system will integrate weather data and will not start irrigation if it detects rain." After the smart energy monitoring system is installed, residents can see the energy consumption of the courtyard house through their mobile phones. Lao Zhang looked at the data on his mobile phone and said: "Oh, the electricity consumption seems to be a bit high this month. We have to find out the reason." Xiao Ming analyzed: "It may be that some electrical appliances are on standby for a long time. We have to remind everyone to pay attention to energy saving and unplug the electrical appliances when not in use." Just as the courtyard house was actively promoting the smart environmental protection system, a new challenge emerged. Some businesses in the surrounding area saw that the popularity of the courtyard house was increasing and wanted to open more stores near the courtyard house. Some of them were modern commercial stores that did not match the traditional style of the courtyard house. A resident said worriedly: "If these shops are opened, the atmosphere around the courtyard will change completely. We can't let them destroy the overall style here." So the residents united and communicated with the local planning department. Xiao Ming said to the staff of the planning department: "We hope to impose some restrictions on commercial development around the courtyard to ensure that the style of new shops is in harmony with the traditional culture of the courtyard." The planning department attached great importance to this issue and readjusted the planning plan. It is stipulated that newly opened shops must adopt traditional architectural styles and incorporate cultural elements of the courtyard in the exterior design, such as eaves, carved doors and windows, etc. At a merchant communication meeting, the planning department staff said to the merchants: "Look, this is the new design requirement. Everyone should build shops according to this. This will not only guarantee your business interests, but also maintain the cultural atmosphere around the courtyard." A merchant asked: "Can we have some modern elements in the interior decoration?" The planning department staff replied: "The interior decoration can have some modern elements, but it should not be too abrupt and should be integrated with the overall traditional style." After a series of adjustments, the newly opened shops around the courtyard complement the courtyard. The owner of a newly opened teahouse said to the residents: "With this design style, our teahouse business is better. Tourists like to drink tea in this place with a traditional cultural atmosphere." The environmental protection project of the Siheyuan is also being promoted. The intelligent environmental protection system is running well, which not only saves resources but also provides convenience for the management of the Siheyuan. At the same time, the Siheyuan continues to carry out environmental education activities and expands the scope to surrounding communities and schools. During an environmental education activity, Xiao Ming said to the children: "Classmates, we must protect the environment, just like we protect our Siheyuan. Every small environmental protection action can make our earth a better place." The children nodded one after another, and one child said: "Brother, I will let my parents and I do a good job of environmental protection in the future." The Siheyuan continues to move forward on the road of integrating environmental protection and traditional culture, and has become a place with exemplary significance, attracting more people to pay attention to the organic combination of traditional culture, modern technology and environmental protection, and the residents are also writing new and wonderful stories in the process of protecting and developing the Siheyuan.