Siheyuan: Silly Pillar is Kind

After the successful display of "Siheyuan Wind and Cloud" at the International Cultural Tourism Festival, the Siheyuan welcomed students from international schools. These energetic and curious young people have injected new vitality into the Siheyuan. When the international students stepped into the Siheyuan, their eyes sparkled with excitement. The leading teacher said to the residents of the Siheyuan: "Thank you very much for giving us this precious opportunity to let the children experience the unique charm of the Siheyuan in person." Xiao Ming responded enthusiastically: "Welcome to you, I hope that the students can gain a lot here." In order to let the students better experience the culture and environmental protection concept of the Siheyuan, the residents carefully arranged a series of activities. The first was a course on traditional architectural culture, with Lao Zhang as the main speaker. Zhang led the students through the courtyard, pointing at the building structure and saying, "Students, look at the layout of this courtyard, which emphasizes symmetry and harmony, and embodies the idea of ​​balance in ancient Chinese philosophy. The wood carvings on the beams have their own meanings, such as the auspicious dragon and phoenix, which represent good luck and good fortune." A foreign student asked curiously, "Why do you use so many symbols in architecture?" Zhang smiled and replied, "These symbols are part of our traditional culture. They carry our good wishes and values." Then came the environmental protection practice activities, where residents led the students to participate in the garbage sorting competition. Xiao Zhao, a young resident, said to the students, "Now, we divide into groups and see which group can classify the garbage most accurately." The students actively participated in the competition, and one group was confused when sorting. Xiao Zhao patiently explained: "No, this plastic bag should be put in the recyclable bin, not the non - recyclable one." In the traditional handicraft learning session, Grandma Wang taught the students to cut paper. She demonstrated with scissors: "First, fold the paper like this, then cut along the edge gently." A female student learned very seriously. She said to Grandma Wang: "Grandma, it's so difficult but very interesting. I want to make a beautiful one." Grandma Wang encouraged her: "You are doing well. Keep trying." In addition to these activities, the courtyard also arranged a cultural exchange evening. At the evening, international students showed cultural programs from their own countries, some singing and some dancing. After singing a French song, a student from France said, "This is a French song. I hope you like it. I also love the traditional music here." The residents of the courtyard performed a Peking Opera excerpt. After the performance, a foreign student exclaimed, "This is so amazing. The costumes, the singing, everything is so unique." During the students' communication, they also put forward some novel ideas. A student said, "Can we use modern art to show the beauty of the courtyard? " Xiao Ming thought about it and replied, "That's an interesting idea. We can try to bine modern art with traditional courtyard elements. " So, the students and residents carried out a modern courtyard art creation activity. They painted some murals on the walls of the courtyard that combined modern style with the characteristics of the courtyard. A student holding a paintbrush said: "We can draw the outline of the courtyard here and add some modern color blocks and lines." In this process, everyone learned from each other and communicated with each other, which not only gave the courtyard a new artistic atmosphere, but also enhanced the understanding and friendship between different cultures. As the exchange activities of international students came to an end, they all said that they had gained a lot. A student said: "This experience in the courtyard has changed my view of traditional culture and environmental protection. I will share it with my friends and family." Because of this international exchange, the courtyard has new ideas in cultural integration and innovation, opening up a broader road for future development. Residents look forward to more wonderful stories continuing to be staged in the courtyard.

The departure of international students did not bring peace to Siheyuan. Instead, the creativity and enthusiasm they left behind gave rise to more new ideas and plans. During a collective discussion, a young resident, Xiao Zhou, took the lead in speaking: "The murals painted by international students are really great. They have brought a different kind of vitality to our Siheyuan. I wonder if we can use this as an opportunity to create a Siheyuan Art Season? Invite more artists, both local and international, to come here to create and display various forms of art." Xiao Ming's eyes lit up: "That's a good idea! But we have to have a detailed plan, such as the diversity of art forms, not just limited to murals." Lao Li nodded in agreement: "Yes, there can also be sculptures, installation art, etc. However, these works of art must be integrated with the cultural atmosphere of our Siheyuan and cannot be too abrupt." So everyone began to prepare for the Siheyuan Art Season. They contacted artists everywhere to introduce the unique charm of Siheyuan and the concept of this art season. When communicating with a well-known sculptor, Xiao Ming said: "Teacher, we hope you can create a sculpture that can reflect the historical heritage of the Siheyuan and the modern atmosphere. For example, you can use the traditional elements of the Siheyuan, such as door knockers and tiles, as inspiration, but use some modern techniques in the shape or material application." The sculptor pondered for a moment and responded: "This is a very challenging but also very interesting proposition. I think I can try to use metal materials to create an abstract door knocker shape, and then combine it with light and shadow effects to make it present different visual feelings at different times." On the eve of the opening of the art season, residents and artists arranged their works together. An installation artist built an installation called "Time Corridor" in the yard, using old wood and colored silk threads to construct a space that simulates the changes of the Siheyuan. Resident Lao Wang asked curiously: "What does this mean? It looks complicated." The artist patiently explained: "Uncle, this is to show the flow of time from the past to the present through the combination of these elements. You see, this old wood represents the history of the Siheyuan, and the color changes of the silk thread symbolize the stories and memories of different periods." The art season officially opened, attracting many tourists and art lovers to visit. A tourist stood in front of an oil painting with the theme of the four seasons of the Siheyuan and said to his friend: "Look at this painting. The spring, summer, autumn and winter of the Siheyuan are painted so delicately that it seems to make people feel the atmosphere of the courtyard in different seasons." During the visit, some tourists asked questions: "Will these works of art be placed here forever? Will they affect the original appearance of the Siheyuan?" Xiao Ming hurriedly explained: "No, we have fully considered this issue when selecting works and arranging them. After the art season ends, some of these works will be collected, and some will be appropriately adjusted or removed based on everyone's feedback and the actual situation of the Siheyuan." As the art season progresses, art creation workshops are also held. A local painter guided the participants in painting in the workshop. He said: "You can paint the Siheyuan in your mind, whether it is realistic or abstract, the important thing is to express your feelings for this place." A participant said with some distress: "I want to paint, but I always feel that I can't grasp the charm of the Siheyuan." The painter encouraged: "Don't worry, you can start from a corner of the Siheyuan, such as the carved window, and slowly feel its lines, light and shadow, and the cultural connotation behind it." The successful holding of the art festival has further enhanced the popularity of Siheyuan in the field of culture and art. Some art colleges have contacted us, hoping to use Siheyuan as a long-term off-campus practice base. The teachers from the art school said to the residents: "Our students really need such a real and culturally rich creative environment. They can sketch and create here, and also conduct in-depth research on the integration of traditional culture and modern art." The residents readily agreed. They knew that the Siheyuan would embark on a new journey, continue to explore and move forward on the road of culture and art, and continue to write its own wonderful chapters. Every exchange and cooperation is like a shining star, embedded in the long history of the Siheyuan, making it even more brilliant.

"Siheyuan Storm" After becoming an off-campus practice base for art colleges, Siheyuan has welcomed batches of creative and passionate art students. Their arrival has brought a steady stream of fresh inspiration and youthful vitality to Siheyuan. When the students first settled in the Siheyuan for creative practice, the leading teacher said to the residents: "Thank you for providing such a good platform. Our students can't wait to start creating. They will interpret the charm of Siheyuan from different artistic perspectives, such as photography, painting, design, etc." Xiao Ming smiled and responded: "We are also looking forward to seeing the students' works. I hope they can create masterpieces with depth and novelty here." As soon as the students entered the Siheyuan, they were like a group of cheerful birds, scattering to find creative inspiration. Students majoring in photography carried cameras and captured unique pictures everywhere in the yard. A photography student said to his companion excitedly, "Look at the lines of the eaves. The light and shadow effect formed by the sunlight is simply amazing! I want to take a picture of it and process it into a retro color later, which will definitely show the historical vicissitudes of the courtyard." Students majoring in painting set up easels, some of them were depicting the panoramic view of the courtyard, and some were focusing on depicting an ancient door. One student encountered some difficulties when painting the stone lion in front of the door. He asked Lao Li for advice: "Grandpa, I can't draw the expression of this stone lion well. Can you tell me what special meaning and particularity it has?" Lao Li patiently answered: "This stone lion is a symbol of guarding the courtyard. Its expression is majestic and peaceful. Look at its eyes, you have to draw that kind of piercing feeling, and its hair, it has to show fluffy and three-dimensional feeling." Students majoring in design are ingenious. They are thinking about how to apply the elements of the courtyard to modern design works. A design student held a notebook and said to Xiao Ming: "We want to design a series of cultural and creative products with Siheyuan as the theme, such as designing Siheyuan architectural patterns into mobile phone cases, notebook covers, etc. What do you think?" Xiao Ming agreed: "This is a good idea. This will allow more people to understand the culture of Siheyuan through these cultural and creative products. However, when designing, we must pay attention to retaining the essence of Siheyuan elements and not be too commercialized and lose the cultural connotation." During the students' creative process, Siheyuan also held an art work sharing session. Students displayed their phased works and shared their creative ideas. A student who showed his photography works said: "My photos mainly use contrast to show the harmonious coexistence between the ancient buildings of the Siheyuan and the modern residents living here. For example, in this photo, an old man is basking in the sun under an ancient window, and next to him is a modern solar panel. This collision of old and new elements is very interesting." Students majoring in painting also showed their paintings and said: "In the process of painting, I tried to use different colors to express the different atmospheres of the Siheyuan. For example, warm colors are used to express the lively festival scenes of the Siheyuan, and cold colors are used to depict its quiet nights." As the students' creative practice deepened, their works gradually took shape. These works not only enriched the cultural and artistic connotations of the Siheyuan, but also provided new materials for the promotion of the Siheyuan. After some works were widely circulated on the Internet, they attracted more attention. After seeing the art works of the Siheyuan, a netizen left a message saying: "It turns out that the Siheyuan can have so many novel interpretations. I must go to see it in person." The residents of the Siheyuan also gained new inspiration from the students' creations. They began to think about how to better integrate these artistic elements into the daily cultural displays and tourism activities of the Siheyuan. Lao Zhang said to everyone: "We can make postcards of these students' excellent works and sell them in the visitor center, or set up a special display area in the courtyard so that tourists can feel the artistic charm of the Siheyuan more intuitively." The residents nodded one after another. They knew that the cooperation between the Siheyuan and art schools was a win-win event. Under the nourishment of art, the Siheyuan will continue to attract people from all over the world with its unique charm and become an eternal stage for cultural inheritance and artistic innovation. Every story that happens here will become a bright pearl in the long history of the Siheyuan, shining with endless light.