Siheyuan: Silly Pillar is Kind

"Siheyuan Storm" As international student exchange and study activities are carried out smoothly, Siheyuan has ushered in new development opportunities. A technology company has taken a fancy to the influence of Siheyuan in cultural inheritance and innovation, and hopes to cooperate with Siheyuan to use virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology to create an immersive Siheyuan cultural experience application. The representative of the technology company came to the Siheyuan and introduced it to the residents: "The application we envisioned to develop allows users to use their mobile phones or VR devices to feel as if they were in various historical periods of the Siheyuan. For example, in AR mode, users only need to scan the buildings of the Siheyuan to see the reappearance of stories that happened here in the past, such as ancient weddings, funerals, festivals and celebrations. In VR mode, users can move more freely in the virtual Siheyuan space, interact with virtual residents, and gain a deeper understanding of the details of the Siheyuan's architectural structure, cultural customs, etc." The residents are very interested in this novel idea, but they also have many concerns. Lao Zhang asked, "This sounds good, but won't these virtual things make people ignore the charm of the real Siheyuan?" The representative hurriedly explained, "No, sir. Our goal is to use technology to allow more people who can't come to the Siheyuan in person to appreciate its splendor, and at the same time provide a new supplementary experience for tourists who come to visit in person. And in this way, more young people can be attracted to pay attention to Siheyuan culture, so that traditional culture can be better passed on." Xiao Ming thought for a while and said, "Then how do we ensure the accuracy of virtual content during the development process? After all, Siheyuan has a profound cultural heritage and there can be no mistakes." The representative replied, "We will invite professional historians, folklorists and Siheyuan cultural research experts to participate in content review to ensure that every virtual scene and every story is in line with historical facts and cultural connotations. At the same time, we also hope that residents can provide more real materials and stories to make the application richer and more vivid." During the cooperative development process, scientific and technological personnel worked closely with residents. A technical staff member said to Grandma Li, a resident, "Grandma, can you tell us what games the children used to play during the Chinese New Year in the Siheyuan? We want to restore these scenes into the virtual experience." Grandma Li smiled and said, "The children were so happy during the Chinese New Year. They would play shuttlecock, jump rope, and play with spinning tops in the yard. It was so lively when everyone got together." The technical staff member carefully recorded, "It will definitely be fun to add these scenes, and it will allow users to feel the strong Chinese New Year atmosphere of the Siheyuan." When the beta version of the application was completed, the Siheyuan organized an internal experience event. After experiencing the VR mode, a young resident said excitedly: "Wow, I feel like I have really traveled back to the ancient courtyard house and lived with the ancients. This experience is so shocking. I saw scenes that I had only read about in books before, such as the construction process of the courtyard house. The craftsmen carefully built it brick by brick, which was really not easy." A cultural expert also gave affirmation after experiencing the AR mode: "This application has great potential in cultural communication. It presents the culture of the courtyard house in a very intuitive and vivid way, providing a new perspective for both the general public and cultural researchers." With the official launch of the application, the influence of the courtyard house has further expanded to the global level. Users from all over the world have downloaded and experienced it, setting off a wave of courtyard house culture on the Internet. A foreign user shared on a social platform: "I have never been to a Chinese courtyard house, but through this app, I feel like I have lived there for a long time. The culture of the courtyard house is so fascinating, I must find an opportunity to go and see it in person." A domestic history enthusiast also left a message saying: "This app has given me a deeper understanding of the courtyard house. I used to just visit it in a cursory manner, but now I can go deep into every corner and every historical period, which is really great." In order to better promote this app, the courtyard house and technology companies also jointly organized online and offline cultural and creative competitions. Online, users are encouraged to create paintings, literary works, short videos, etc. based on the courtyard house elements in the application; offline, live creation activities are held in the courtyard house, and artists are invited to perform creative performances with the theme of the integration of courtyard houses and technology. In an offline event, a painter painted with the scenery of the courtyard house, combined with the inspiration from the VR experience. He said to the person next to him: "This combination of technology and traditional culture has given me new creative ideas. I want to present the beauty of the Siheyuan that I feel in virtual and reality in this painting." A young short video creator said when shooting the Siheyuan: "I want to use my lens to perfectly combine the antiquity of the Siheyuan with the novelty of modern technology, so that more people can see the different charm of the Siheyuan." Through the deep integration with technology, the Siheyuan has opened up new horizons on the road of cultural inheritance and dissemination. It has met the challenges of the new era with an innovative attitude, continued to write glorious chapters, and become a model of the combination of traditional culture and modern technology, attracting more people to explore its endless mysteries and charm, and let the Siheyuan culture shine with unique and dazzling light in the tide of the digital age.

"Siheyuan Storm" With the popularity of Siheyuan cultural experience applications, the popularity of Siheyuan is booming, and the number of tourists is growing rapidly. This has also brought unprecedented pressure and challenges to the management and operation of Siheyuan. In order to deal with this situation, the residents of Siheyuan gathered together to discuss countermeasures. A resident with rich management experience said: "We have to establish a more complete tourist management system. For example, we can implement a reservation system to limit the number of tourists per day, which can not only ensure the tourists' tour experience, but also reduce the carrying pressure of the Siheyuan. At the same time, we can also develop a special tourist guide APP. In addition to providing basic tour route guidance, it can also push the cultural explanations and activity information of the Siheyuan in real time, and even set up some interactive games to let tourists better understand the Siheyuan culture during the tour." Xiao Ming nodded in agreement: "This is a good idea, but the development of a guide APP requires a lot of money and technical strength. How can we solve these problems?" At this time, a young resident stood up: "I have some friends in Internet startups. I can contact them to see if I can get some investment or technical support. In addition, we can also apply to the relevant government departments for cultural tourism project support funds. After all, the Siheyuan has now become a local cultural business card, and the government should also attach great importance to its sustainable development." During the negotiation with the Internet startup company, the person in charge of the startup company said to the representative of Siheyuan: "We are very interested in the Siheyuan project, not only because it has a profound cultural heritage, but also because it has huge commercial potential. We are willing to invest funds and technical teams to develop the guide APP, but we hope to add some business cooperation models to the APP, such as cooperating with surrounding businesses to launch preferential activities, or displaying some special product advertisements related to Siheyuan culture in the APP, which can not only provide financial support for the operation of the APP, but also drive the development of surrounding businesses." After thinking for a moment, the representative of Siheyuan responded: "We understand the necessity of commercial cooperation, but advertising and commercial activities cannot be too abrupt. They must be integrated with the cultural atmosphere of Siheyuan and cannot affect the tourists' experience." The person in charge nodded quickly: "Don't worry, we will carefully design the advertising display form and commercial activity content to ensure that they complement the Siheyuan culture." While developing the guide APP, Siheyuan is also constantly improving its infrastructure construction. The residents invited a professional construction team to repair and maintain some old buildings in Siheyuan. The engineer of the construction team told the residents: "We will follow the principle of 'repairing the old as it is' during the renovation process, try to use traditional building materials and craftsmanship, and maintain the original style of the courtyard. However, in order to meet the needs of modern tourists, we will also add some modern facilities in some hidden places, such as adding air conditioning and ventilation systems, wireless networks, etc. in the rooms, so that tourists can enjoy the convenience of modern life while experiencing traditional culture." A resident asked worriedly: "Will these modern facilities destroy the structure and feng shui of the courtyard?" The engineer patiently explained: "We have conducted detailed surveys and planning before design and construction, and will ensure that the installation of these facilities will not cause any damage to the structure of the courtyard. As for the feng shui problem, we have also consulted some feng shui experts, who believe that as long as the layout is reasonable, there will be no negative impact." After a period of hard work, the tourist management system and guide APP were successfully launched, and the infrastructure of the courtyard was significantly improved. Tourists gave thumbs up when using the guide APP. A tourist said to his companion: "This APP is so easy to use. It not only has detailed tour routes, but also a lot of interesting cultural knowledge. Look, this interactive game allows us to match traditional furniture according to the architectural style of the Siheyuan. It is very interesting to play and we can learn a lot." The tourists staying in the renovated rooms were also satisfied with the accommodation conditions: "Although the room retains the traditional style, the air conditioning and wireless network make us feel very comfortable. Resting in this quaint room at night feels like traveling back to ancient times, but it also has modern comfort." As the management and operation level of the Siheyuan continues to improve, it has once again attracted the attention of many media. Television stations, newspapers, and online media have come to report on the Siheyuan's innovative management model and cultural tourism development achievements. A TV reporter said to Xiao Ming during an interview: "Siheyuan is a model for the combination of traditional cultural heritage and modern tourism management and operation. How do you maintain the traditional cultural characteristics while continuing to innovate and develop?" Xiao Ming replied: "We have always adhered to the concept of both inheritance and innovation. On the one hand, we respect the history and culture of Siheyuan and strive to protect and restore its architecture and cultural heritage; on the other hand, we also actively embrace modern technology and management concepts, and through cooperation with all parties, we continue to explore new development models, inject new vitality into Siheyuan, and allow more people to appreciate the charm of Siheyuan culture." Media reports have further enhanced the popularity and reputation of Siheyuan, attracting more tourists, investors and partners. Siheyuan is getting wider and wider on the road of cultural heritage and tourism development, continuing to write its own glorious chapter, becoming a successful example of the integration and development of traditional culture and modern society, and inspiring more places to explore new paths for the protection and utilization of cultural heritage.

"Siheyuan Storm" With extensive media coverage, Siheyuan has attracted the attention of many investors. A large cultural investment group took the initiative to visit, hoping to develop in-depth cooperation with Siheyuan and jointly build a cultural industry park with Siheyuan as the core. The head of the investment group said to the residents of Siheyuan: "We plan to expand in the area around the Siheyuan and build a series of facilities related to Siheyuan culture. For example, we will build a traditional handicraft production workshop so that tourists can personally participate in the production of handicrafts such as ceramics, wood carvings, and embroidery; build a folk culture performance square to regularly perform traditional folk programs such as Peking opera, acrobatics, and crosstalk; and set up a Siheyuan Cultural Research Center to gather experts and scholars from home and abroad to conduct in-depth research on the history, architecture, folk customs, and other aspects of Siheyuan." After hearing this, the residents were both excited and a little worried. Old Li asked, "This sounds like a large-scale project. Will it change the environment and atmosphere around the Siheyuan? We don't want to lose the original tranquility and simplicity of the Siheyuan." The person in charge quickly explained, "We will pay great attention to overall planning and design to ensure that the new facilities are in harmony with the style of the Siheyuan. In terms of the exterior of the building, traditional Chinese architectural elements will be used to echo the architectural style of the Siheyuan. Moreover, we will rationally plan the spatial layout and organically integrate the new area with the Siheyuan through greening and landscape design, so as not to destroy the overall atmosphere here." Xiao Ming thought for a while and said, "Can the residents of our Siheyuan participate in the operation and management of these new facilities? We hope to continue to protect and pass on the culture of the Siheyuan, rather than just being bystanders." The person in charge smiled and replied, "Of course. We hope that the residents of the Siheyuan can actively participate in the operation of the cultural industry park. For example, in the traditional handicraft workshop, residents can serve as skill instructors and teach your traditional handicrafts to tourists and students; in the folk culture performance square, residents can also participate in organizing and planning programs to showcase the authentic Siheyuan folk culture." During the preparation of the cooperation project, the two sides had an in-depth discussion on the detailed planning of the park. A designer in charge of planning said to the residents: "We plan to incorporate the courtyard elements of the Siheyuan into the design of the folk culture performance square to create an open courtyard stage effect. The audience can sit around the courtyard and watch the performance up close to feel a stronger cultural atmosphere." Resident Grandpa Zhang suggested: "In terms of performance content, can we add more programs about the historical stories of the Siheyuan? This will allow tourists to better understand the past of the Siheyuan." The designer agreed: "This suggestion is very good. We will invite professional screenwriters and directors to create some wonderful performances based on the historical stories of the Siheyuan, so that tourists can enjoy the performances while also gaining a deep understanding of the cultural connotations of the Siheyuan." As the cultural industry park construction project progresses, the residents of the Siheyuan actively participate in every link. During the construction of the traditional handicraft workshop, Master Zhao, who is good at wood carving, said to the construction workers: "The height of this workbench should be appropriate so that tourists will be more comfortable when making wood carvings. Also, the tools should be placed in a convenient position for easy access." The construction worker replied: "Master Zhao, don't worry, we will carry out the construction according to your requirements. Your experience is very valuable to us." When some facilities of the cultural industry park were initially built and began trial operation, it attracted a large number of tourists to experience it. In the Folk Culture Performance Square, a wonderful Peking Opera performance was in progress. A tourist said to the person next to him: "It feels great to watch Peking Opera on such a courtyard stage! It's like traveling back to the ancient theater." In the traditional handicraft workshop, a tourist made ceramics under the guidance of residents. He said excitedly: "I have never experienced making ceramics. This time I tried it in the workshop of the Siheyuan. It's really interesting. And it's a rare opportunity to get personal guidance from the masters." The successful trial operation of the cultural industry park has further expanded the cultural influence of the Siheyuan. It has not only become a favorite tourist destination for tourists, but also a gathering place for cultural enthusiasts and an important base for cultural research. A cultural scholar said to the residents when visiting the Siheyuan Culture Research Center: "This research center provides us with a very good platform, allowing us to conduct in-depth research on Siheyuan culture. I believe that many important research results on Siheyuan culture will be born here, making greater contributions to the inheritance and promotion of Chinese traditional culture." In cooperation with the investment group, Siheyuan has achieved a win-win situation of cultural inheritance and industrial development, continues to write a glorious chapter, and has become a model of the integration of culture and commerce, attracting more people to explore its charm and value, and also providing valuable reference experience for the protection and development of other traditional cultures.