China's national architecture team combined cutting-edge technologies and drew from historical inspiration from the 600-year-old Forbidden City to showcase Chinese traditional structure design, "Yuan-er", a courtyard where multiple families live, at the 27th Venice Biennale of Architecture in Venice, Italy from August 29 to November 29.

During the biennale, China, along with 45 other countries, will showcase their creative architecture work at Venice's Central Pavilion at the Giardini, the Arsenale, and Forte Marghera, according to the event's official website.

The theme for this year's festival, created by Lebanese architect and scholar Hashim Sarkis, is "How will we live together?," which will explore how architecture promotes equality, communication, and integration among people.

The name of the Chinese Pavilion is "Yuan-er, a courtyard-ology: from the mega to the micro," designed by over 100 Chinese architects including Xiao Wei, the designer of the Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

Yuan-er and courtyard

"The theme is a new page in the international architecture field. Compared with expressing the field's culture by focusing more fancy exteriors in the end of last century, the professionals gradually realized that architecture needs to serve people and to promote the process of civilization," Zhang Li, Deputy Dean of the School of Architecture in Tsinghua University and deputy chief architect of Architectural Design and Research Institute in Tsinghua University, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Zhang added that the most basic model in Chinese buildings from the past to present-day society is "Yuan-er."

As Zhang explained, the Chinese word "Yuan-er" does not share the same meaning with the English word "courtyard."

In Chinese, "yuan-er" means both the spatial form of the courtyard and the community that lives there. In this community, people interact by supporting and helping each other.

The English definition for "courtyard" refers to space and separates the connection between space and people. For example, the residential communities are more like courtyards. A group of people live in their private apartments, sharing one tall building, but they do not know each other, nor do they interact.

Rich elements

To showcase "Yuan-er" to Western visitors, Chinese Pavilion curator Zhang and his team will use various elements to present the style in five parts.

The first part, "Common Understanding I," will broadcast videos about the participated architects' designed works and their understanding of Yuan-er with over 100 tablet computers hung in a hutong (narrow street alley lined with traditional courtyard residences).

The second part, "Common Understanding II", will feature six Chinese architects and six authoritative experts researching China's ancient yuan-ers hold discussions to analyze classic examples and construct contemporary interpretations through holographic projection.

The third part is focused on listening and feeling. A large sound installation created by Chinese artist Zhu Zheqin will take the audience on an audio journey by listening to different sounds including blowing leaves and the voice from some pets and people.

The fourth part, "Common Design," is created by He Wanyu, an artificial intelligence (AI) artist, who produces an intelligent design engine to help audience members design yuan-er after computers perform deep learning on the vocabularies of six Chinese pioneer architects by using algorithms.

The fifth and final part, "Common Cure," will be held outside of the Chinese Pavilion in a space that will be shared with the Italian Pavilion. The yard contains a loggia offering an imagination space to help people worldwide combat COVID-19.

Historical inspiration

As an architectural style, yuan-er has been around for over 5,000 years in China. Evidence of this can be found at Beijing's Forbidden City and in Beijing's small hutong areas. It has not only captured historical design ideas, but stimulates the exploration of contemporary architects and artists, and provides inspiration for the future.

This year marks the 600th anniversary for the Forbidden City, which is considered as one of the most distinguished yuan-er models. The Chinese team invited some experts from the Palace Museum to offer guidance on yuan-er's research. The experts said that yuan-er truly shows Chinese culture and history.

Zhang said the Venice organizers were very excited after learning the Chinese Pavilion "yuan-er" would showcase the contemporary meaning of a cultural heritage. "They always think the Forbidden City is an imperial palace and a large courtyard, but never realize it is a big yuan-er, he said.

According to Zhang, the Forbidden City is regarded as China's top yuan-er. The numbers of yuan-er and its complexities are incomparable. Usually, one smaller yuan-er is set in a bigger one.

"China is one of the most important architectural stages in the world. You can see different styles of architecture in China. However, a good building which can withstand the test of time needs cultural precipitation. The rough age of simply pursuing quantity has passed, and now we need to pursue to build something with higher quality and cultural accumulation," Zhang said.

Zhang remains positive on the development of China's architecture. He is pleased to see the young generation in the field have a deep understanding between humanity and the nature and are more being involved in the world's conversation.

"The booming age of China's architecture is yet to come, but will come," Zhang said.