The Drum Tower has a very traditional aesthetic because of its red colored walls. We love doing things in bold ways. For example, the feeling of light. I want to incorporate some feelings from my nation, my home, into my design.
The Central Axis of Beijing is a geographic place that all Chinese people have an intimate connection to. The Central Axis has architecture from hundreds of years ago and some buildings were symbolic of the emperor’s family at that time. As such, these places were untouchable by normal people. These days, however, we ordinary folks are allowed to go in, be close to them, or even feel them. Touching the layers of historical and cultural artifacts of the past is really exciting for us. The sound of this drum coming from the distance makes me imagine that it traverses these streets and reverberates through the architecture from ancient times along the Central Axis all the way up to the modern day, to pass through our generation. The rhythm of the drums combines both fast and slow. It is really powerful too. The melody is so solemn and regular. It also is a tremendous source of inspiration to me.
Because the Drum Tower is very traditional in its aesthetic red color walls, I also chose to use red tourmaline as the main stone of this work. The tourmaline stone itself is a symbol of Chinese culture. The meaning behind the “ruyi” shape of it is to symbolize blessing and fulfillment. If you look at this design vertically, It is a bit like a musical symbol that symbolizes the memory of sound and the instant moment it occurred. The pavilion on top of the Jingshan Hill has to endure wind and rain and spring, summer, autumn and winter each year. We like to make things that are bold and like to add modern and creative touches to them. For example, the feeling that light gives or the feeling of falling snow. I'm definitely wanted to incorporate some of Beijing’s traditional crafts in my design.
Traditional Enamel is one of these crafts. The same color on it can actually produce a lot of variation. This is Wanchun Pavilion. The fanciest part of the pavilion is its triple eaves. The eves are made with yellow enamel which was used to cover the building's first floor. On this, however, there are some orange parts because we want to express that feeling of the golden sun setting on the gold glazed tiles. It is the first grand tall ancient building from the south of Beijing and the first truly towering ancient building. One thing is to walk slowly along the city walls. Another is to imagine yourself at a position in the sky that is high up and overlooking below. This is because both of these two things have totally different feelings associated with them.
I cut many square shaped diamonds and black onyx to represent the bricks on top of the ancient imperial road. The design also symbolizes the bricks on top of the city wall. Using the Yongdingmen Gate to represent a magnificent atmosphere, also gives a sense of being connected with the earth and a kind of intimate connection with common people. Traditional crafts are very pleasing to the eye. In the future it will be imperative that we keep a connection with them, as some traditional Chinese crafts have failed to be passed down.
We will see if we can use our methods to gather together or awaken memories of them. With just a little effort we might be able to positively impact the transmission of our culture.
