New ways to experience great houses: This developer is bringing in a "cultural" twist.
A thousand years ago, who could represent the world? Undoubtedly, it was the Great Song Dynasty of China.
With the description of "people gathering from all directions, countries communicating freely, flowers lining the roads, and music filling the air", the prosperous Song Dynasty was the world's sole economic center at that time.
What is even more highly praised is its civilization that stood at the pinnacle of the world: the simple and natural Song porcelain, the ink - infused Song paintings, as well as tea art, poetry, hanging paintings, and incense burning... They all transformed into the "elegant charm of the Song Dynasty" and have been passed down to this day.
A thousand years later, a cultural gathering named "Elegance and Ode: New View of Chen" to explore the millennium - old charm of the Song Dynasty was held at Jianfa Jinmao · View of Chen. Teacher Wu Gou, a well - known scholar in the study of Song Dynasty history, gave a theme sharing titled "The Elegant Song: The Song Dynasty Was So Trendy", leading the people in Beijing into a modern - flavored trendy life of the Song Dynasty. Among vivid Song paintings, delicate Song porcelain, and bustling scenes, they jointly savored the peak beauty of Song Dynasty culture.
The scene of the event
Subsequently, in the salon session, Teacher Wu Gou, Ms. Li Xinyue, the curator of 36Kr Future City Lab, and Mr. Sun Chaojie, the marketing director of the View of Chen project, discussed with the on - site audience how to inherit the charm of the Song Dynasty in modern life, turning the "elegance" from a distant cultural symbol into an accessible daily life.
When we shift our perspective to the center of the southern Fourth Ring Road in Beijing, we suddenly find that a scroll of Song - charmed life full of a thousand - year - old elegance is slowly unfolding.
01. The "Appreciation by Both the Refined and the Vulgar" from Literati to the Common People
Chen Yinke, a master in the Republic of China era, once said: The culture of the Chinese nation, after thousands of years of evolution, reached its peak in the Song Dynasty.
The reason why the Song Dynasty stood at the top of five - thousand - year Chinese culture was its unique cultural features that combined depth and breadth, refinement and popularity, which was the so - called "appreciation by both the refined and the vulgar".
Take ci poetry for example. Originally a "vulgar" literature from the folk, after the Song Dynasty, with the promotion and transformation by literati and officials like Su Shi, Xin Qiji, and Liu Yong, its rhythm became more rigorous and its artistic conception more profound. It no longer simply described the beauty of nature but shifted more towards "chanting history and expressing aspirations". Thus, "elegance" became an essential breakthrough of ci poetry in the Song Dynasty, and its literary status was on a par with that of Tang poetry, eventually becoming two high - points in Chinese literature.
Meanwhile, the elegant ci poetry in the Song Dynasty also retained its original musicality and popularity. It was not only chanted in the study rooms of literati but also sung in places like restaurants, taverns, and entertainment venues. The general public also enjoyed its aesthetic charm, which in turn promoted its spread.
A partial view of "The Elegant Gathering in the Western Garden"
Another peak in the history of Chinese art, Song paintings, is another clear evidence of the integration of elegance and vulgarity. The court - style paintings represented by Emperor Huizong's "Auspicious Cranes", the literati paintings represented by Li Gonglin's "The Elegant Gathering in the Western Garden", and the folk custom paintings behind Li Song's "The Peddler" all tell the story of the interaction between "elegance" and "vulgarity" at different times and levels.
The world - famous "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" is the epitome of the integration of elegance and vulgarity in Song paintings. Its content reflects the bustling daily life in the restaurants and teahouses of the Eastern Capital in the Northern Song Dynasty, while its painting skills are from Zhang Zeduan, a painter in the Imperial Academy, which can be described as "using elegant brushes to depict vulgar scenes".
The Qingming Riverside Landscape Garden in Kaifeng (Source: The official WeChat account of the Qingming Riverside Landscape Garden)
Among the four leisurely pastimes popular among literati, tea - making ranked first. It was not simply about drinking tea but a top - level art that required the perfect combination of skills and aesthetics in every process, from choosing porcelain cups to grinding tea, waiting for the right water temperature, and whisking the tea. The "tea - tasting competition" and the even more advanced "tea artistry" derived from it spread among the common people. Teahouses of all kinds opened all over the streets. From scholars and officials to ordinary people, they all gathered here to experience the elegance of life.
Source: Kaifeng Culture
The "elegance" deeply engraved in the bones of the Song Dynasty was the fruit of the integration of elegance and vulgarity. Literati drew inspiration from the daily life of the common people, and the common people incorporated the elegance of literati into their lives. Eventually, it created a unique spiritual background for Song Dynasty culture.
02. An Elegant Narrative about Living
Modern Chinese people have an increasingly strong pursuit of the elegant life in the Song Dynasty.
The dance drama "Only This Green" inspired by the famous Northern Song painting "A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains" became a hit across the country with its ultimate visual aesthetic feast. It allowed the public to glimpse the elegant charm of the Song Dynasty in the green - mountain and blue - water painting a thousand years ago and appreciate the beauty of once - glorious Eastern art.
A still from the dance drama "Only This Green"
A still from the dance drama "Only This Green"
Not satisfied with the momentary artistic enjoyment, modern people are actively seeking opportunities to integrate the thousand - year - old aesthetics into modern daily life. Architectural living spaces are the most likely carriers.
Jianfa Real Estate, which focuses on the "innovative inheritance" of Chinese - style architecture and living spaces, has given a practical answer. It has in - depth research on Song Dynasty culture and architectural features and used the craftsmanship of "lightness, leisure, clear sky, and gold" to create a series of architectural products with the "elegant charm of the Song Dynasty", fully demonstrating the grand Song - style aesthetics in the contemporary era.
In Beijing, Jianfa Real Estate, together with China Jinmao, built the first masterpiece with Song - charm, View of Chen, in the heart of the southern central axis. Based on traditional culture and combined with modern "language", it newly interprets the beauty of living spaces in the Song Dynasty. Gardens and architecture are the epitome of this living aesthetics.
The first - phase garden of View of Chen replicates "The Elegant Gathering in the Western Garden", with "nine pavilions and eight water areas" as the core, reproducing the elegant gathering spirit of literati and scholars enjoying poetry and wine. The second - phase garden draws inspiration from "Along the River During the Qingming Festival", creating three gardens and twelve scenic spots. Nine Song - style pavilions are scattered among them, and a water area of about 1500 square meters winds through, pushing the aesthetics of Song Dynasty gardens to a new level.
The renderings of the second - phase garden of Jianfa Jinmao · View of Chen
The three gardens, Xiefang Garden, Sishi Garden, and Xishui Garden, each have their own characteristics. Xiefang Garden is famous for its lush flowers and trees, Sishi Garden shows the beauty of the changing seasons, and Xishui Garden fully presents the essence of Song - style garden - making, such as piling up mountains and managing water. In this landscape world, the Qingfeng Pavilion, inspired by Ouyang Xiu's words "The gentle breeze and bright moon are priceless", and the Hongqiao Bridge "stepping out" from "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" complement each other. The ancient trees beside them are intertwined with the water waves. Whenever the gentle breeze blows, the rustling of leaves is like the sound of waves, and the water surface ripples, full of interest.
The ancient trees, like sculptures of time, endow the garden of View of Chen with a sense of solemnity and eternity. Cherry trees, ginkgo trees with a hundred - year - old history, and tassel trees, a second - class protected species in China, take root here, as if this garden has traveled through time from the Song Dynasty a thousand years ago. Together with precious tree species like the Xifu crabapple, the same as in Prince Gong's Mansion, and the Japanese maple that has traveled across the ocean, they form a scenic view among the nine pavilions and eight water areas, presenting the garden artistic conception of "a vista opens after winding through a dark valley".
In View of Chen, the most charming part with the charm of Song Dynasty gardens is the scenery around the pavilions. The pavilions in the garden are decorated with luxurious green - and - white stones. Their natural patterns are like splashed ink landscapes, just like the beautiful glaze color of Ru porcelain, which makes viewers after a thousand years feel a sense of tranquility and shock, as if this color only exists in heaven.
The aesthetics of the Song Dynasty integrated the low - key and implicit interest into gardens and injected the rational and elegant spirit into architecture.
Understanding this well, View of Chen uses a unique approach to endow its buildings with the charm of "freshness and elegance".
The main entrance of the second - phase is designed with reference to Wolong Academy in Fujian, where Zhu Xi gave lectures. The overhanging eaves of the Song - style crown create a broad and flat appearance, creating a cultural center with both spirit and ceremony for contemporary scholars and forming a hierarchical sense of space. Inside the entrance is a "A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains" about 10 meters wide and 4 meters high, made by the intaglio enamel handicraft, an intangible cultural heritage technique, which is magnificent.
The renderings of the second - phase main entrance of Jianfa Jinmao · View of Chen
It is worth mentioning that View of Chen even replicates "Yuzhaofeiliang", one of the three national treasures of Jinci Temple. This bridge can be regarded as a "living architectural textbook".
The buildings in the garden also show Song - Dynasty elements everywhere. The facade extracts the elegance of Emperor Huizong's "Auspicious Cranes" and retains the classic form of overhanging eaves. Elements of Song - Dynasty architecture such as curtain rods and lattice decorations are skillfully used in the facades of unit entrances and garden buildings, constructing a delicate beauty.
Emperor Huizong's "Auspicious Cranes"
View of Chen's inheritance of the millennium - old charm of the Song Dynasty is actually a transformative inheritance that combines the grandeur of the imperial capital. It can be seen that in addition to the elegant style of the Song Dynasty, the design of the second - phase main entrance also adds a sense of dignity. The top of the entrance uses the heavy - eaved hip - roof style of imperial architecture, and the area under the eaves is decorated with the "three - intersection and six - lattice diamond pattern" of the imperial court system, symbolizing the perfection of heaven and earth. The landscape walls on both sides of the entrance are paved with luxurious green - and - white stones, and the flying pavilions are made of translucent marble. In a simple form, it outlines the extraordinary spirit of a grand mansion.
Jianfa Jinmao · View of Chen
03. The Modern Echo of Elegant Life
All the elegance ultimately returns to life.
At the elegant gatherings highly respected in the Song Dynasty, literati and scholars gathered in a world like an "urban forest". They either drank and talked about literature and paintings or played the zither, played chess, and ch