Architectural Art in China

Suzhou Garden

I had a really hard time to decide what this post should be about. Maybe Chinese cuisine, maybe typical education or maybe travel sceneries. However, after I saw some pictures sent by my friend I made up my mind to talk something about architecture.

Suzhou Garden

In the old days, traditional buildings were always coloured with red and gold for those two colours represented royal families. In the yard, there was always a long twist veranda surrounded by rockeries and plants.

The most magnificent and famous historical building complex is the Forbidden City in Beijing. This imperial palace has a history of more than 500 years and attracts countless of people from all over the world every year. 

However, even though I am a person born and bred in the north, I would like to say that buildings in the south of China are the soul of Chinese architectural culture.
 

In the south, buildings are following the aesthetic way which is called the beauty of asymmetry. You can never find two buildings look exactly the same. This architectural style is totally opposite with the northern one.
 

You can sit in the exquisite pavilion standing by the side of the lake, wander along the silent path being surrounded by lush flowers, and enjoy the green bamboos growing outside the gridding window.

You will feel like as if walking in an old fade painting.

For more pictures about Suzhou Garden please click here.

Yesterday Once More

Even though I like to stay forever young at 17 years old, I reminisce a lot about the past like an older person.

When I was at school I played truant by skipping lessons occasionally, but when I left I missed my carefree student life and the memories kept coming back like a flood that never dried up. School seemed like a paradise to me once I had left its iron gates behind forever.

Warm and silent as the classroom had always been, we were sleepy but still managed to pretend that we were focused on what the instructor said and echoed like half-awake birds. We blinked automatically to cover up our inactive expressions while he wrote on the blackboard. We played poker under the desk with our spines being upright as if nothing happened. We kept on putting up a fake appearance in front of our instructor and were never bored with that.

Students outside of China would be shocked to learn how many exams we had to write in order to pass the college entrance exams (you will be shocked by the pictures) in arts and science. It was not unheard of to have classes from seven o’clock in the morning until nine at night. We were always overloaded with assignments which forced us to stay up till midnight and the following day it was the same.

However with the passing of time, the bitterness we had to swallow became sweet memories because no matter how hard life was, we had friends along with us.

Everything seems just as if it happened yesterday and I can remember every detail clearly. I miss the glare from the reflection of the blackboard, the fragrance of the Gardenia tree and even the naughty fat cat who used to pounce unexpectedly on my lunch.

I miss that time of my teenage years as I can never go back.

An island called Gulangyu

I was born in the northeast of China and spent nearly 20 years there. However, I always yearned for the life in the south of the mainland. At the age of 18, I left my hometown and went to a university located in the southernmost tip of China. There, I met my friend who introduced the beautiful island called Gulangyu to me.

I wanted to embrace nature and be surrounded by flowers all year round. I liked the wind blowing from the sea and going through my hair. I enjoyed the feeling of being awakened by the warm sunshine and hearing the melodious chirping of birds. All these beautiful images come together on the island.

Gulangyu is a place full of romantic sentiment. It is surrounded by the sea and immersed in the sunshine all the seasons. Many famous modern Chinese poets live on the island. There is no bridge connecting the island to the mainland. The only way to reach the island is by taking a ferry. It seems that Gulangyu is a place isolated from the noisy world.

Walking on the boardwalk along the coast you will be immersed in the shadow of towering old trees. You can smell the humid grass and salty sea. The streetlights along the side of the silent path are just like vintage decorations in a retro shop. It’s as if everything existing on the island comes out of an old painting.

The most popular sceneries on the island are Sunlight Rock and Shuzhuang Park. Buildings in these places are a blend of modern art and ancient architectural style.

I have been to Gulangyu twice but it never seems enough for me. If you want to while away a few hours siting in a tiny but exotic coffee shop on the island reading a book, It will be a fantastic experience for you. Trust me you will enjoy it.