No. 045 Nanfang Daily Gaozhou Window 04 edition.
On the outskirts of Gaozhou, in an idle old factory building, there is a small courtyard with elegant and chic. The small yard is not large, but it is cleverly spaced by bamboo shadows and green trees, and the fish in the small fish pond here swim freely, and the orchids on the small stone table over there bloom quietly, not disturbing each other but reflecting each other. On both sides of the courtyard is a white-walled gray-tiled art exhibition hall, which displays a variety of calligraphy, paintings and crafts; on the other side is a two-story building made of red walls, and strings of red firecracker-like yellow eel vine flowers climb the wall, which is the home of literary and art lovers. Every weekend, it will be lively here, the sound of silk bamboo, langshi books, and the sound of tasting incense and tea are sounded one after another, intertwined with the fragrance of osmanthus and orchids in the courtyard, which makes people intoxicated.
The Old Factory Building was transformed from the ZiYuan Garden. Correspondent He Duolang Courtesy of photo
This is the scene in The ZiYuan, the first non-profit fully open cultural and artistic village in Gaozhou. This cultural and artistic village, which evolved from the old factory building, has attracted a large number of local cultural lovers to gather here, which is not only a platform for mutual exchange and learning, but also a "cultural and artistic home" in the hearts of literary and art lovers.
Ziyuan was originally the old factory building of the Second Light Industry Bureau of Gaozhou City (hereinafter referred to as the "Second Light Bureau"). In the past, the Gaozhou Second Light Bureau mainly produced hardware products and handicrafts. In the 1980s, carving crafts were one of the important export foreign exchange products of Gaozhou, and Gaozhou's jade carving craft was famous throughout the country and once represented the highest level of craftsmanship in the country. Gaozhou jade carving is also often used by the state and the province as an important diplomatic gift to guests at home and abroad. In its heyday, Gaozhou successively developed more than 20 carving craft factories. Gaozhou Second Light Bureau is the only state-owned enterprise among them, and it is also one of the representatives of Gaozhou's jade carving skill level.
Gaozhou jade carving handicrafts exhibited in the Zi garden. Correspondent He Duolang Courtesy of photo
"The rise and fall of the jade carving industry is greatly affected by raw materials, and the more good jade is harvested, the less it is, coupled with the change of social atmosphere and mechanization application at that time, jade carving gradually declined." Zhang Tao, the manager of Ziyuan Garden, introduced. Zhang Tao's father, Zhang Wenzi, was a famous carver in the heyday of Gaozhou jade carving, and one of the main creators of the rise of Gaozhou jade carving. Talking about the rise and fall of the jade carving industry, Zhang Tao expressed regret, "My father's generation relied on craftsmanship, which was the unremitting pursuit of art by craftsmen, which modern mechanical technology can never replace." ”
A corner of the ZiYuan Garden. Correspondent He Duolang Courtesy of photo
Zhang Tao grew up with his father in the Second Light Bureau, and although he failed to inherit his father's craftsmanship, he had a deep affection for Gaozhou jade carving and Gaozhou crafts. In 2017, Zhang Tao, who was doing business abroad, returned to his hometown for the New Year, returned to the Second Light Bureau again, and looked at the idle factory building, and his heart could not help but regret. Therefore, he decided to build this second light bureau, which once represented the glorious history of Gaozhou culture, into a window to display Gaozhou culture, so that future generations can see the glory of Gaozhou culture. Ziyuan was thus born.
"In the beginning, I simply wanted to create a window to show the craftsmanship of my father's generation and let more young people in Gaozhou understand this past." Unexpectedly, under the impetus of Chuangwen, it was unintentional to insert willows and become a cultural village. Zhang Tao said.
The beauty of the "details" in the Zi Garden. Courtesy of correspondent Chen Lei
In the process of renovating Ziyuan, like-minded friends continue to join. Calligraphy and painting, poetry, sculpture... In the collision of ideas and cultures, Ziyuan is gradually positioned: to build the first non-profit fully open cultural and artistic village in Gaozhou. As long as you are a local culture and art lover, you can join.
At present, Ziyuan has been equipped with a 400-square-meter exhibition hall, mainly exhibiting members and excellent local artworks; an open studio with an area of about 400 square meters can accommodate 20 art subjects. In addition, there are more than 200 square meters of leisure activity areas and more than 300 square meters of pastoral style areas. There have been cultural entities such as the Nuclear Sculpture Inheritance Studio, the Banmutang Calligraphy and Painting Studio, the Langao Poetry Society, and the Gaozhou Sketching Society.
Ziyuan has become a platform for the majority of art and culture lovers to communicate with each other. Correspondent He Duolang Courtesy of photo
Ziyuan holds at least 2 large-scale literary and artistic activities every month, inviting famous artists to teach on the spot. In addition, every night, art lovers come here to exchange and learn from each other, and the atmosphere is very strong.
"Our Gaozhou Sketching Society has officially settled in Ziyuan and successfully held the first student activity with the theme of Ziyuan. The response of the members was very warm, and what moved everyone the most was that in this big family, calligraphy, painting and poetry are not separated, we discussed together, and many unexpected sparks were rubbed out. Wu Shulong, president of the Gaozhou Sketching Society, said that ziyuan makes people feel that the atmosphere of culture and art in Gaozhou is getting stronger and stronger, and people are full of confidence in the future of culture and art in Gaozhou. Su Sanyou, head of the Banyutang Calligraphy and Painting Studio, said that the reason why Ziyuan can attract so many literary and art workers is inseparable from Gaozhou's active creation of a provincial-level civilized city in recent years.
Ziyuan garden also attracts many cultural lovers from surrounding cities to visit and exchange. Correspondent He Duolang Courtesy of photo
"Our Gaozhou has a profound historical and cultural heritage, and the development of Gaozhou's cultural undertakings will be even more vigorous in 2021, and I believe that in the future, Gaozhou will give birth to more 'Ziyuan'." Zhang Tao introduced that in the future, more excellent local cultures will be absorbed into the park, especially intangible cultural heritage, hoping to build Ziyuan into a gathering place for excellent local culture in Gaozhou and help the creation of civilized cities.
【Written by】 Qiu Qian
【Author】 Qiu Qian
【Source】 Southern Press Media Group South + client