A video with tens of millions of views has completely set Azhi's tea space on fire.
In the video, Ah Zhi led people into the quaint village road, stopped in front of a red and rusty iron gate, untied an equally rusty lock, and pushed open another world. "This is an old cabinet on Java, these are my favorite stones, clay pots, paintings, and here are small masks in Africa......" In front of the camera, Ah Zhi introduced the tea space he transformed with a "broken house".
"As soon as the door is opened, you can see the taste" and "the masters are deeply hidden...... The reversal inside and outside the door quickly caused heated discussions among netizens, and everyone began to guess "where is this place" because of a lock while savoring the design of the space.
The "truth" also soon emerged. In this way, Dadun Village, Lecong Town, was discovered by netizens. This unexpected exposure not only surprised Ah Zhi, but also surprised Liang Manquan, Secretary of the Party Committee of Dadun Village.
After working silently for all these years, Ah Zhi is not the first artist to enter the village. In fact, there are more than 20 artists stationed in Dadun Village, including architectural designers, lacquer painters, oil painters, etc. By renovating the old house, they created different art spaces, and gathered to create an "art island".
An artist may come because of personal preference. With the arrival of a group of artists, we have to think deeply - why do artists love this countryside?
A corner of Dadun Village.
Ruins and Art
"It's because I'm old. In the tea room, Ah Zhi took a sip of tea and teased himself.
Ah Zhi, formerly known as Zhou Jinzhi, is a native of Zhanjiang and a space designer. As early as the epidemic period, Ah Zhi had the idea of finding a place to make a tea space. The office building was first excluded, "I like natural places", and later after being introduced by a friend, Ah Zhi came to Dadun Village.
It was one day in 2022, and when he stepped into this village and walked to the old house at No. 3, Lane 3, Caijia Street, he knew that this was the place he wanted. It is a deserted house, and the original green bricks are still retained, and traces of history can be seen. That night, Ah Zhi decided to rent it. That day was also the first day he walked into Dadun.
Recalling that he made this choice at that time, Ah Zhi described it as "without hesitation". "First of all, I was attracted to the natural environment of Dadun, which is very close to the city, but it is very quiet, and the overall quality of the villagers is also very good. So, the quiet Ah Zhi chose to put his tea space in Dadun to build.
A corner of Ah Chi's tea space.
"After choosing the location, we spent a year renovating the original building, abandoning the large-scale demolition and construction, and only designing while perceiving. Ah Zhi said. Walking into the tea space, there are details that can be told everywhere: old cabinets bought from Java Island, small masks from Africa, small pools made for indoor drying, and trees planted by yourself......
Using elements such as art sculptures, old paintings, light and shadow plants, the space is also divided into sections, including a tea room space open to the public, an exhibition hall for learning and exchanges, daily exhibitions, and personal offices.
"Each space has its own tonality, and what you see and feel in different seasons, at different times, and in different weathers is also different. Ah Zhi hopes that in the tea space, you can see the flow of seasons and the change of time, and in it, people can relax and return to the original appearance of life, without being too noisy or complicated.
Greenery in the space.
Although Ah Chi's tea space has not been officially opened since its creation, it has attracted many art lovers and tourists. Especially after the video went viral, more and more people wanted to explore this art space in the village.
But the most surprising thing is the villagers of Dadun Village. This tea space, which was transformed from ruins, can still touch and find traces of the original history, allowing the villagers to rediscover the value of the old buildings.
"The concept of ruins makes people feel that they have been left behind, but we can recreate a new look in the ruins and continue a new life, instead of throwing away the original and not wanting it. In Ah Zhi's view, this is also one of the meanings of his entry into Dadun Village as a space designer.
Countryside & Nature
In fact, Ah Zhi is not the first artist to enter the village.
Liang Manquan remembers that the first was an art couple, Chen Changsheng, vice chairman of the Foshan Artists Association, and his wife Li Xiufang, the former deputy director of the Foshan Youth Cultural Palace.
The couple's relationship with Da Dun originated from a sketching experience. Li Xiufang, the former deputy director of the Foshan Youth Cultural Palace, brought the children of the Children's Palace to Dadun to sketch a few years ago, and was attracted by the natural simplicity here. According to Liang Manquan, Li Xiufang had the idea of building a studio in Dadun at that time, but he didn't expect it to come true.
Today, the husband and wife jointly renovated the "Chen Changsheng Art Studio" is located at No. 11, Lane 3, Caijia Street, which was originally a two-story red brick old house.
Chen Changsheng Art Studio.
Whether it is Ah Zhi's "love at first sight" or Chen Changsheng's accidental discovery, there is a key factor behind this, that is, the natural environment.
As one of the first batch of typical villages in Guangdong Province's "Millions of Projects", in recent years, Dadun Village has actively explored and practiced the long-term governance model of "village property management", and the establishment of Ledun Property Management Company has been a key move, and the effectiveness of human settlements environment improvement has been significantly improved. In the process of renovation, Dadun has always adhered to the unified planning and design of "repairing the old as the old", "we will not deliberately use new materials to do it, and even pick up 'garbage' and reuse old items, the purpose is to retain the natural texture of the countryside." Liang Manquan said.
But what he didn't expect was that in the process of improving the living environment, a seed of art had been quietly planted.
"I learned from the artists who came in that most of them were from the city, and they liked the natural environment of the countryside, and they thought it was a better place to create. Liang Manquan said that two artists have now settled in Dadun.
At present, Dadun has attracted a number of groups and individual artists in different fields such as Nanfeng Art Tribe and Sunshine Cultural Tourism, who have carried out artistic conception and renovation actions for low-value old houses, revitalized and enhanced the value of ancient buildings, and the artistic atmosphere in the village has become increasingly strong.
Quiet Dadun Coffee House.
As more and more artists move in, it's hard to tell if the people walking leisurely across the river are villagers or artists. This is also a point that Liang Manquan is quite emotional: "The artist gradually integrates into the life of the village and regards himself as a new villager, which also shows that art is not out of reach. ”
It is worth mentioning that many young people in the village have also been inspired to return to their hometowns to start their own businesses, and through the renovation of old houses, they have created a series of leisure consumption projects such as special restaurants and cafes, forming a new type of rural cultural tourism format between the streets and alleys, such as Xiaomi's home, Jingjing Dadun Coffee House, Liang Congee I, and private dishes in front of the flower garden, which have attracted many tourists to check in.
Although the seeds of art are already taking root, Liang Manquan still feels that "it takes time to precipitate" and let "art grow naturally, which is sustainable development".
However, it's also time to see how it goes. On April 30th, the first Youth Art Festival of Foshan City and the 8th Rural Tourism and Cultural Festival of Lecong Town will come, and the activities will be cut from the perspective of "art x life", with the "1+9+N" art matrix as the main line, and through the integration of "art scene + art thinking + cultural meeting", an immersive art event will be created.
This May Day holiday, let's go to an art appointment together.
Drinking water for the event: Nongfu Spring Co., Ltd
Text/Shunde financial media reporter Chen Yanbing