Paper Boats — To Mother [Bing Xin]

Translated by Yiling Wang

I never want to waste a piece of paper,

always keep, and keep, fold them into many mini boats, throw them into the sea.

Some are blown in the boat from windows by wind, some soaked by seawater, stick to the bow.

Nevertheless, I keep folding every single day persistently,

constantly wishing that one of them could flow to the place I want it to be.

My dear mother, if you ever dream of a small tiny white boat, don’t be startled by its unexpected

presence. This, is fold by your beloved daughter with tear,

across sea and mountains, hopping it could carry along her love and sorrow.

Thesis Argument

Traditionally in China, multiple generations within a family settled in one housing unit or in couple adjacent units within one neighborhood. Nevertheless, as a consequence of economic and population growth, uneven opportunity distribution, and harsh urban and suburb separation, youths, young adults, middle-aged adults, and elders are sprinkled on the map. (There are 40.51 million left-behind children in rural setting (15% of the total number of children in China) and 28.3 million in urban setting (10% of the total). Moreover, there are over half of elderly nationwide are empty nester, within which, 18.3% of them are disabled and semi-disabled.) While aging population grows faster and faster, I intend to bring back the life of elders that promotes proper care, family accompany, and active public interaction. This would not only benefit the elderly but also the entire family and moreover the entire society since it encourages the “second child policy”, enriches family and social life, enhances the effectiveness of time use among family members...etc.

Chinese architecture in the present is struggling with finding a culturally rich method to design that distinguishes it from the “international style”.

Residential architecture especially needs attention to fit the lifestyle of Chinese and modern people simultaneously. As an architecture student, I am interested on finding those important features that can be inherited by contemporary architecture. The cultural background of Chinese residency suggests the significance of a courtyard (follows Buddhism) or garden (follows Taoism) in a house that is not only serving as a visual relief but also as a space to enhance functionality and mobility and the significant of Fengshui that focus on the nature of Qi and movement.

Upon all the research on various dimensions including multi-generational living, elderly and youth care, Chinese residency culture and history, significant Chinese architecture characteristics, and current trend and zeitgeist on residential living in China, I propose a living complex that could potentially provide an inclusive living at the same time fitting the local people’s life. To do so, not only courtyard and fengshui idea, but also medical and public facilities would be incorporated in the design of this complex. The location of the complex would be decided considering a significant social phenomenon (school district housing and guaranteed-spot housing), which marks the potential regions to build in Guangzhou, China.

This project involves reutilizing the original material used in the Bradenstock Tithe Barn in an unused space in the Kennedy library

Project Location: 22°57'06.1"N 113°19'44.8"E

Software: Microsoft PowerPoint, Rhino, Lumion, AMap API, Illustrator, Photoshop

— Fall 2020 - Spring 2021