(Reported by Cao Huixian) On July 1, 2023, under the leadership of Mr. Yang Zhe, Ms. Peng Jing, Mr. Zheng Libo and Mr. Gong Bin, 51 students of Grade 2022 in Design Science from the School of Arts and Communication set out from Wuhan to Nanping, Huangshan City, Anhui Province for a 12-day sketching practice tour.
The first stop was Shou Zhuo Park, and the students went to Tao Village, Yixian County, which is known as the “paradise beyond the world”. They visited Shou Zhuo Park, Wenchang Pavilion, the ancient plaque of “Far mind carries you to remote location”, the large stone inscription of “The Peach Colony”, the poem inscription of “Return to Nature”, and the Taohuayuan Culture Museum, the Residence Pavilion, the Tao Ancestral Hall, Wuliu Hall, Juxian Hall, and the Tao Gong Pavilion, etc., so as to understand the scene of the production and life in “The Peach Colony” written by Tao Yuanming, and to feel the profound connotation of the Taohuayuan culture.
In the afternoon, we listened to the teacher’s lecture in the restaurant to understand the forms of art collecting and learning methods.
On the third day, the students went to visit Nanping, an ancient village with a thousand years of history and a grand scale, for sketching. In Nanping Village, there are nearly 300 ancient buildings of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, 36 wells and 72 alleys and 8 ancestral halls of different sizes along a central axis of more than 200 meters from the head to the end of the village, and this kind of ancestral hall group is the only one in the province. The students observed and learned here.
On the fourth day, the students sketched around the residence.
On the fifth day, we visited Tunxi Ancient Street in the morning. Because Tunxi Ancient Street is located at the confluence of Hengjiang River, Lvshui River and Xin’an River, it is also known as the flowing “Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival”. It is the most well preserved ancient street market in China with the architectural style of the Southern Song Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty. It is also the “China Cultural Heritage”, with important learning value.
After the visit, the students went to the Huangshan Museum, which is recognized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism as the protection unit of the traditional fine arts “Huizhou Brick, Stone and Wood Carvings”, to experience the humanistic culture and characteristic local customs of Mount Huangshan.
On the sixth day, the students visited Mount Qiyun, a famous Taoist mountain, and continued sketching around the residence.
On the seventh day, students visited Xidi, a world heritage site known as the interface between ancient and modern Chinese history, a museum of Ming and Qing Dynasty ancient houses, a household in the Peach Garden, and an artistic treasure house of ancient house architecture, and also visited Ying Qitian Museum.
On the eighth day, the students sketched around the residence.
On the ninth day, at the last stop of this activity, all teachers and students went to Hongcun, the “Painted Countryside”. The Huizhou architectural style, spatial layout, interior decoration and environment in the ancient villages of Hongcun, Lucun and Pingshan have reached a very high level, representing the highest level of architecture and living environment since the Tang and Song dynasties.
On the last two days, the students organized their materials and continued their sketching work.
After 12 days of sketching and drawing, students looked for creative inspiration in nature and gained a lot of valuable experience and insights.
