This is our family land
Each generation demolish the old houses and build new ones
It's a manifestation of the continuation of blood
As a small family becomes bigger and bigger with two, three generations
A good house
Should be able to adapt to changes
I'm an architect, born in Wuchuan, Zhanjiang
In 2017, my mother asked me
To design and build a new house
For a family of three generations to live in
The house stands beside a road
Surrounded by my uncles' houses
At first
I proposed to build a villa which is commonly seen
My father said it didn't fit in with the fengshui here
We live in a borderline town
Where tradition really matters
I studied the traditional "three rooms two hallways" style of our town
The final design
Uses similar prototype
The design took over three years
And two more years to build it
The total cost rounded up to one million yuan
After the transformation, the house covers an area of 280 square meters
Three storeys
It wasn't easy to accept red bricks
We expected it to be light
But my father insisted on red
It's believed to bring good luck
You can see it as a roof
In between two houses
And this constitutes the bright room as we call it
Similar to the living room in the traditional building style
A part outdoor part indoor space
It's the place where daily worshipping and events happen
For family gatherings
Deeper in is the shrine hall
There are tablets dedicated to ancestors and gods
A connected worshipping system
Turn around to face the patio for blessings
My parent's room, kitchen, and study are on the side
The first floor is their main living space
Floor is all flat
Easy to clean and prevents falling
Yards
Bring in light and ventilation
A yard, a room, a yard
Thereby forming a nine square grid structure
Two yards for daily events
The other two receive less sunlight
There we grow plants including crape myrtle and plum trees
In the morning you are woke up by bird chirping
They love the fruits here
On the second floor are my brother's and my room
We don't often come back
So it's relatively small
Like our apartment in Shenzhen
In such hot and rainy place
If you open two many doors and windows on the first floor
The house will be filled with hot air from the road
Through sloped roof
The light and shade in the yard
Air circulates in the space
My parents don't use air-conditioning at all
Last month there was a typhoon
It's like heavy rain outside and light rain inside
But it isn't all bad for me
I don't think we need to build a perfectly sealed house
Just to stay dry during the two or three typhoon days each year
My father was worried
But after this summer he shouldn't be
After seven months living here
My father asked me to install a security camera
In case there should be a thief or he fall
One day my son called my father
"What you doing grandpa"
And he was like "Turn on the camera"
"And see for yourself"
Though we live in Shenzhen
We don't feel far away from my parents
Through the camera
I can see their day
He didn't exercise a lot
But recently he bought a yoga mat
And played tai chi
It's the space that inspires him to use it
Everyone knows everyone in the village
First thing in the morning my mother opens the door
It's way of telling the villagers
That we are home and you are welcomed to have some tea
People contacted me because of the house
Our generation with the same background
Have deep feelings for our hometown
My parents are in their 70s
Building the house, subconsciously
I think he wants to see his children more
For my, I want my child
To connect
With the hometown of me and my parents
What he can't find in the city
Hopefully he can find it here
It's spiritual desire
And a direct representation of modern Chinese intergenerational relations