I spent 3 years
Creating such a space in the village
The compound covers an area of around 4 mu
It adjoins fields in the north and consists of 6 houses
In January, 2020
We, a family of 5, moved from the downtown of Shanghai to the outskirts
After the renovation, Wuxiang is a compound
With parts of different heights
In traditional Chinese space layout
It’s called “Meandering paths speak of taste and landscapes leave people wanting more”
As you open the gate, you’ll see a wall screen
You’ll hear water flowing after entering the space
The floor of the courtyard is covered with dark stone slabs
Which are from Wenling, Zhejiang
After you pass through the lane, you’ll see a pond
Where I keep some goldfish
Around the water are two pavilions
Being inside
You can feel more or less boundless rural idyll
But you also enjoy a sense of belonging
Lots of people asked me how much money I spent on creating Wuxiang
To be honest I really don’t know
When I ran out of money, I went to make money
When there was not enough time making money, I went to borrow some money and continue to build
In the last year, I could only borrow money from my relatives and friends
Or mortgage my house in Shanghai
To raise the fund
The total amount is probably around 13 million yuan
There’s a grocery store, a tea space
And 10 guest rooms available for tourists
The mud-brick house was built with 40 tons of mountain mud from my hometown
And some stones pulled down from the old house of my grandfather
It’s a private meditation space of my wife
A chanting room
She meditates and drinks tea inside
There’s a wine cellar underground, especially for Shaoxing wine
The mornings are gorgeous here
I get up at 5 o’clock
Seeing sun rising in the east
And hearing cock crows
Then I go to my office
To make some tea and meditate
I’m not like “I have to ……” anymore
In 2009 I founded a design company with my wife
The work was quite stressful
And I really didn’t know how to communicate with kids
My wife had stayed at home for almost 10 years
And she was a little dissatisfied with me
In terms of our kids’ education
We had different opinions
But I’m changed by her
The children read, chant or do crafts
With their mom
I made a hill in the north
The three children climb up and roll down
They play with ducks and geese, and are free of care
After they were born
Tv disappeared from our home
They’ve scarcely played any electronic product
Now we have breakfast together in the morning
And then pick vegetables in the fields
After finishing dinner, we go for a walk
We go to bed at 8:30 pm
In terms of school
We choose the one which the closest and the cheapest
We don’t want our children to rush
We hope they fall behind at the starting line and win at the finishing line