We live in a hutong in Beijing
The house is as big as around 200m2
We have over 600 species of plant from all corners of the world at home
We’ve been living here for more than 5 years
About 2/3 of which were spent with the COVID-19 pandemic
We have a yard and a balcony
There’re big trees shielding us from the sun
And pleasant running water
So it’s actually not so boring for us to be quarantined at home
We feel quite lucky
I was born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang
I got a PhD degree of sociology from Peking University
Now I work in an office from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, 5 days a week
It’s been nearly 15 years since we settled in Beijing
I’m from Henan
I was majored in animation
I used to work in Galloping Horse and Perfect World as was art director
I have been a plant collector for a dozen years
I was one of the earliest succulent lovers in China
I gradually felt not enough and turned to other plants
But I found our house was not big enough
Then I started to search for a bigger one
Then one with a yard
The biggest highlight of this house is
It has two giant walnut trees
I designed the house by myself
My intention was to accommodate more plants
In the main room there’re three narrow and long skylights
To introduce natural light as much as possible
Lots of plants cannot survive winter
So I build a glass house for them
It’s under a big three
When it loses all its leave in winter, there will be enough light for the plants in the glasshouse
And it’s cool inside in summer
The floor is covered with vermiculite
Which is absorbent and breathable
There’s also a washroom surrounded by glass
We have lots of maples
And tropical plants
Such as Agave Americana
There’re also original species from all over the world
Like Pachypodium rosulatum var. gracilius from Madagascar, Dioscorea Elephantipes from South Africa
And some evolved species of cactus
They take root on bark
Very long and thin, just like hair
On the balcony
We have cactus, aloe and Agave Americana
They like strong sunshine and drought-enduring
In order to enlarge the area for plants
We build stairs on the rooftop
There’s a bamboo forest outside the children’s bedroom
Normally a new-born baby can only lie in the bed
And look at a white ceiling
But our daughter saw swinging bamboo leaves
Sometimes my colleagues ask me
Are you willing to leave such a beautiful home for work?
Recently
Guesthouses and camping are really popular
But we live such a life everyday
When you have so many plants at home
A special climate would be formed
The air quality gets much better
And we’re more aware of seasonal changes thanks to the plants
In spring, the leaves are the most colorful
They’re wrapped in a layer of white membrane
And the pinky and tender buds inside are just visible
Like a baby’s hands stretching out
We would open the glass door
And move the tables and chairs into the yard
In autumn, walnuts drop on our rooftop
There could be dozens of kilograms
And I would take my daughter to pick walnuts in the yard
And we would also step on the walnut leaves for fun
Last year we suddenly found grapes on the walnut tree
And it turned out that
The vines we grew twined around the tree
In snowy days in winter
We would have hotpot and hot tea indoors
Watching the snow accumulating in the yard
On the next day
There would be footprints of wild cats and yellow weasels on the snow
One day while I was washing my face
I suddenly looked up
And saw Xiaowu standing on the rooftop
I felt he was on the peak of a hill
Then when the cold water touched my face, I realized I was still in a city
My daughter is turning 4 years old
She has been living in the house since she was born
We never take away thorny plants
Such as cactus and Agave Americana
We wish she leads a rich and varied life
In the world
We hope she will grow a good and deep sensibility
Which can offer a good foundation for her life
I think he’s really like a craftsman
He gets up at 6:00 am to look after the plants in the yard
The flowers need to be watered before the sunrise in summer
And there’re many fallen leaves to be cleaned in autumn
Hundreds of plants have to be moved into the house in winter
Why do people go to a gym?
Just carrying plants at home is enough
Maybe it’s boring for others
But I really enjoy it
Now I still feel our house is not big enough for my plants
So I have found another place with an area of 5,000 m2
Building a botanic garden has been a dream for Xiaowu
Now my job is secure
So I support him to realize this dream
This is his dream at the second stage of his life
Both of us turned 40 last year
We also experienced the middle-age crisis
I used to conform
I studied and worked in the way
The society wanted me to
Xiaowu really opened a window for me
In my life
What Xiaowu is doing now makes me feel that
He really lives for himself
And I’m quite touched by him
We want to have people to come into our garden
Besides visiting our home
To be healed by plants for a moment