Introduction to Hangzhou

INTRODUCTION TO HANGZHOU

Hangzhou was settled 4700 years ago, through evidence from archeological findings from Liangzhu Civilization. During Song Dynasty, Hangzhou gained its popularity when Song Imperial Court, escaping Jurchen and later Mongolian armies from the north, made the city its capital, thus its ancient name Lin An, city of temporary peace. Hangzhou is one of the seven ancient capitals in the history of China.

When the Italian traveler in the 13th century, Marco Polo visited Hangzhou when he served in the Mongolian Court, he described Hangzhou as "the most splendid and luxurious city in the world".

Hangzhou has 8 districts, with a total area of 16,596 square kilometers and a total population of 6.4278 million, while Hangzhou's city proper covers an area of 3,068 square kilometers with a population of 3.932 million. Hangzhou’s city flower is the sweet osmanthus. Its city tree is the camphor tree.

Hangzhou’s best known feature is its scenic beauty. To the west of the hustle and bustle of the modern city is the beautiful West Lake. Formed around 2000 years ago from a lagoon, the West Lake has been one of the most visited attractions in China. Gardens around the lake are best examples of Chinese public gardens. The three islands in West Lake are all gardens as well. Small wooden boats and engine boats with carved latticed sides take visitors to the islands and any destination around the lake. Two man-made causeways built in Tang and Song dynasties connect east and west, and the other north and south, the construction of each was overseen by a most well known poet in Ancient China, Bai Causeway by Bai Ju Yi, and Su Causeway by Su Dong Po.

The Grand Canal is possibly the other major constructions in ancient China besides the Great Wall. The oldest canal in the world, the Grand Canal was built by Sui Yang Emperor (569CE —618CE) connecting Hangzhou and Beijing on the bases of a series of small old canals constructed over the thousand years up till then. The Grand Canal was a major transportation route to connect southern China to the capital Beijing in the last three dynasties. Parts of it remain active water ways for transportation today.

Aside from its natural beauty, Hangzhou is also known for its green tea and silk. Longjing Tea, or Dragon Well Tea is the most popular green tea in China. Tea bushes and tea farms adorn the lake and the city outskirt. Enjoying tea with family and friends in a tea house is among the most favorite leisure activities for Hangzhou residents. Hangzhou is also known for its silk, and is the location of the national silk museum.

Hangzhou and Boston established the sister city relationship in 1983. CHILDREN OF HANGZHOU: CONNECTING WITH CHINA OVERVIEW

RATIONALE

Children of Hangzhou: Connecting with China is an interactive 1200 sf exhibit that explores contemporary Chinese life and culture through children in the city of Hangzhou. In immersive environments, children 5-12 years old and their families will engage in culturally relevant, inherently interesting activities that will encourage curiosity and exploration of Chinese life and culture.

Four children will serve as hosts through the exhibition, introducing visitors to important elements and settings of their daily lives. Through these children, visitors will explore the main messages of the exhibition.

Within the last two decades, China’s modernization has made a tremendous economic, social, political, and environmental impact on the United States and the world. Consider:  Every fifth person in the world is Chinese.  More people speak Chinese than any other language in the world.  Within the next decade, China will be the largest economy, surpassing the US.  China’s policy decisions affect the whole world.

Yet, the level of knowledge and understanding of China in North America has not kept pace with China’s development. School curricula offer little on China and most adults have only a superficial understanding of China. In the absence of any serious education about China, stereotypes and misconceptions control the popular imagination. Children of Hangzhou and associated educational and public programs will help to address this gap.

EXHIBIT GOALS

Children in Hangzhou: Connecting with China will:  Promote understanding and appreciation of China  Demystify China and dispel stereotypes  Encourage children and families to learn about China and Chinese people  Provide opportunities for families to talk about their own culture and traditions

DESIGN APPROACH

The master concept for the exhibition draws on the ancient philosophy of Yin and Yang, a core cosmological theory that forms the basis of ancient Chinese concepts of nature, man’s relation to nature, social order and ethics. According to the Yin-Yang concept, the world is understood as the interaction and balance between dualities. Thus, Yin-Yang is both a strong image and theoretical underpinning for duality in the exhibit: between tradition and modernity; between urban and rural; between local and global; between continuity and change.

MAIN MESSAGES Through peer-to-peer communication, the Children in Hangzhou exhibition will convey the following main messages:

 Chinese life today mixes ancient traditions with modern lifestyles.  Life in China is in some ways similar to and some ways different from other places.  Chinese children are a bridge to learning about China.

EXHIBIT SETTINGS

The entrance to the Children of Hangzhou: Connecting with China exhibition establishes the geographic context, the concept of the journey, and the role of children as hosts, interpreters and friends. The exhibition is modeled after the city of Hangzhou, which is built around West Lake. Centuries of vigilant urban planning has resulted in the preservation and expansion of Hangzhou’s natural beauty found in famed gardens, pavilions, pagodas, islands, bridges, causeways, and pristine hills and mountains.

Commercial development has been limited to one side of the lake. The view from the center of West Lake is stunning, with landscaped historical parks on one side and sparkling downtown skyscrapers on the other. In order to convey this in the exhibition, we have installed dramatic backdrops around the perimeter of the exhibit, suggestive of traditional landscape painting on one side, and edgy photographic collage on the other. This sets up one of the main themes of the exhibition: the interplay between tradition and modernity in every aspect of Chinese life. Exhibit components are located strategically to represent its dominant thrust: theater and countryside against the traditional backdrop, and the school, apartment and Internet Café against the modern backdrop. The pavilion, with yin/yang painted in the ceiling, commands the central viewing area from which the mingling of old and new can be observed.

The exhibition is guided by Chinese children who “talk” directly to the visitors. Media diaries of each child will give personal meaning to each component.

Here are the four children whose stories are featured in the exhibit:

Weicheng is a boy who lives in a middle-class Hangzhou apartment with his parents and grandparents. Weicheng plays on the computer and practices the cello. Weicheng is helping to prepare for his grandmother’s 62nd birthday celebration. Weicheng learns to make long life noodles for his grandmother, as well as other Hangzhou dishes. Through Weicheng, visitors learn about family structure, relationships, values, and history. They will see decorative objects, including folk art, cooking utensils, games, and toys.

Doudou lives in the city of Hanghzou but goes to visit her grandparents in the countryside weekly. Her grandparents are rice farmers who live an hour away from the city by car. When Doudou visits, she learns about rice planting, weaving and rice pounding from her grandparents. Visitors will learn that the countryside is the root of many Chinese families, hence the endearing phrase “lao jia” in Chinese, the old home.

Gangzheng is a student at Baochuta Middle School. He studies hard but his true passion is sports. Gangzheng is an expert in basket ball, ping-pong, badminton, and Chinese traditional sports, such as jianzi, Chinese shuttlecock. We meet him in his school to learn about school life in Hangzhou, and watch him play sports when school is over.

Qianyun is a young opera student. Much like an ordinary teenager everywhere in the world, Qianyun hangs out with her friends and enjoys shopping and chatting on the phone. However, following the example of her parents, Qianyun studies yueju opera professionally and hopes to become an outstanding performing artist in a very traditional art-form. She introduces Chinese opera to visitors, about its music, movement and costumes, through White Snake Lady, a popular folk tale set in Hangzhou.

The exhibition is organized into the following components:

 Bus Stop, where visitors “enter” Hangzhou, China and meet the four children;  Wu Lin Men Apartments, where visitors meet Weicheng and his family in their apartment, and learn to cook a birthday meal for his grandmother;  Yellow Dragon Theater, where visitors meet Qianyun, who is studying Chinese opera, and can join in a performance of White Snake Lady or play traditional instruments;  Bao Chu Ta Middle School, where visitors meet Gangzheng at school, learn about the Great Wall, and count on the abacus.  Pavilion, where visitors learn about Chinese writing, poetry, and yin and yang, the traditional worldview of balance and dualities in nature  Hangzhou Children’s Library, where visitors can check out the latest software and learn about China.  Huang Tian Fan Village, where visitors meet Doudou, help her plant rice seedlings with her grandfather, and learn how two thirds of people in China live – on the land.