Drawings of Buildings in Guiyang

 

(Voiceover)

00:05 For centuries, buildings have witnessed the history of this city. Day after day, people change the city in their own unique ways. In the meantime, the city also records each person's story and adds it to its memory.

 

(Interview)

Zheng Tao - Landscape Designer, Guizhou Normal University

00:47 My name is Zheng Tao, and I majored in landscape design at Guizhou Normal University. Usually, I spend most of my time drawing, especially pen drawings. I often draw specific buildings in Guiyang.

 

01:10 I like the simplicity and purity presented in pen drawings and building lines which illustrate their aesthetics. I belong to the Yi Ethnic group. When I was young, many different ethnic people lived in my village; we all had different customs and languages, but we got along well with each other.

 

01:32 When I came to Guiyang, I found it was a culturally diverse city. That's why I chose to draw the Guizhou Ethnic Cultural Palace.

 

01:45 I was curious about how a building could integrate different ethnic styles. It is an ancient building based on the design of the ethnic Dong drum-tower, and both the contour and curves present the architectural styles of various minorities. Many minority elements have been adopted in embossments and colors of the main building. It gives us a good idea about the multi-ethnic culture of Guizhou.

 

02:35 I lived in the countryside as a child. In my mind, cities were far away. So I longed to live in an urban environment. When I came to Guiyang for the first time in 2009, I felt it was such a big and prosperous city!

 

02:49 Nowadays, the city has seen many great changes. More and more people want to live in town and cities. The narrow streets have been turned into wide roads, and the damp and small homes have been replaced by rows upon rows of buildings. It's changing so fast. The construction site in front of me was a farmland several years ago, and later a lot of skyscrapers will be built.

 

03:18 Nevertheless, buildings from different periods are witness to the history of this city.

 

03:29 I wonder what this ancient building looked like decades or even several hundred years ago. How has it changed over time? Wenchang Pavilion has stood strongly at the east corner of the city wall of Guiyang Since 1609.

 

03:58 Now the old town has been gradually replaced by high buildings and large mansions, only the city wall holds ancient memories.

 

04:11 Jiaxiu Tower still stands along the Nanming River. It's 400 years old. When I was drawing the Jiaxiu Tower, I often thought about its old appearance. Compared with historical records, I think my drawing may be more emotional.

 

04:37 Jiaxiu Tower has been greatly repaired six times, but its features have been maintained, such as the three floors, three eaves, and pitched roof. Such a structure is rare in the history of Ancient Chinese Buildings.

 

04:55 Nowadays, the tower is surrounded by tall buildings which look really great when the night falls and the lights are on.

 

05:16 People stop to enjoy the leisure and comfort here whenever possible; maybe, this is the most important meaning of buildings.