In an ancient Ming Dynasty house in Suzhou, Jianze interacts with gardens and opera across borders.
01 A 500-year-old Jiangnan ancient house takes on a new lease of life
Yuhantang, located at No. 53 Xiatang, Tonggui Bridge, Shantang Street, Suzhou, is a courtyard with a history of 500 years. It is the largest and best-preserved Ming Dynasty residential building outside the ancient city of Suzhou, and is also a model of residence in the south of the Yangtze River.
In August 2022, seven groups of designers gathered in Suzhou to launch the ancient house renewal cultural project "Shantang·Fromome". This project renovates the fourth and fifth entrances of the ancient house as well as the Miss Building space. After rebirth, the ancient house will support multiple functions such as performances, tours, research, and cultural creations. Intangible cultural heritage projects such as Kunqu Opera "Six Chapters of a Floating Life" will also be housed here.
△Aerial photos of the project
A courtyard waiting for stories, a Kun Opera that awakens floating life, the design and transformation that lasted three months was finally completed. It releases the contemporary expression of Chinese garden life and becomes a new model for the renewal of ancient cities and the revitalization of intangible cultural heritage.
Jianze supports the revival of ancient buildings and travels through time and space to bring life back to life
Since its establishment, Jianze has been responding to the diversity of different cultures and individual needs. In supporting the "Shantang·Fromome" revitalization of ancient houses, the brand explored the bold collision and clever integration of multiculturalism in space, and won the "Special Contribution Award for Ancient City Renewal" issued by Suzhou International Design Week.
△The light and comfortable Yǎng Chair surrounds the Loft Round Table
During the space renovation process of "Shantang·Fromome", the project design team chose to use contemporary context to recreate the beauty and interest of classical, traditional, and dramatic works, while at the same time getting rid of the constraints of traditional historical symbols and adapting the entire space to the needs of current life.
Jianze's inclusive and diverse product design is like a bridge that appears in every corner of the ancient house. It connects tradition and contemporary times silently and harmoniously integrates into public space and daily life, triggering emotional resonance in the experiencer and activating the understanding of ancient and modern life. more understanding and imagination.
△Yǎng Chair and Loft Square Table
03 Jianze and immersive Kunqu Opera are a fusion of the old and the new
Whether Eastern or Western, traditional or contemporary, the pursuit of beautiful expression and lifestyle will transcend the boundaries of time and space and reappear in some special form.
When the heavy footsteps of Kunqu Opera "Six Chapters of a Floating Life" circle around the courtyard of "Shantang·Fromome", when Yun Niang's skirt brushes the back of the chair. People's hope for the beauty of daily life travels through time and space and resonates here.
400 years ago, Shen Fu's pursuit of a spontaneous and self-adapted life was conveyed to this day through his "Six Chapters of a Floating Life". 400 years later, China's first immersive opera performance "Six Chapters of a Floating Life" was staged at the world cultural heritage Canglang Pavilion. It was innovatively combined with the world intangible cultural heritage Kun Opera and was selected into the China World Heritage Protection Achievements Exhibition at the UNESCO World Heritage Conference. , known as the "Hermes" in opera performances.
Nowadays, "Six Chapters of a Floating Life" has been iterated to version 3.0, and its audience has also expanded to Generation Z. It was launched in an ancient house this year and became the "Floating Life Collection". This is in line with Jianze's continuous iteration and youthful product design. Age is not the only label, spirit and state of mind are the marks of youth. Jianze is committed to conveying a life attitude that is not bound by established concepts based on people's psychological age, living conditions, and spiritual needs.
△Photography: Sun Jian
04 In the diversified cross-border world, Jianze has become a kind of co-creation
In this "Shantang·fromome" project, Jianze used household products to practice a new usage scenario. In the future, Jianze will also use the proposition of "open definition and relaxed expression" to encounter more unexpected spaces and scenes to carry out communication and interaction.
Jianze also creates the possibility of life with every user, explores the real needs of the heart and body together, and uses open and inclusive products to achieve home comfort and self-consistency, as well as personal ease and ease.
