Jiaheyuan Nature Education Camp

Jiaheyuan Nature Education Camp is located in Huangdong Village, Liangjing Town, Huizhou, the Jiaheyuan Nature Education Camp is surrounded by hills, paddies and ponds far away from the bustling city. By integrating local activities, learning platforms and public services, it aims to build a connection between nature and culture.



The local domestic buildings are mainly based on the form of traditional Hakka enclosed houses. In order to response to the village context, the general design concept is a modern settlement on the field. The layout of the building makes use of a settlement pattern, arranging reading, exhibition, children education, office and catering spaces dispersedly in the white blocks. Meanwhile, the black blocks reflect to the shadow space of courtyards in traditional buildings. Through interweaving black and white blocks, a spatial order is re-established. It is an abstract interpretation based on the traditional Hakka culture in contemporary context, which creates a spiritual fortress for people to return to the rural fields.



Translation of two spiritual spaces in Hakka culture: towers and ancestral halls.



The tower at the entrance is not only the highest point overlooking surrounding areas, but also a spiritual architectural representation of the village’s ideology. Meanwhile, the core of the Hakka enclosed house is the ancestral hall at the centre, which is a vital public space for Hakka cultural communication and activities such as clan sacrifices, folk rituals, and education for schoolchildren.



Based on these factors, this project sets up an opera stage with a red tile roof, which is also a symbol of the traditional Hakka ancestral culture, between the front and rear courtyards. Here it can be used for performances and learning activities for children.



We hope that more people could experience and enjoy rural life through this project. While inheriting Hakka culture, it could bring energy and vitality to the village.