Chapter 474 My Sister Xing Takes Action
For the next two days, Shen Hanxing accompanied Han Lingcui to the competition venue to register and familiarize himself with the environment.
The competition venue is set up in a seaside art gallery in Country L. The white building is built by the sea, and the blue sea is outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. The sunlight shines into the exhibition hall, like a layer of gold.
"I'm still a little nervous."
Han Lingcui stood in the exhibition hall, looking at the works of other contestants around him, and whispered to Shen Hanxing.
"Their work is all very professional, and some are by internationally renowned designers. I'm afraid..."
Shen Hanxing held her hand and said with a smile.
“Your work has something that others don’t have, that is real warmth and love.”
"When I participated in the competition, I was just as nervous as you, but later I found that what the judges value most is not how superb the skills are, but whether the work can move people."
As he was speaking, a woman in a beige suit came over, and her eyes lit up when she saw Shen Hanxing.
"Han Xing? It's really you!"
Shen Hanxing turned around and recognized Su Man, a friend who had participated in the L Country Design Competition with him. Su Man is now the director of a local design company in L Country and is also a special guest of this competition.
"Sister Su Man, long time no see." Chen Hanxing smiled and hugged her.
Su Man looked Shen Hanxing up and down, then looked at Han Lingcui next to her, and said with a smile.
"When you won the gold medal, I said you would live a happy life. Now it seems that I was right. Is this your friend? Is he also a contestant?"
"She is Han Lingcui, my colleague, and she is representing our company in this competition." Shen Hanxing introduced.
Su Man shook hands with Han Lingcui and said with a smile, "I just saw your work. It's very heartwarming. Keep up the good work. I'm looking forward to your performance."
With the encouragement of her friends, Han Lingcui's nervousness was relieved a lot.
Shen Hanxing said to her as they left the exhibition hall.
"You see, everyone will like your work."
The day before the competition, Qi Moxun took Xunxun and Chengcheng to the beach, while Chen Hanxing stayed in the hotel to help Han Lingcui check the description of the work.
In the evening, Qi Moxun came back with the two children. Xunxun's little face was covered with sand and she was holding a shell in her hand. Chengcheng's sketchbook was filled with paintings of beaches, waves and sunsets.
"Mom, look! These are the shells Dad picked up for me. I can hear the sound of the ocean inside them!"
Xunxun ran to Shen Hanxing and put the shell close to her ear.
Shen Hanxing listened with a smile and nodded: “There really is the sound of the sea.”
Qi Moxun came over and handed her a glass of juice: "The wind is strong at the beach. The children have been playing all afternoon and are all sunburned. I have already given them a bath."
In the evening, several people sat on the hotel terrace and watched the fireworks on the seashore in the distance.
Xunxun lay in Qi Moxun's arms, pointing at the fireworks and shouting, "Dad, look! There are red fireworks! And blue ones too!"
Chengcheng leaned against Han Lingcui and whispered, "Auntie Han, do your best in tomorrow's competition. Xunxun and I will go and cheer you up."
Han Lingcui patted his head, feeling warm in her heart: "Okay, Auntie will definitely do your best."
On the day of the competition, the Seaside Art Gallery was filled with spectators and judges.
Han Lingcui was the tenth contestant to go on stage to present his work.
When she walked onto the stage, Xunxun whispered in the audience, "Come on, Auntie Han!"
This made everyone around laugh.
Han Lingcui stood under the spotlight, her fingertips gently running across the design model in front of her.
It is a seaside teahouse named "Listening to the Waves Under the Eaves" that combines the charm of oriental gardens with the functions of modern architecture.
The model is mainly light wood color, and the roof is a replica of the Jiangnan hip roof. The eaves are slightly upturned, just like the wings of a swallow flying across the clouds in an ink painting.
The teahouse is surrounded by a circle of translucent frosted glass screens, on which the "ice cracks" commonly seen in Suzhou gardens are laser-engraved.
When the sunlight shines through, the ground is reflected with tiny, scale-like spots of light.
The most interesting thing is the central patio of the teahouse. Instead of common tropical plants, it is paved with bluestone slabs shipped from the south of the Yangtze River.
Tiny white pebbles are embedded in the cracks of the stone slabs. When it rains, rainwater will drip down the eaves and form small puddles on the bluestone slabs, creating an oriental mood of "rain hitting banana leaves".
“My design inspiration comes from the pursuit of tranquility and harmony.”
Han Lingcui's voice was calmer than before, and her eyes swept over the judges and audience below the stage.
“The sea in Country L is passionate, and I want to create a corner here where people can slow down.”
"The eaves are to catch the sea breeze, the ice crackle screen is to soften the sunlight, and the bluestone slabs in the courtyard are to retain a touch of the warmth of home."
“These elements all come from the land where I grew up, and the architectural wisdom that has been passed down for thousands of years.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a questioning voice suddenly rang out from the audience. It came from a blond man on the right side of the judges' seat.
He is the well-known architect Massimo, famous for his expertise in modernist architecture. At this moment, he frowned slightly and turned a pen in his hand.
"Ms. Han, I saw similar elements of 'flying cornices' and 'ice cracks' in your design at an architectural exhibition last year."
"It's just that the work on display was from a designer from Country F. Can you explain the difference between the two?"
Han Lingcui's heart sank suddenly, and his hand holding the microphone tightened slightly.
"Mr. Massimo, I've also seen the work of that designer from Country F. His 'flying cornices' are a forced imitation of the exterior using steel structures, without considering the 'lifting and folding' proportions of Eastern architecture."
"My eaves are designed according to the regulations in the Song Dynasty's 'Construction Methods'. Every arc has been mechanically calculated to preserve the shape while adapting to the strong winds of the seaside environment."
"As for ice cracks, Eastern ice cracks emphasize 'broken but not chaotic,' reflecting the texture of natural cracks."
"The work of the designer from Country F, on the other hand, is more like artificially spliced geometric patterns. The cultural cores of the two are completely different."
Massimo was obviously not convinced and raised his eyebrows.
"But to the average viewer, their visual effects are highly similar."
"And as far as I know, the 'patio' design is also very common in some ancient buildings in Country X. How do you prove that your design is not 'borrowing' these elements?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the audience immediately began to discuss.
Some even murmured in agreement: "Maybe they are just repackaging other people's things and calling them their own culture."
"Isn't Eastern architecture just a collection of carved beams and painted buildings? What's so unique about it?"
Han Lingcui's cheeks turned red instantly and her eyes felt a little hot.
She wanted to retort, but because she was too excited, she didn't know where to start.
Just then, there was a slight noise in the first row of the audience.
Shen Hanxing stood up from her seat, the off-white silk shirt on her body shone softly under the light.
She did not go on stage immediately, but first gave the host a look, her voice clear but gentle.
"Hello, host. I'm Chen Hanxing, Han Lingcui's friend and the gold medalist in the L Country Design Competition. I'd like to offer some additional professional perspectives on the previous question. Is that okay?"
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