Huaixiangli

"Huaixiangli" is a tender epic that spans half a century. It is set in a courtyard named "Huaixiangli" in the south of Beijing as the stage, and delicately depicts the life changes of carpenter Lin Jianguo and his neighbors from 1966 to 2015. The work reflects the great changes in Chinese society over the past fifty years through the joys and sorrows of several ordinary families. The story begins in 1966, on a summer night when the locust flowers were fragrant. The neighbors gathered under the old locust tree to listen to books and cool off. In the following years, they jointly experienced the wave of reform and opening up, the pain of demolition and reconstruction, until they moved into a modern community. No matter how the times change, the deep love between neighbors cultivated in the courtyard remains the same - Lin Jianguo's honesty and persistence, Zhao Shouye's literary character, Zhou Hongying's courage to venture and fight, and Wang Dachui's true love for his wife, together weave a moving picture of urban life. This work is not only an affectionate review of the Hutong culture of old Beijing, but also a vivid description of the spiritual map of ordinary people in contemporary China. Through carefully designed images such as the mahogany bookshelf that "keeps integrity and innovates" and the calligraphy inscription that reads "The fragrance of Sophora japonica never dissipates", the tenacious vitality of traditional culture in the process of modernization is demonstrated. When the old locust tree blooms like snow again in the corner park, and when the third generation of grandchildren listens to the stories of their ancestors under the tree, the work completes a profound reflection on "home" and "inheritance" - the physical space will change, but the warmth and watchfulness rooted in the blood will never disappear.