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In 2010， artist Liu Zheng signed a 50-year lease for 1，000 square meters of land in Songzhuang Village， Tongzhou District of suburban Beijing. Hoping to transform the land into an art zone， Songzhuang Village had been renting space to artists for years.
Formerly employed by a foreign trade company and China’s embassies in Africa， Liu ended his 14-year career in 2003 to turn to drawing， which he has been passionate about since childhood.“If I didn’t start doing what I like， my life would just get wasted away，” he explains.
Liu Zheng decided to build a garden on the land. He likes wa- ter， so he chose to place it at the center of his garden. “Water runs downhill，” Liu remarks. “Rather than building a fountain to force the water upwards unnaturally， I wanted the water to flow naturally through my garden.” This philosophy led to the idea of a Z-shaped pond， the highlight of Liu’s garden. Around the pond， a living room， a gym， a teahouse， a painting studio， and garden landscapes are laid out according to Liu’s design.
“If you want architecture full of vitality， you should build it according to the logistics of life，” Liu explains. “The frame of a building is like bones in a body. And lawn and trees are like skin， hair and flesh. Water is just like the blood. The sewage system even mirrors the body’s entrails. Only when every organ is working well can life be vigorous. So goes the garden.”
Liu prefers leaves over flowers. He planted 20 lilacs， two walnut trees， two persimmons， two hawthorns and one Chinese ash in the garden. He chose the location of the trees very carefully， considering the angle from which they would be seen from the house and the shadows after they grew. Liu took everything into consideration when planning.
Liu admires Oriental gardens， especially the Japanese variety.“Japanese gardens have correct artistic orientation so residents can live in harmony with the environment，” he notes. Although Liu also raves about classical gardens in Suzhou， he finds that the gardens have become scenic spots with a meager connection to the people， which he feels is a pity.
Formerly employed by a foreign trade company and China’s embassies in Africa， Liu ended his 14-year career in 2003 to turn to drawing， which he has been passionate about since childhood.“If I didn’t start doing what I like， my life would just get wasted away，” he explains.
Liu Zheng decided to build a garden on the land. He likes wa- ter， so he chose to place it at the center of his garden. “Water runs downhill，” Liu remarks. “Rather than building a fountain to force the water upwards unnaturally， I wanted the water to flow naturally through my garden.” This philosophy led to the idea of a Z-shaped pond， the highlight of Liu’s garden. Around the pond， a living room， a gym， a teahouse， a painting studio， and garden landscapes are laid out according to Liu’s design.
“If you want architecture full of vitality， you should build it according to the logistics of life，” Liu explains. “The frame of a building is like bones in a body. And lawn and trees are like skin， hair and flesh. Water is just like the blood. The sewage system even mirrors the body’s entrails. Only when every organ is working well can life be vigorous. So goes the garden.”
Liu prefers leaves over flowers. He planted 20 lilacs， two walnut trees， two persimmons， two hawthorns and one Chinese ash in the garden. He chose the location of the trees very carefully， considering the angle from which they would be seen from the house and the shadows after they grew. Liu took everything into consideration when planning.
Liu admires Oriental gardens， especially the Japanese variety.“Japanese gardens have correct artistic orientation so residents can live in harmony with the environment，” he notes. Although Liu also raves about classical gardens in Suzhou， he finds that the gardens have become scenic spots with a meager connection to the people， which he feels is a pity.