The campus of Tsinghua University is built on the ruins of Xichun Garden. There was used to be a royal garden in the Qing Dynasty, which was built in the 46th year of Emperor Kangxi (1707). In the second year of Emperor Daoguang (1822), it was divided into two parts and became the Princes' gardens. The two gardens have changed hands several times since then, and finally being turned back until they were completely demolished. In 1909, they were handed over to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and then developed into Tsinghua University. With the deepening of research on Yangshi Lei Archives in recent years, it is possible to interpret the Xichun Garden and reshape its historical and humanistic space. The exhibitors and Tsinghua Urban Ergonomics Lab team instructed 8 students from School of Architecture at Tsinghua University to represent the Xichun Garden through decoding, deducing and interpreting with the immersive environment technology. A rich garden landscape is designed for the virtual space of Xichun Garden with different sensory scenarios, such as sunny, cloudy and rainy days, in which the experiencer can roam independently.

Author: Zhang Li, Zhao Peng, Ye Yang

Affiliation: School of Architecture, Tsinghua University; Urban Ergonomics Lab, SATU; the Palace Museum

Project Team:

Coordinator: Ye Yang

Technology & Modelling: Xie Qixu, Pan Xiaojian, Gao Yaocong, Guo Xinyuan 

Research: Chen Shuyi, Huang Chaoyi, Li Xinran, Liu Ang, Qu Zhongyang, Xiao Minghan, Zhang Zuyue, Zheng Tuke