Text description provided by the architects. The project is a renovation project which located in Xianjing Village, Baita Town, Xianju County, Zhejiang Province. From the village, one can directly overlook the Fanzeng Peak in the southwest. Relying on the beautiful natural scenery of the Shenxianju mountains, the town government hopes to transform Xianjing Village into a sketching art village. They entrusted us to renovate the abandoned primary school, hoping to attract young art students and artists to come to the village, stay and do some sketching nearby. The Youth Artist's Dormitory is named as "Qingyi Lodge".The main building of the village primary school was originally a two-story brick-concrete structure constructed in the 1970s-1980s. We hope to retain the form of the old school, but bring new life to it.

As a dormitory serving young students and artists, it is essential to maximize the potential of the site's inherent scenic qualities. Our primary consideration is how to get the best view of the Fanzeng Peak from the building. We plan to remove the damaged wooden roof and design a viewing terrace on the roof facing the Fanzeng Peak. We transform the original classrooms into dormitory units, retaining the original walls between windows as replacing the old doors and windows with floor-to-ceiling sliding doors. A new corridor made of steel structure is built on the north side of the building as the entrance to dormitory units, while the original corridor on the south is transformed into a balcony for rest and sketching.

The sketching balconies are open towards the Fanzeng Peak. Through the openings on façade, artists can see the beautiful scenery of nature. The left part of the balcony is designed as the sketching area. We design skylights above the sketching area to provide more stable all-weather light. On the ground floor, each unit has a private courtyard for sketching. However, the original primary school building was a brick-concrete structure with significant constraints in both floor height and width. We have designed a small multi-functional hall on the southeast side of the original structure. This new hall provides a place for teachers and students to communicate with each other and hold small informal exhibitions.

There was a small playground at the south of the old school, separated from the village road by a perimeter wall. Along the perimeter wall, we gently place a series of metal roofs, which are slightly curved, resembling the shape of villagers' houses. The curved roofs screen the dried laundries and sundries at the villagers' doorsteps, while strategically framing the activities under the persimmon tree. Walking along the village path, you can see the public canteen and the villagers' square. As the original primary school's perimeter wall was very close to the road, the view at the intersection was narrow, rendering the square nearly invisible from the village entrance. We removes part of the perimeter wall and designs several walls of different heights under a curved roof, forming dual-layered corridor system—integrating both internal and external circulation— and an east-facing multi-functional hall.

The space between external corridor and the gable walls of the opposite houses has been used as a social pocket for villagers to rest, chat, and bask in the sun, which is a extension of the village square toward the entrance. The internal corridor serves as an interior courtyard walkway for Qingyi Lodge, maintaining visual connectivity with the village public space.

Under the lightweight, curved steel roofs, between the walls of different height, People sit on thick woods placed on low walls made of rubbles. Old stone slabs collected from all over the village are laid, while ferns and moss grow spontaneously in between. Here, the elderly basking in the sun, women chatting during breaks, tourists and art students—both villagers and these newcomers—gather under the corridor. Climbing up the steps along the corridor, you will be guided toward the villagers' square and deeper into the ancient village.

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