Times Mansion Residential Exhibition Area

The curvilinear vocabulary employed throughout this residential exhibition landscape functions as a powerful symbolic system encoding concepts of flow, continuity, and the eternal return found across contemplative traditions worldwide. The serpentine pathway meandering through the composition may evoke associations with the river of life, water as symbol of purification and renewal, and the understanding that meaningful journeys rarely proceed in straight lines but rather follow organic rhythms of discovery and reflection. The crescent platform hovering above the dark water pool carries potential lunar symbolism, the moon being associated across cultures with reflection, intuition, cycles of growth and transformation, and the feminine principle of receptivity. Dark water itself traditionally symbolizes depth of consciousness, the unconscious mind, mystery, and the unknown from which insight emerges, while its mirror-like surface suggests self-reflection and the capacity for stillness amid activity. The prominent specimen tree with its spreading protective canopy may activate archetypal associations with the Tree of Life, the axis mundi connecting earthly and celestial realms, and the sheltering wisdom that comes with age and rootedness. Spherical topiary forms introduce symbols of perfection, wholeness, and cosmic unity, the sphere being geometry's most complete form with no beginning or end. The dialogue between organic curves and geometric precision throughout the design could be interpreted as encoding the philosophical reconciliation of nature and culture, spontaneity and intention, freedom and discipline, suggesting that harmony emerges not from eliminating opposition but from finding dynamic balance between complementary forces. White pathways may symbolize clarity, guidance, and the illuminated way forward through life's verdant complexities.

When the designers first arrived at the site, they were enchanted by the goldenrain tree and camphor preserved there. They planned to reconstruct the site on the basis of preserving the original ecology. The overall design, such as space layout and flow line, kept away from the original trees; highlighted their values and gave them new lives. They strived to intervene in the site in a "humble" way and adapt to local conditions. They used trees to create a forest theater under the urban reinforced concrete.