Xi'an Qin Er Shi Mausoleum Site Museum, Qujiang Cold Kiln Site Park, Chengdu China Resources Phoenix City Art Center... Every cultural architecture project by Song Zhaoqing, Chairman and Chief Architect of Lacime Design, uses concise lines to outline and express the unique charm of the local area. He believes that the key to cultural architecture is blending into the regional environment, making the building itself seem to grow from the soil, natural and not imposed.

Reporter: The Xi'an Qin Er Shi Mausoleum Site Museum was exhibited at last year's "Booming China - Contemporary Chinese Architecture Exhibition" in Turkey. As the chief designer, could you tell us about the main creative concept of this project?

Song Zhaoqing: From 2009 to 2010, our team spent over a year refining the design of this project. This project must be viewed in the context of history. The death of Qin Er Shi, Hu Hai, represents the process of Qin culture from prosperity to desolation and decline. We defined it as the Tragedy of Qin. Therefore, the positioning of this site museum is to reflect in a static environment. Why did an empire that was once so powerful decline in just thirty years? Through the creation of a series of scenes and the revelation of the environment, we aim to make people think in tranquility. For example, we use a single gray tone, a single scene, and concise methods to emphasize the loneliness after the glory of the Qin Dynasty.

Reporter: Xi'an is a city with a profound history. What role do you think cultural projects like the Xi'an Qin Er Shi Mausoleum Site Museum play in the inheritance of culture and history?

Song Zhaoqing: Xi'an is a unique and typical city. The alternation and superposition of different eras have made it a three-dimensional model built on time and space. With the development of urbanization, the city is once again active and growing. The project is located in Qujiang New District, which is like a lost fragment being recombined into the genetic chain of the entire city. In the design of this project, we explored regional culture and created a scene that allows people to have a transcendent experience. This site park is not so much a building as a series of dramatic experience spaces, including rituals, sequences, conflicts, and reflections after ascending. It enables people to communicate with their inner selves and feel the meaning of space and history in reflection.

Reporter: Last year, the "Starting Point" cross-disciplinary event hosted by Lacime Design received widespread attention in the industry, and the first floor of the company was transformed into the Original Realm Art Gallery, which is very rare in the industry. Could you tell us why you had this idea? What message do you hope to convey through this gallery?

Song Zhaoqing: In China, twelve years is a cycle. In the twelfth year since the founding of Lacime Design, we held the "Starting Point" cross-disciplinary event. First, we invited artists from different industries to explore the commonality of art and discover creative inspiration, allowing everyone to draw nourishment from different art branches. Second, we showcased our achievements in architectural design practice over the past twelve years. This is both a summary and a new starting point. It is a starting point for cultural research and seeking development, as well as a starting point for enriching personal cultivation and taste. I hope the cross-disciplinary event can help more people discover the charm of art, thereby stimulating deep thinking about architectural culture.

Reporter: What cultural elements do you personally prefer? Could you elaborate on how this element is applied in the actual creative process and how it integrates with the architecture and surrounding environment?

Song Zhaoqing: Specific elements and symbols in cultural architecture design do not play an important role. What matters is the feeling, the memory of history and the cultivation of cultural depth in each person. People resonate with the existing scene, and that is the meaning of cultural architecture. For example, in Ando's works, traditional Japanese architectural symbols are rarely seen, but the feeling and scene revelation of his works have strong suggestions. In the design of Zhuhai Jingyun Villa, we respected the environment, explored the character of the environment, and minimized the impact on the natural environment. The completion of Jingyun Villa has made the entire Wanshan Island more beautiful.

Reporter: When facing a cultural architecture project, what do you think is the most important content in the design?

Song Zhaoqing: In a dialogue with Mr. Fumihiko Maki last year, he proposed "quiet architecture." It does not disturb or destroy the surrounding environment but only promotes it. This is consistent with the ancient concept of harmony between man and nature. I believe that every piece of land has its own character, and finding regional culture and respecting nature is a responsibility that every architect cannot ignore. In the design of cultural architecture, how to handle the relationship between history and contemporary times, architecture and nature, is a problem that architects easily encounter. Tradition and modernity are not inherently opposed, and the contrast between architecture and nature is not a problem. The important thing is to blend into the regional environment, making the building itself seem to grow from the soil, natural and not imposed.

Reporter: How do you view the protection of ancient buildings?

Song Zhaoqing: Japanese cities are a model for China in the integration of traditional and modern architecture. For example, in Tokyo and Kyoto, many shrines and other ancient buildings coexist very harmoniously with modern building complexes in the city, and the protection of relics and the prosperity of modern commerce promote each other. Under certain functional applications, the space or form of ancient buildings can be used today, which is symbiosis. Architects can give new life to ancient buildings. Last year, I collected a demolished Qing Dynasty ancient house from Jiangxi and plan to rebuild it at an appropriate time and place.

Reporter: What do you think will be the future direction of cultural architecture?

Song Zhaoqing: Culture driving commercial development is an inevitable trend. If Chinese cities all aim at automobile transportation and solving functional needs such as housing as their ultimate goals, then the city centers will eventually become desertified. A city without culture will die. Cultural architecture shoulders the mission of revitalizing urban vitality, allowing people to recall the past, affirm the present, and look forward to the future in the places created by architects.