Located in Yunlong County of Yunnan Province, Yong'an Village is known for its sinuous mountain landscape, poor accessibility and is considered one of the poorest areas in China. Yong'an Village is seated on the ancient Tea Horse Road, which connects South Asia and Mainland China. Therefore it is the assembly ground of multiple minority ethnic groups including Han, Bai, Hui, and Yi. Since 2012, the volunteer team from Tongji University has been actively involved in organizing activities and coming up with solutions in the effort to improve the locals' knowledge, living space, and living quality. In fact, the volunteer team had built a small rural public building with the vision to reactivate Yong'an village in 2018. Due to its geographical location in a deep valley, the villagers value the significance of the openness of indoor and outdoor public spaces. From funeral to a wedding or even daily socializing spaces, the openness of space becomes the top priority to them. The altitude difference between the upper and lower Yong'an Village is around 300 meters, making the vertical travel distance unreachable. In fact, the villagers from the upper villages often suffer from inaccessibility to transportation, poverty and are living in straitened circumstances. The majority of them are homeless and have no space to interact with one another other than their working space. Therefore, building a community center for the upper village has become the main goal of this volunteer activity.
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Courtyard used for outdoor activities of the community center (daytime). Image © Schran Image
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