In the early summer

the sun is shining

the breeze is blowing 

and the air is filled with the fragrance of plants 

When everything is flourishing 

the VBS Parent Career Sharing is also in full swing

VBS News Net: On April 15th, the famous Chinese designer Zhang Dali, Yi Yan's father, walked into the 7D life planning class and shared his design experience with students, discussing what design is, the origin and development of design. They appreciated the famous works of art at home and abroad together.

Zhang Dali is an AGI(Alliance Graphique Internationale) member and a doctoral supervisor of Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts. His works have won many domestic and foreign awards.

What is design?

When Yi Yan's father asked this question, some children said that design was a wild imagination, and some say that design was to complete works according to customers' requirements. Yi Yan's father did not directly answer this question but started from the little things around him. The street fashion brand that children love, the milk tea that they love to drink, the book shop that they often go to, even the pen in their hand, and the school we are currently in, all of which have close connections with design.

Yi Yan's father went through the tunnel of time with the children and returned to the Paleolithic Age. People in ancient times made stone tools,  and gradually people started to make life utensils with the original aesthetics. It turns out that design is to solve problems. Yi Yan's father showed the children the Simuwu Cauldron, the painted pottery basin with the human face and fish pattern, the Colosseum in Ancient Rome, and the Parthenon Temple in Greece. When the children looked at these great arts from a design perspective, they were shocked by the beauty and lost in thought.

When the master walked into the class, he was a father, and this kind of communication truly showed the essence of education. Yi Yan's father shared the specialized direction of design from an experienced perspective with students. There are visual design, industrial design, fashion design, space design, and other multi-dimensional changes. The future led by design has arrived. The plane is not flat, and the graphics extend in the space. With the integration of art and technology, these elements are the direction that designers are exploring in practice and give children ideas for future design.

At the end of the class, Yi Yan's father shared the works designed by his team, including OCT Swan Castle Xiangshe Club, Shenzhen Social Welfare Foundation, Bantian Creative Park, and Shenzhen Museum of Contemporary Art and Urban Planning. He also answered the children's questions, indicating the specialized direction of the design and the diversity of the designer.

Zheng Junan, who loves art and design, listened carefully to the class, took down detailed notes, and shared the notes with his sister after returning home, recorded by their mother. She sent it to the Wechat Moments and said, 'I have not seen such a harmonious scene for a long time, and the siblings have found the common topic.'

The design can span multiple fields and disciplines. For a student who loves design, this 40-minute class may be the bud of his/her artistic career.

7D Zhu Kaiying's mother said, 'Thanks to my daughter. I witnessed the masters' elegant demeanor today. The school invited parents to share his/her career, so this father, a world-class master, entered the class. Zhang Dali, the AGI member, and the doctoral tutor, led the children to understand design, art and appreciate architectural design works, interior design works, and sculptures, and the children listened carefully. Time flew so fast. I sincerely hope that there will be this kind of opportunity in the future so that children can have broader visions.'

The parent career sharing of VBS's life planning class has received strong support from parents. Each class can arrange two parent volunteers to enter the class every semester. At present, more than 60 parents have joined the class, providing children with broad international visions and the courage to create a better future.

Written by Yi Fei

The documents provided by Ms. Zheng Jiajia

Translated by Reny