Jiu Xian Garden Village
about the project
"The Foundation’s proposal for Jiu Xian, a rural village in southern China, is to integrate the principles of sustainable design through a new systemic approach that addresses social, economic and environmental challenges."
status of project
Developed & Concluded
project design: 2007-2008
project execution: 2009-2011
Details
Denomination: Jiu Xian Garden Village
AKA: Jiu Xian Artists in Residence
Branding denomination: Jiu Xian Garden Village
Location: Jiu Xian, China
Concept & Developer: Frederic Coustols
Co-Concept & Developer: Gonçalo Leandro, Maria Mendonça Coustols
team members
Concept & Developer: Frederic Coustols
Co-Concept & Developer: Gonçalo Leandro, Maria Mendonça Coustols
Management: Jean Coustols
Design & Communication: ArtistLevel.org
Artists in Residence: Denis Piel, Duma Siran, Filipa Silveira, Maria Mendonça, Marina Carvalho, Marta Alvim, Michel Batlle, Rui Pinto Gonçalves, Sara Yan, Tim Madeira, Vasco Luz
short description
the 3 year workshop
The approach for the Jiu Xian rural village project involves addressing the full life cycle management process. The Foundation’s team examines all policy related questions in relation to earth sciences, fundamental human needs and the need to share natural resources and knowledge, all embedded within the cultural and historical context of this Ming era village and its surroundings. To support this understanding, the Foundation developed a guiding framework that clarifies the project’s purpose.
To broaden knowledge sharing, the Jiu Xian Garden Village project was structured through workshops open to leading architecture and landscape students from the South China University of Technology in Guangzhou, in collaboration with the local population. These workshops were designed to immerse students directly in sustainability challenges, rural Chinese contexts, national heritage, conservation and restoration. The decision to work closely with local residents stemmed from the recognition that the project would succeed only if the community embraced it as their own primary objective.
During the first year, the Foundation carried out a comprehensive inventory and found that Jiu Xian was already functioning in a highly advanced sustainable manner compared with many recognised projects, despite having very limited access to high end technologies. This revealed that while the village’s existing practices were strong, its capacity to progress further remained constrained by current regulatory and procedural frameworks.
about site specific: land art 2009
The concept of site specific art is rooted in the understanding that a work of art belongs to a particular place or environment. The artistic idea is meant to communicate with its surroundings and with the people who inhabit them.
In land art, the intention is to work in harmony with the cycles of the earth, its nature, its people, its animals and its materials. Creative processes emerge from the fusion of these elements, offering opportunities to perceive and contemplate the universe around us in its many rhythms.
Our work engages with the vast universe of construction and detail which, although often ephemeral and shaped by natural cycles, leaves a mark on memory. A work of land art may reveal its full expression only at a specific hour or on a particular day.
Land art emerged in the 1960s as a response to minimalism and to the increasing technological sophistication of cultural industries, while also reflecting growing concern for environmental issues. Humanity has long been captivated by the creative possibilities offered by nature.
Through numerous works conceived in the distant past, including monuments such as Stonehenge in England circa 3100 BC and forms found in eighteenth century landscape architecture, we can see early expressions of land art. These works reflect the enduring human desire to deepen intimacy with the natural world and to seek a harmonious relationship with it.
brief history
birth of the project
From that moment onward, the team responsible for the Jiu Xian Garden Village project gained renewed momentum, even when this required revising earlier plans. It became clear that the project would benefit from bringing the residents of Jiu Xian into contact with people from other countries who spoke different languages, came from different stages of development and could reflect the beauty of the place through artistic practice. Introducing artists into a cultural setting so different from their own was seen as an opportunity to create meaningful cultural exchange and mutual learning.
The team intensified its efforts, increasing construction capacity across the work sites by giving carpenters, masons, electricians and bamboo specialists greater responsibility and expanding the number of workers involved. The programme was also adapted where necessary. The health centre was temporarily repurposed to shelter artists during adverse weather, exhibition rooms were reconfigured and the design of the tea house was adjusted. Access paths were improved without compromising quality, allowing for dual use, with one lane for visitors and one for buffalos.
Workshops became increasingly frequent. Drawings were updated in real time, logos and costumes were designed, and executive summaries and several books documenting the stages of the project were produced. New perspectives introduced by collaborators encouraged deeper reflection on core processes and helped the team refine its approach. Many contributors, including professors, local practitioners and students, brought their expertise and dedication, strengthening the overall effort.
A Ming era house was restored to receive visitors and serve as the exhibition space for the project. This required sourcing traditional materials, rebuilding the roof and structural framework, cleaning the walls and plastering them with lime mortar tinted with natural pigments. Electrical and lighting systems were installed, rainwater channels were repaired and permissions were granted to connect the building to local water and electrical meters.
An architect from abroad joined the team at a crucial moment and played an important role in organising the workflow. Thanks to strong communication skills, cultural sensitivity and practical judgement, the architect helped coordinate alternating work shifts, which improved both the quality of life and the level of participation among many families in the village. Although the community’s enthusiasm sometimes made coordination challenging, the project remained manageable with a maximum of forty five workers on site at any given time.
In early September, a major meeting was held at the South China University of Technology in Guangzhou to present progress and discuss the structure of the artist residency. Several elements were identified as essential to the success of the residency, including language support, integration with village life, and meaningful engagement with local school children. It was agreed that artists should have full freedom to explore the region with the help of drivers and translators who had knowledge of local customs and history. They were also given access to a wide range of materials and specialised facilities, from kilns and stone workshops to carpentry studios and paper supplies.
Meals, events and festivities were organised, including fireworks, theatre, a fashion show, a concert and exhibitions. Local authorities, residents, supporters and partners were invited, and the programme was adapted to make the most of the season, whether rain or cold. Coordinators and volunteers provided exceptional support throughout, ensuring that the residency progressed smoothly.
Although unexpected changes arose, such as the absence of two invited artists shortly before the opening, the programme adapted successfully. A piano concert was replaced by a Guqin performance at the suggestion of local partners, and additional musicians joined the project, enriching the experience.
The collective effort transformed the first year in Jiu Xian into a remarkable and inspiring period of work, cultural exchange and community engagement.
Frederic Coustols
Founder & Mentor
additional info
All productive natural assets in Jiu Xian are allocated among residents according to a system introduced by the state in the mid twentieth century. Each inhabitant was granted a leasehold of one mu of arable land, equivalent to 667 square metres. On this land, families typically produce two annual rice crops or fruit harvests, along with grass and vegetables grown along the borders. Soil nutrients come primarily from cattle manure, rice straw and crushed oyster shells.
Each household was also granted, on average, a pond of approximately one hundred square metres for fish breeding, providing one substantial meal per week. The fish are fed using grass from the paddy fields. Families generally raise one or two pigs, a small number of chickens and ducks for meat and eggs, and a buffalo for working the fields. All cooking waste is reused either as animal feed or as organic matter to enrich the land.
The irrigation system is highly efficient and water is shared fairly among households. Collectively owned land, totalling around three thousand mus of non arable terrain, provides firewood for cooking, medicinal plants for treating most illnesses and additional pastures for goats. The Yulong River, which passes through the territory of several communities, is used as a tourist waterway. The revenue generated is divided among the villages in proportion to the river’s length within their boundaries, then shared equally among the residents of each village.
As a result of this well balanced management system, biodiversity is protected and each family is able to produce roughly twice the amount of food required for subsistence. Surpluses are sold at nearby markets to purchase clothing, small tools and traditional items for celebrations. However, exposure to television and visits to nearby cities such as Yangshuo, Guilin and Nanning often shape aspirations for a different lifestyle. Many residents compare their income, approximately three hundred euros per year, with urban incomes ranging from twelve hundred to three thousand euros, without recognising the associated costs and pressures of urban living. They may not fully perceive the high quality of their life, the autonomy they enjoy or the importance of their work, which includes feeding urban populations, maintaining soil fertility, preserving biodiversity and absorbing significant amounts of carbon dioxide. No support was offered to help them understand how their model could evolve sustainably.
Key considerations for future development include:
• shifting focus from quantity to quality
• ensuring a fair balance between rural population levels and economic contribution
• preserving soil fertility
• maintaining and enhancing biodiversity
• helping offset urban carbon emissions
• securing national food independence
• keeping water resources clean
• creating employment opportunities
• strengthening family organisation
Family organisation in Jiu Xian follows long standing Confucian principles. The eldest man in the household traditionally holds authority. Younger members support older relatives when they are no longer able to provide for themselves. Girls remain within their own family throughout life, even after marriage. Multiple generations live under one roof and support one another. The design of each house, whether modern or traditional, reflects this structure. A newly married husband joins the household of his wife’s family.
If new residents arrive from another village and additional arable land is available, they are granted one mu in the same manner as other community members. The same applies to newborns. If land is insufficient, newcomers must seek employment elsewhere or develop new activities within the village. Many believe that life in large cities offers greater privacy, although the village model demonstrates a high degree of sustainability that is not always recognised by those who live within it.
The selection of Portuguese and international artists for the Jiu Xian residency was an important and carefully considered process. Group cohesion was essential, so artists were chosen not only for the quality of their practice but also for their capacity to bring people together and foster a collaborative environment.
The first invitations were extended to the director and photographer Denis Piel, who had previously worked with farmers in Jiu Xian, and to Michel Batlle, a performer, writer, painter and founder of the Psychophysiographie movement whose extensive body of work spans criticism, artistic creation and editorial practice within contemporary art. Additional invited artists included the Portuguese land art artist, painter and photographer Maria Mendonça Coustols, the Portuguese video and photography artist Marta Alvim and the Chinese instrumentalist and composer Duma Siran.
For the selection of Portuguese participants, the Foundation collaborated with its national partner for this inaugural residency, ArtistLevel.org. Together, a jury of distinguished figures and recognised professionals from the arts was convened. The 2009 jury included representatives from the Foundation, ArtistLevel.org, the Portuguese Institute of Youth (IPJ), the Museum of the Orient, WOA, and professors from China responsible for selecting the musicians.
The selected artists, including Marina Carvalho, Sara Yang, Filipa Silveira, Tim Madeira, Rui Pinto Gonçalves and Vasco Luz, demonstrated exceptional commitment and humanity throughout the residency. Their collective work during the month was remarkable and reflected the shared living experience envisioned from the very beginning. Many described the residency as an extraordinary and transformative experience.
The political organisation of Jiu Xian offers an impressive example of shared responsibility. The village, with approximately 1250 inhabitants, is divided into fifteen districts, each functioning as a distinct geographical and productive unit. Every four years, each district elects a representative. Once elected, the council determines the allocation of responsibilities, such as finance, education, road maintenance, birth registration and other community matters. At this stage, council members must be approved by the Communist Party, which is typically the case. The Communist Party also maintains an office in Jiu Xian with one or two non elected representatives.
Any issue or concern that arises is addressed quickly and peacefully through meetings that may last several hours. The primary objective is to preserve harmony within the community. Throughout the project, challenges occasionally emerged, yet all were resolved the same day or within a few days, and always in an equitable and constructive manner.
Jiu Xian has a school for children aged four to fourteen, with 265 students learning Mandarin and following the curriculum required by national authorities, as in all other countries. What is missing, however, is an understanding of the deeper meaning of rural life, which has become a rare privilege and an essential foundation for the long term vitality and prosperity of rural regions. As a result, the younger generation often grows up with a single aspiration, to leave the village in search of higher paying work elsewhere.
In Jiu Xian, most residents are familiar with the properties of medicinal plants and possess a solid understanding of the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The diet is exceptionally healthy and plays a central role in maintaining the wellbeing of the community. Many residents know how to administer massages and therapeutic baths, and when someone does not, neighbours are ready to assist.
At the end of this brief and partial inventory, several questions arise that are both simple and profoundly complex. How can the community preserve its most valuable qualities while introducing new, effective methods. How can residents remain engaged in their essential and meaningful roles. How can income and living conditions be improved while simultaneously enhancing biodiversity, soil quality and water resources.
These questions formed the foundation for the project’s second and third year objectives, presenting a rare opportunity to strengthen sustainability while supporting the long term vitality of the community.
Duman Siran performance playing the Guqin, which she has been perfecting since the age of 13.
