In a 530 m² space within the community, we transformed cultural elements that carry the memories of Nanyang into the core design symbols of the children’s play area. By ingeniously blending the linear aesthetics of traditional Chinese courtyards with the play needs of children across all age groups, we create unexpected delights where traditional culture meets modern childhood joy.

Children's Play Area in Nanyang Huilong located in the northeast corner of the community, the playground draws design inspiration from the local culture of Nanyang’s “Zhuge Liang’s Thatched Cottage,” incorporates the folkloric symbol of the “Kongming Lantern,” and integrates the mischievous behavior and playful scenes of children depicted by the saying “three days without a beating, and kids will climb the roof to uncover the tiles.” Progressing from historical culture to folk symbols and finally to everyday scenes, these three elements converge to create the design theme atmosphere of “harmony, joy, and the warm glow of countless household lights.”

Based on its site context, the design extends the linear architectural language of the Neo-Chinese courtyard from the master plan. Rejecting the conventional “toy-stacking” approach, it integrates the Kongming lantern theme with traditional Chinese tiled sloped roof elements into various functional play sections. The outcome is a dedicated activity space that combines parent-child interaction, cultural immersion, and play areas for children of all ages, while also fostering social development and preserving local memories.

The main installation in the all-ages activity area features a two-level platform connecting to a cylindrical slide, balance beam pathway, and Kongming lantern deck. Below, elements like tiled sloped roofs, crawl tunnels, climbing nets, and stainless-steel slides create harmonizes interplay. In this space, we aim to transcend age barriers to create a shared playground of joy—where both adults and children can discover their own ways to engage and delight.

As the visual core of the entire site, the Kongming lantern-inspired main installation features a gradient of fiery orange-red hues cascading from its "lantern top" down to the ground, simulating the warm glow of traditional lanterns illuminating the night. Climbing to the highest point of the climbing net platform, one stands above a field of deep gray-toned tiled paving—representing the “rooftops of myriad homes”—where local cultural context and play experience perfectly blend in a unified space.

The design takes inspiration from Kongming lanterns and rooftops, creating a children’s play space that “floats” on the roof, offering young explorers a different, broader perspective. Children can climb higher on the Kongming lantern climbing frame, embark on mysterious explorations in the light and shadow tunnel, feel the thrill of being suspended on the vertical climbing poles, and run along the sloped rooftops—flying along the ridges, releasing energy and curiosity at every step.

A safe area designed specifically for young children, featuring ever-changing colors and shapes to create a dynamic play environment. The play facilities are tailored to the developmental needs and height of younger children. The area offers unobstructed sightlines so that parents can easily see their children and participate in parent-child activities at any moment.

Tiled Sloped Roof Integrated Play Installations: Combining facilities such as tiled roof slopes, multi-person lounging nets, and slope climbing nets, allowing children to experience the charm of traditional architectural elements while climbing and lying down, as if they are playing and frolicking among rooftops.

Interactive Play Facilities: Trampolines, seesaw, rocking horses, and graffiti art wall are strategically dispersed throughout the site to complement the main installations functionally. This distribution not only enhances the overall functionality but also prevents overcrowding at the primary attractions.

All facility edges are rounded to prevent injuries from bumps and collisions. The overall spatial design continues the linear architectural language of the Neo-Chinese courtyard from the master plan, with the Kongming antern installation echoing the tiled rooftops. At night, the lighting of the installations creates a dreamy atmosphere, merging traditional aesthetics with contemporary scenes.

This is our first children's space set against a Neo-Traditional Chinese landscape context. Faced with Nanyang, a historic city and the hometown of Zhuge Liang, we challenged ourselves: Could a contemporary play space adopt local customs and express itself in a way that also carries traditional memories?

In ancient times, children had various ways of playing. For example, riding bamboo-stick horses—"My little lover rides his bamboo horse, circles around my seat, and plucks green plum." (Li Bai's "The River-Merchant's Wife: A Letter"); swinging—"Outside the wall, a path winds by; within, a swing sways. Passersby hear laughter—from the beauty on the swing inside." (Su Shi's "Butterflies in Love with Flowers"); as well as grass-weaving contests, kite-flying, top-spinning, and rattle-drumming. Though times change, children’s innate need for joy and expressing their nature remains constant.

Contemporary children’s spaces are designed to meet the needs of today’s children, yet they can find unique and intimate memory resonances in traditional spatial compositions and cultural elements. For instance, Kongming lanterns and sloped tiled rooftops... These cultural symbols, which have transcended time and history, yet are cherished across generations, now appear in contemporary people’s vision and daily life in new, artistic, and participatory forms. Here, grandparents, parents, and children bond through these shared cultural memories within an inclusive intergenerational environment that promotes family companionship and participation. Though time shifts, there is no alienation born of the passage of time that forces people to passively adapt. This is what I aim to explore in this design: the care, acceptance, and inclusiveness a space can convey underpinned by collective cultural memory.