Squares And Circles In WuFeng

May 15, 2018 | permalink

I landed in Taiwan at 7AM, cleaned up in the public restrooms, headed to my morning events, and now it was time for the afternoon programs that Professor Shu and her superstar TA (Sylvia) had diligently organized in the Wufeng area. I debated if the cartoon on the poster was me, but lo and behold, it was. :)



It started with a local architect and permaculture farmer showing a few of us around town. I learned about the significance of shapes in Chinese architecture -- circles are inclusive and forgiving, but they are always coupled with squares which are strict and disciplined. "Be like a circle with others, and square with yourself," he said. Triangles were never used.