A Nanjing Local's Nanjing – Neighborhoods: A Chance Encounter with the New Owner of T80

T80 Creative Park, Nanjing

Address: Xiaowei Street, Xuanwu District, Nanjing

How to get there: Take Metro Line 2, get off at Xiamafang Station, Exit 2, then walk along the Purple Mountain Greenway for a few minutes to the south gate of the park.

When I visited: February and March 2022

One afternoon, with the rare occasion that the whole family was at home, I felt like finding a nearby place for a stroll together. My child hadn't been to T80 before, so I decided to take him to see this neighborhood near our home that I love. T80 is a block dominated by grey-brick walls, along with a dozen or so yellow buildings. Throughout the park, yellow and bluish-grey collide and blend with each other.

We parked the car at the south gate lot and headed directly east up a small hill. Atop the hill sits a modern, bright lawn wedding company – Shan You Li. Last time I was here, a lawn wedding was in full swing, and the emcee's excited, booming voice could be heard across the eastern half of the park. Today, it was incredibly quiet, with only birdsong from the forested hills.

Shan You Li is built into the hillside, open from north to south, embracing the sky and the earth.

The main white building and the lush forest behind it create a perfect match. Here, you are surrounded by hills rarely seen in the city, giving a sense of a great hermit living in the bustling world.

Coming down from Shan You Li, there's a vegetable garden that makes use of the slope.

From this view, you can tell the entire park slopes down from east to west. From Shan You Li, a row of north–south grey-brick buildings stretches out, and a straight little path paved with small stones runs the whole length. Below this path, rows of gable-roofed grey-brick buildings are neatly arranged, oriented east–west.

Can you see the changes in elevation within the park? The high and low lanes and alleys make the park feel much richer.

Straight lanes, and row upon straight row of one-storey houses with grey tiles and grey bricks. Though they all have grey-brick walls, look closely: every surface is made up of different patterned bricks, and even when the bricks are the same, they are laid in different patterns, creating variation within uniformity.

There were few visitors in the park, and often we had the straight lanes all to ourselves. Whether walking or just sitting down, no one would disturb us. The straight lanes suddenly turn at the end, revealing another exquisite lane. The straight, continuous yet turning courtyard walls form the streets and lanes, staggered in height yet unified and harmonious.

Small plants resting on the wall tops

Plants in the courtyards, unwilling to be alone, stretch out through the brick walls. Plain grey-brick walls look beautiful paired with any flowers or plants.

No. 33 – look closely at this building's facade. The courtyard walls use different shapes of grey bricks and different laying structures. It has an arched double doorway, and a long, narrow window cut into the grey-brick wall.

The windows set into the brick walls also have different shapes.

The bricks in the wall are staggered and laid with gaps, creating brick lattice windows. Looking into the courtyard through them gives a thrill, like stealing a peek.

Step into the courtyard – the beautiful, artistic little yard is like a refined young lady, quietly waiting there, exuding tranquility and gentleness.

The garden design inside the courtyard echoes distantly with the towering tree outside.

A plum tree is blooming in a large pot. Behind the big glass windows is the office of a decoration company. A lady warmly invited us to take a look inside. Since it was a workplace, we felt we shouldn't intrude, so we just took photos in this elegant courtyard.

The plum blossoms bring the scent and fragrance of spring.

A few more steps north, and by the grey-brick wall, a dozen or so bouquets of fresh flowers were lined up – very eye-catching. It turned out to be a newly opened shop. Inside an arched grey-brick doorway, a yellow storefront was particularly striking. Curious, I wanted to see what this new neighbor in the park looked like.

We stepped over the high threshold and entered – a white-walled house with a rectangular courtyard.

The left side of the courtyard is relatively spacious. An L-shaped tatami is built along the grey-brick wall, with a thatched roof to create an open straw-hut space.

Green plants inside the glass windows echo the bamboo grove in the yard. White walls, grey bricks, greenery, and the straw hut – a picture of an authentic, organic setting.

On the tatami, a rustic little wooden table, a few small mandarins, vintage flower pots, vintage hanging lamps – all the small details are full of character.

Small chamomile flowers are the warmest decorations.

At the entrance, we met the owner, who invited us to look around. This was a newly opened shop.

On the right side of the main door is a pond where red-tailed fish are swimming.

In a semi-open area by the pond, a large glass window offers a view inside the tea room.

In the semi-open tea room, a copper pot hangs from above.

Such a tasteful little courtyard made us very curious about this place. The owner explained that it's primarily a painting shop. No wonder there's a colorful palette on the wall by the door.

We stepped inside. At the front desk near the entrance, flowers were clustered everywhere.

A large coffee machine and a dessert display cabinet

To one side of the entrance, a long hallway is dotted with green plants, and beautiful pictures hang on the walls.

At one end of the hallway, a large glass window looks out onto the courtyard scenery.

Opposite this window, behind a pair of sliding doors, is a painting studio.

Inside the studio are all kinds of painting tools. You can come here to paint with guidance from professional instructors. It's especially convenient because you don't need to bring your own tools – all painting supplies are provided here. You can come, hire an instructor to guide you, and spend an afternoon completing your own oil painting. I started learning pen sketching a year ago and began trying watercolor this year. Once I feel I have a solid foundation and want to improve further, I can come here to create a painting I’ve been longing to do!

A corner of the studio, decorated with an arty and slightly bourgeois feel.

On the windowsill in the hallway, fresh flowers cluster.

Warm oil paintings hang on the walls. A wall-mounted shelf holds a few artsy books.

Here’s an open communication space. A round table, surrounded by several chairs with lots of personality – a soft sofa, a semi-reclining lounge chair, a bamboo chair like the ones we used to have at home as children, and an even smaller beach chair… These chairs, each with its own character, don’t clash at all in this space but instead create a feeling of a big, happy family gathering. A long horizontal window looks directly onto the hillside behind the building.

Small chamomile flowers are the humblest and freshest little blooms.

And there are some tiny pink flowers I can’t name, delicate and lovely.

Leaning back on the sofa, sipping coffee

I looked toward the busy figure at the front desk. There must be something special behind those two half-curtains!

Indeed, this is the tea room we saw through the glass from the courtyard, but you don’t enter the tea room through this curtain.

There’s a winding path instead. Tree bark covers the base, fresh flowers and plants decorate it, and natural stones pave the floor. Take off your shoes, step onto the tatami mat, turn a corner, and you enter the tea room.

Such beauty, such blending, that I can hardly tell inside from outside the window.

A few square meters of tea room, tatami on the floor, a small table – perfect for a quiet, leisurely gathering with old friends.

A little detail in the corner of the tea room

It was my first time seeing a teapot hung like this.

There are wood-textured partitions that divide the large space.

Inside, a long table and a large screen on the wall. Seeing this, it suddenly struck me that this place would be great for team-building events. I told my boss about this beautiful new neighbor I found, and soon enough, this year on Women's Day, we held a team-building activity here. That Women's Day, the weather was glorious. At noon, after participating in the office-organized Purple Mountain climbing event, we came straight from the mountain to T80 at its foot.

A handicraft activity made our Women's Day a happy one.

Herbal tea and snacks prepared by the shop

Leaving the straw hut, I looked inside from the outside through the glass and really liked that vintage lamp – full of atmosphere.

This is T80, embraced by the forest. If you don’t come for a while, new owners may have moved in. Each new owner brings something of their own. Just like this straw-hut place, it has brought a rich artistic flavor and a slow-paced vibe to this courtyard, this house, and this forested hill.

The previous owner had decorated the courtyard wall with red.

On one side of the parking lot, grey walls with vermillion accents adorning the eaves and door frames. The various hollow patterns of different shapes on the grey walls are full of creativity and vitality.

The combination of red, yellow, and grey – comfortable and elegant.

A green waterfall cascades over the whole wall.

In the predominantly bluish-grey park, the signs of spring make it charming and lively.

We continued walking toward the northeast corner of the park. I remember a few years ago this was a kindergarten, and now it has become a tea house.

There’s a large open courtyard, with a small pond where fish swim, and pebbles covering the ground – an authentic, organic feel.

The courtyard walls are interesting: one side is a fully enclosed grey brick wall, and the other is a semi-permeable wooden fence. It seems to express an attitude of being both self-contained and open.

The semi-enclosed wall hugs the hillside, giving a feeling of being embraced by the mountain forest.

One Leaf, One Bodhi – a place devoted entirely to tea. We didn't go inside, just caught a glimpse as we passed by. Even such a fleeting glance allows you to sense the mood of "One flower is a world, one leaf a bodhi."

Walking further uphill, near the forest, we came across Yadong Viewing Mountain, a private kitchen restaurant nestled in the woods.

On a plain afternoon, with nothing else to do, I spent just over an hour strolling here. This is the T80 neighborhood, characterized by its grey-brick walls. A solid, firm skeleton, tranquil yet with a unique charm. All year round, more or fewer flowers and plants decorate the dominant grey tone. Although grey is the main color, every wall of patterned bricks is made with great care, none alike. The laying patterns on the walls are also never repeated, with the undulating brick courses like leaping musical notes. So it never feels monotonous, full of change within a unified color scheme. Because I live nearby, I drop by the park from time to time. But every time, there's something new to discover. Sometimes I can't help but sigh: the world changes so fast. Today, I discovered a new neighbor, a new owner. The new owners bring new decorations and new meaning to these grey-brick buildings and courtyards. It’s very tranquil here; often I’m the only one walking along the brick-walled lanes. I love being undisturbed, savoring every bit of beauty, every subtle change here.