Gem Garden Restaurant

There are many stories behind the Gem Garden, from its name which is taken from Mr. Ma’s grandparents, to the hesitations before my participation of its design, to all the details of the metal mesh, base frame, and lighting, as well as the food itself, the Chaoshan culture and so on. An extra chapter could be written to elaborate these anecdotes if you are interested.

However, I plan not to talk about any of it for now. Let’s focus on the design.

The Gem Garden is a mixed space with many diversities, and I finished its design in a comparably diverse and mixed environment, the New York City, in early 2019. One should really enjoy some time to completely escape from the existing environment he is in. This way, a more interesting state of mind is easier to be formed.

At that time, the barriers between me and the domestic were not only space and language, but also the time difference. Having the people and matters of the other shore in mind, I witnessed the first snow of the year in New York, went to several exhibitions, and gradually gained a different kind of self-consistency in this completely different environment.

That kind of self-consistency has evolved into the pure Chinese style wallpaper in the windowless room， traveling through the past and the present, the reality and the fantasy; it has become a variety of color blocks: red and blue, contemporary and traditional. I imagined myself standing in between.

Exotic, humble and restrained, bold and wild... The original drawings were mixed in the winter sun or the wind outside the apartment at night in New York. I was so close to yet so far away from the world. My friend gave me a list of must-try restaurants in Manhattan, and I gained many different "appreciation points" during my visit to them: spacious or crowded, artistic, novel or tacky... After everything dissipated and dissolved, what I got was a feeling with unclear meaning that I rarely gain on ordinary days, but it was very consistent with my state of studying and living alone at that time.

During that time， there are more different perceptions of many small details that I usually take for granted, as if five senses have been additionally mobilized, and even the temperature, humidity, and wind direction can be touched. Facing the blueprints, both spirit and consciousness can be extended and freed. One would focus more on a macroscopic life mode, not just the project itself, not limited to a table, a chair, or a scene.

Chaoshan cuisine itself is very interesting, colorful, and various: from extremely luxurious ingredients such as abalone, fish maws, sea snails，to simple yet tasty dishes such as taro balls, oyster omelet, and baked gourd. You can imagine people coming and going among the Gem Garden, with their own attributes, interacting in the space together with the food, and blend into a new story. The mediocre, the humble, the consciousness of the elite or not...There is no need to explore its essence, nor is there anything false or real. All is well balanced.

Human beings naturally have their own interpretation of the environment and life. A bunch of winter plums or a black pine can make one respond to the call of nature, and a piece of moss can introduce one into a short break. Therefore, limitations such as unsatisfactory environment or the lack of inherent natural dialogue with the outside world are nothing to be worried about.

Each of us is a fusion of multiple roles, and at the same time enjoys the assembly of human intellect. Every design method and every dish has gone through the summaries and breakthroughs of countless predecessors. Every moment and every section of the path is dependent on both fortune and misfortune, mixed with joy and sorrow. Many things and people come and go during the two years between those days in New York and who I am in Shenzhen at this time. Many of us might share almost the same experience. There are also global situations, opportunities, tests, and all kinds of emotions blending in one place. Whatever the core of the comedy is，the joy, after all, is an expression that everyone loves.

Back to what you may want to know about the design of the Gem Garden: Argentine artist Julio Le Parc has an influence on the relationship between the graphics and images of this project, and Wu Hong’s Feminine Space in Chinese Painting has an influence on the design. Chaozhou culture is explicit in the space, mainly manifested in the furnishings. The calligraphy and paintings are from Mr. Ma’s private collection. There are thirteen private rooms in the restaurant, all with different themes, sizes, colors, and design techniques. The lights and furniture are specially designed for this project, pleasing to the eye and comfortable to use. The red color and the choice of patterns in the lobby echo folk customs in Chaoshan culture. There are also various small installations, small lights, relations between light and shadow, and other details waiting to be explored.

The project started in August 2019 and completed in August 2020. The most difficult part was to make a courtyard in a shopping mall and change the facade of the building. Before night falls, you can see the hustle and bustle of the whole city, and afterwards, you can feel all the emotions in the private room. The entrance facade is made of concrete blocks, and when one looks closely, he could notice the relationship between the change of the figure and the light. Once entered， the inverted pyramid and the golden rice bowl of the waterscape are not only unified elements with lights and installations in the Gem Garden, but also a good sign for business regarding Feng Shui：happiness， luck， and beauty emerge when the door opens， bringing pause and joy of one or seconds to those who walk in.  

I am happy to be part of the Gem Garden’s design, just like my participation in Dongxi. Although they are two different properties, but the design concept that is close to life serve a bit like a glue, connecting the city, humanities, and the sky； linking information, thoughts, and emotions. Friends appreciate, talk to, and receive goodwill from each other while dining... It is a real landscape which changes and grows with the city and its people, and a space that promotes and maintains the relationship. In the end, the design itself does not need to be specifically mentioned.