In September, the campus is
filled with blooming flowers and cool green shade
Teacher Liu Jiangbei, a member of Cai Xiaoxia’s famous class teacher studio
leads the students of Class 11 in Grade 2 through the flower beds
gathering fallen petals and leaves
and putting the entire summer into their pockets
A creative activity called“Dialogue with Nature” begins
for the plant dyeing class uniform
and thus the curtain rises
Every hammer and every leaf carries deep feelings
Awakening the perception of life in natural textures
“The leaf veins are love letters from plants to the earth,
and they are also living textbooks for aesthetic education and life education.”
The students sit at their desks
gently pressing leaves onto white short-sleeves
with each hammer strike
the often overlooked details of plants become vividly apparent
The heart-shaped dark patterns of the oxalis leaves
are romantic verses of nature
The golden ratio trajectory of falling cherry blossoms
hides the beauty of mathematics
the veins of life are clearly imprinted on the clothing
even though the flowers and leaves have fallen
they have solidified into another form of art as a beautiful expression
“Aesthetic education is not an unreachable art theory,
but rather awakening sensitivity to the subtle beauty of life.
Life is not about profound realizations or life and death separations,
but about paying attention to the veins of a falling flower and leaf.”
The students observe how the waxy layer of the leaves refracts sunlight
using a small hammer with alternating rhythms
to imprint the gradient colors of the petals
when the spring spirit is permanently captured on cotton and linen fabric
the youth understand for the first time
that beauty is hidden
in the rhythm of leaf veins and the folds of petals
that life can bloom anew on
clothing!
Plant Dyeing
Creating a Shared Starry Sky
Resonance of Life in Collective Creation
The classroom is filled with the fragrance of grass and trees
The usually quiet boys actively help the girls secure the fabric
Art students teach their classmates how to mix color fixatives
The rhythmic hammering
sounds like a symphony of spring
What is most moving isthe design of the class emblem
Some suggestedusing ginkgo leaves to form the number 11
Some insistedto keep the hammer marks from dyeing
Ultimately, the class culture and emotions were transformed into leaf vein patterns
deeply imprinted on the uniquely styled class uniforms
this is a transition from natural life to social life
“Life needs individual expression,
and it also needs collective resonance.”
When the finished products sway on the clothesline
the students appreciate the different styles of the works
The boldness of ink-splash dyeing
The delicacy of meticulous detailing
The avant-garde of abstract collage
Those aesthetic talents hidden behind desks
are activated and illuminated through mutual collision
Ultimately, when piecing together the class uniforms
50distinct fragments of spring
miraculously form a harmonious overall aesthetic
Let creativity grow wildly
writing a new chapter of life with plants as pens
Who says school uniforms can only be monotonous styles?
Here, petals become classical skirts
Pine needles transform into ink brush strokes
Sun Zhaochengturns failed works into abstract starry skies
Yu Yuxin uses ginkgo leaves to collage a glowing number 11
What is most stunning is that“the growing class uniform”
leaves a blank space at the collar
waiting for classmates to continue adding new plant imprints over the next three years
The essence of aesthetic education is
to make every soul an artist of life
The essence of life is
to allow different life individuals to communicate and dialogue
Those once defined as “naughty” creative ideas
have now become the most shining medals
Some cut the hem of the class uniform into leaf shapes
Some sew replaceable plant specimen bags at the cuffs
When the fragrance of the plants used for dyeing mingles with the breath of youth
Aesthetic education has quietly transformed into
visible and tangible marks of growth
Practicing aesthetic education
bringing education back to the warmth of life
When the sunset gilds the classroom
the youth stand in the shape of spring wearing their exclusive “battle robes”
This activity not only achieved
the goals of “discovering life”, “uniting the collective”, and “stimulating creativity”
but also completed a profound practice of aesthetic education
It taught studentsto observe the world with an aesthetic eye
to express themselves in the language of art
to create collective memories through collaboration
As educator Cai Yuanpei said:
“Aesthetic educators should apply the theory of aesthetics to education.”
When the children of Class 11 in Grade 1
learn to cherish the texture of a fallen leaf
and can create harmonious beauty through collaboration
and wish to infuse poetic imagination into ordinary school uniforms
is this not the most beautiful educational landscape?
Education can indeed be so vividly beautiful!
END
Text and images: Liu Jiangbei
Reviewed by: Cai Xiaoxia
Edited by: Liu Jiangbei
Cai Xiaoxia’s Famous Class Teacher Studio
Sunny Attitude, Win-Win Cooperation
Achieving Students, Developing Oneself