亚洲的霍格华兹

亚洲的霍格华兹

河北省新乐市一所私立艺术院校建造了一个童话般的校园，俨然就像是《哈利波特》里的霍格华兹。

A private arts academy in the city of Xinle in Hebei Province is building a fairy-tale campus, complete with a castle that seems straight out of a Harry Potter novel. CCTV reporter Ning Hong paid a visit to the school where he found all sorts of magic in the air.

Several kilometers from the school a great tower looms over the campus.

It’s part of a three-building complex featuring a hundred-meter tall bell tower. We haven’t found a magic entrance to Hogwarts; this is the campus of the Hebei Academy of Fine Arts.

Asia’s Hogwarts: Private college building wonderland campus

once finished, this castle will be used as a laboratory for cultural industries. It’s also likely to attract a lot of tourists. But this is just a part of a much bigger plan. The college buildings will be a collection of architectural styles from around the world.

A number of the buildings on campus appear to be Chinese temples surrounded by gardens.

The principal of the Academy, Zhen Zhongyi is a well-known calligrapher and painter. He and his faculty designed most of the campus buildings.

“The first thought was to provide our students with a fine environment in which they will live and study. We also want a different way to conduct traditional education,” Zhen Zhongyi said.

The unique campus buildings have already become a useful lab for students of architecture and landscape design.

A pagoda and Taoist temple are currently under construction. There will also be a cathedral, a mosque and a modern art gallery with four helipads. It’s expected to take a decade to complete.

The fairy-tale castle has attracted critics from home and abroad but Principal Zhen says its design is only broadly based on European Gothic architecture.

"I’m not trying to copy the exact appearance of western castles. The idea is to bring in the essence and core value of western architectural styles,” Zhen Zhongyi said.

So far, the castle alone has cost nearly four hundred million Yuan. This autumn the first group of students will start their studies here. Along with reading and writing they are also likely to find a little magic in their new dream-world campus.