Sustainable design is implemented on the plateau, bringing early spring warmth to children

#01
"New school uniforms made from 102 plastic bottles."

At the end of 2022, in order to give back to the people in the raw material collection area, after learning that the Tacheng Central School urgently needed a batch of autumn and winter school uniforms, Beast of the East teamed up with the Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation (BCAF) to launch a sustainable design school uniform donation plan. In early March 2023, 901 sets of autumn and winter school uniforms were donated to the Tacheng Town Central Elementary School in Weixi Lisu Autonomous County, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province.


▲ Monday Morning at Tacheng Town Centre School

In order to make the school uniforms more than just "school uniforms," but also convey the concept of sustainable lifestyle to local children, the team specially invited the Remake Clothing Bank to provide design, production, and technical support. The final product is a set of environmentally-friendly school uniforms that can be used for multiple seasons, made from recycled plastic bottles and following the concept of environmental protection and regeneration.


▲ The Running Child

Wearing the new school uniforms, the fabric is soft and warm, and the children can hardly notice their special features. But when they received the "science practice book" made by the Dongbian Wild Beasts public welfare team, they were pleasantly surprised to find that the school uniforms were actually made from plastic bottles.


▲ Photo of science exercise book

Plastic bottles did not become environmental waste. Instead, after being recycled, compressed, and crushed, they were spun into fabric and made into school uniforms by designers. This may be the first seed of environmental protection planted in the students' hearts.

#02
A herbal class and an art class
Sow the seeds and grow an oasis

In order to help children better understand the importance of plant diversity and sustainable lifestyles, starting from a pinecone found in the mountains, Dr. Bai Yanjing, the chief scientist of Dongbian Wildlife, began his "herbal class".

From why pine tar can inhibit bacteria, to the fact that barley can actually moisturize, and that the pine mushrooms from the back mountains can resist irritation...


▲ Dr. Bai Yanjing explains the origin of school uniforms to the children.

Through Dr. Bai's lively and patient explanations, the children learned that the plants that grew up in their hometowns could become powerful ingredients through scientific extraction. They could be "put into" hand cream to protect their hands, keep them clean and hygienic, and even prevent dry skin in the winter.

We brought hand cream for the children and teachers and designed environmentally friendly packaging that could also be used as a pencil case, embodying the concept of sustainability in every detail.


▲ Pencil case made of eco-friendly materials.

In addition to learning about herbal science, we also communicated with the art teacher and brought watercolor paints that the children had never used before. They were free to paint the plants from their hometowns that they remembered from their lives.

This was their first time using watercolors, but it did not stop them from showcasing their talents. As a result, we had the opportunity to catch a glimpse into a corner of their hearts, and see an oasis spread out on paper.


▲ Children painting seriously.

Some of the children's works:


▲ Natural greenery, Ennunima


▲ Forest in the sunset, Zi Mingzhu


▲ Hometown scenery, Sun Rushuang


▲ A tree in the blue sky, He Jinxiang.

#03
Reading New Books in the Springtime

At the Wenchang Primary School in Tacheng Town, Weixi Lishu Autonomous County, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, despite having a considerable number of books in the library, there was a lack of more inspiring and creative reading materials.

"Will you really bring books to the children in Shangri-La?"

In February, a partner who donated books placed a copy of "The Prince and the Pauper" on the red "spore car" of the East Beast and took away a red spore, leaving behind her curiosity.

On March 5th, the first batch of exchange books was delivered to the children at Wenchang Primary School in Tacheng Town, Weixi, Yunnan.


▲ Children who read funny books and laughs

As soon as the new books arrived, the children started flipping through them in the library.

Bian Mayang from Class 3 of Grade 3 chose "The Curved Play Notebook," saying that she feels happy whenever she reads it when she is feeling unhappy.

"The Curved Play Notebook" is from: an adult who loves to travel.

Tian Haoyuan from the same class preferred "The Book of the Flower" because "the pictures are very beautiful."

"The Book of the Flower" is from: Yuan Yuan_Artist, curator.

Xiong Lihua from Grade 4 said she heard the story of Mi Xiaoquan on the school radio, so she chose the picture book "Mi Xiaoquan Goes to School." "I heard from others that this book is very funny. There is a dog named Mouse in it, and it is very afraid of cats. In reality, the cats we keep are afraid of dogs, but in the book, the dog is afraid of cats."

The donor of "Mi Xiaoquan Goes to School" is welcome to leave a message so that we can see you.


▲ Read the book at the table tennis table immediately after receiving it

Using books as a medium, the spores of inspiration return to the plateau, back to the land of Tacheng in Weixi, Yunnan, to continue to grow and store energy. Six months ago, the students asked the adults in the city their curious questi

Dong Hongmei from Class 4 of Grade 3 perceives the subtle superpowers in daily life and wants to know if there is a "magic that can make someone happy when they are sad." Li Yuhang from Class 2 of Grade 5 introduced the pork rice from his hometown to the city and was also curious about "what good food is there in the city?"

#04
Where is Your Oasis?

What exactly is an "oasis," and where can one be found? The children do not have a definite answer, and neither do the adults. But children always have their own ideas. In their own "oasis," Li Yuhang wants to lie under the willow trees by the river and take a nap. Xiong Lihua dreams of a place where various ingredients, vegetables, and fruits grow. Tian Haoyuan's "oasis" has many seas where he can roll around in.

"Book exchange" is only a small part of the East Oasis Mutual Aid project. We keep the "oasis" in a specific location, at a specific moment. We are not sure what kind of oasis it will grow into, but we are sure that it is a hopeful place worth cultivating.

All images in this article are provided by "East Beast."