In summer, Qingdao is almost a paradise.
——Wen Yiduo
△ Entrance Reception Desk
Qingdao offers a unique charm through every season: flowers in spring, moonlit autumn nights, cool summer breezes, and snowy winters. This city has long inspired poets and literati, capturing history’s tides. As Wang Tongzhao wrote in his “Qingdao Sketch,” the city blends the solidity of German heritage, the delicacy of Japanese influence, and the simplicity inherent to China. Qingdao is also known as a place where even ordinary people embrace refined manners and etiquette.
Designer Ma Yiping describes Qingdao’s history and present as a form of frozen art—deconstructed by time, overlaid with culture, and embraced with a diverse and open mindset. The “Zhongzhou Peninsula City States” reflect this approach, with MYP Design Firm reinterpreting Qingdao’s traditions and contemporary spirit through deconstructivism.
The project benefits from a well-developed transportation network and is surrounded by a large green landscape axis that connects to nearby riverside parks. This creates a livable community where residents can relax freely amidst earth, greenery, and water features.
01/ Deconstruction
Deconstructivism in design represents a philosophical approach—a “Dao” or worldview.
△ Entrance display area
Qingdao’s distinctive character is rooted in its design philosophy—using history and culture as a backdrop and art as embellishment, breaking and reorganizing elements to form the contemporary city-state of the Zhongzhou Peninsula.
△ Entrance display area
The design reflects the designers’ philosophy on life—within this fertile space, individuals perceive their connection to the world. Attention to growth details over time is essential. The distinctive deconstructivist techniques, through layers and overlaps of structure, materials, and color, create an immersive spatial atmosphere that evokes strong emotions in visitors.
You will live together with light, earth, and ocean.
In the Chinese worldview, it is important to transform the scenery outside into emotions and a place of residence in the heart. This openness contains a deep wisdom for embracing life.
△ Entrance Reception Desk
Amidst the flow of time, one can nurture both body and mind, moving freely and enjoying the picturesque mountain scenery through the rain. At night, the gentle sound of a bell softly illuminates the surroundings.
Life moves forward and retreats; we stay calm through fortunes and hardships, appreciating the blooming and falling flowers before the pavilion.
Without intention, we gaze at the rolling clouds, relaxing beneath the open sky.
Green mountains, blue seas, red tiles, and green waters.
——Kang Youwei
Kang Youwei’s affection for Qingdao shines through his depiction of the city’s “Eight Characters.” “Water” represents not just the vast sea but the refreshing coolness this city offers. Recognizing Qingdao’s honor as the sailing capital, the designer incorporated elements of “water” and “sailing” into the project’s cultural heritage.
△ Entrance to sand table area
The ceiling features stainless steel mirrors that interact with dynamic light, creating a “water-like” effect. The shapes of the art installation and sand table model are inspired by sails, blending beauty with an uplifting spirit reminiscent of sailing.
02/ Spatial Order
From the sand table area to the bar counter
Boldly patterned stones with rich textures stretch across the space, evoking natural associations. Local accents activate visual rhythm, and the overall continuity creates a calm yet powerful tension within the space.
From the sand table area to the bar counter
The highest form of aesthetics also reflects the highest ideals of life—poetry and painting can be found in every detail.
Materials play a crucial role in design expression, shaping the space’s atmosphere. The designers use materials with simplicity and consistency, while stone is employed to create unexpected moments of surprise.
△ Bar counter
The design draws inspiration from the art of the earth, inviting visitors to contemplate the philosophy of coexistence between space, living, and nature from the very beginning.
03/ The Creativity of Art
△ Negotiation Area
The negotiation area features iconic lighting designs by Bruno Munari, a renowned Italian design master and artist of the 20th century. The clear forms convey poetic depth and a profound reflection on life, marking the evolution from futurism to abstraction.
△ Negotiation Area
Artistic creativity defies definition.
For the sales office, people are the most vibrant element in the space. The color palette for both hard and soft furnishings is intentionally minimal—black, white, and gray dominate. Variations in color tones, textures, and structural elements enrich the environment and enhance spatial harmony, according to the designer.
△ VIP Negotiation Room
This space perfectly balances daily life with aesthetic appeal. The fusion of Eastern and Western influences creates a poetic charm that remains warmly inviting.
Details of the negotiation area
The atmosphere is peaceful, indifferent, and natural, reflected in the elegant color palette—simple yet infinitely charming. The subtlety of ink brush marks reveals sincerity and radiance, a brilliance that heavy colors cannot replicate.
△ Public Space
Design shapes not only space but also context.
Lin Yutang once said, “When watching the autumn clouds, one realizes that life should not be too crowded; some emptiness is necessary.” Emptiness is a transparent way of living. Blank space is not lacking; it is a form of abundance. Emptiness is not loss; it is a broader form of possession.
△ Second floor public area
The lighting shifts comfortably between day and night, combining soft and hard textures to create a sense of security. Gentle color tones foster warmth, care, and trust within the community.
△ Children’s area and homeowner activity area
The children’s activity area on the first floor and the owners’ activity area on the second floor create a harmonious atmosphere that balances separation and openness.
Designer’s Reflection
At 3 a.m., the city sheds the noise and restlessness of the day, and time begins to flow slowly here.
How should one navigate life’s forward and backward movements?
Working late at night, beneath a starry sky, the Peace Center stands firm like a mountain, while Binhai Avenue flows gently like the sea. Heaven and earth breathe with their own rhythm, and so do humans. The Zhongzhou Peninsula City State project embodies my contemplation on life’s rises and falls.
Technical Drawings
△ First floor plan
△ Second floor plan
Project Information
Project Name: Zhongzhou Qingdao Peninsula City State Sales Office
Location: Qingdao City, Shandong Province
Owner: Zhongzhou Group
Design Firm: MYP Design Firm
Chief Designer: Ma Yiping
Project Area: 1,030 square meters
Completion Date: March 2021
Main Materials: White waterproof latex paint, textured paint, snow-capped fox marble, Yashi white marble, artificial stone, rock board, wallpaper, black brushed stainless steel, antique copper, metal mesh, wood veneer, and more
Photography: Ouyang Yun
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