The countryside is like an unrefined jade—its true beauty yet to be fully revealed, and its value immeasurable. Led by Zou Yingxi, Jianlan Architecture has dedicated itself passionately to nurturing rural areas, carefully refining and transforming rough stones into precious jade.
Zou Yingxi envisions Jianlan Architecture as a “midwife” rather than a provider of fixed solutions for rural development and urban-rural integration. The firm intentionally leaves room for growth, awakening the aspirations of builders and users for the future, their emotional connection to history, and their responsibility toward ecology.
In 2020, the Overseas Chinese Town Qingdao Jimo Lianhua Mountain Rural Revitalization Demonstration Zone Project Exhibition Center (hereafter referred to as the Overseas Chinese Town Rural Revitalization Exhibition Center) materialized the profound concept of “unfinished raw jade” into a tangible space through innovative blue architecture.
01. Collaborative Planning, Building, and Operation to Foster a Vibrant Living Environment
At Jianlan, the vision of urban-rural integration is never achieved through isolated spaces alone. The firm approaches each project holistically, considering comprehensive planning, architectural design, and operational strategies. They deeply analyze existing social networks, spatial logic, industrial layouts, cultural heritage, and natural ecology on-site.
Guided by cultural and tourism development goals and inspired by international art festivals, Jianlan introduces new spaces, crafts new environments, and fosters new industries within the Qingdao Jimo Longquan Lianhuashan urban-rural integration demonstration zone.
Located 70 kilometers from the city center, this fertile land is conveniently close to Qingdao Railway Station, the airport, and the Longqing Expressway. It offers a unique blend of urban and rural living, surrounded by mountains and water, aiming to provide a comfortable “backyard” equipped with urban amenities for long-time city dwellers seeking a relaxed lifestyle.
“Many so-called rural designs neglect considerations of capital, operation, and everyday life, resulting not only in unsolved rural issues but also in dormant assets. Similarly, architectural revivals often rigidly mimic local culture without reflecting on future lifestyles and aesthetics.” — Zou Yingxi, founder and chief architect of Jianlan Architecture
Consequently, the project’s landscape planning integrates mountain sports, bicycle stations, health and wellness retreats, and the tertiary industry. Space and art become focal points for comprehensive operation, engagement, and attraction, forming a series of coherent scenes that bring warmth and vitality to this “jade” life.
In the design of the Overseas Chinese Town Rural Exhibition Center, Jianlan frees itself from the weight of historical and cultural constraints, seeking a dialogue between the new era and heritage. The design embraces the concept of “rough jade”—a symbol of history’s value that can be lightly lifted. The mission is to discover and redefine value through careful “carving.”
02. Form: “Carving Half of the Jade”
△ Roof cutting
As the flagship facility of the area, the Overseas Chinese Town Rural Exhibition Center embodies a series of visionary concepts under the banner of development, serving as a catalyst for comprehensive growth. It is surrounded by typical Qingdao red-roofed buildings, while the new structures accommodate industrial and spatial layouts along with display and retail functions. The center embraces future lifestyles with coffee shops, light dining, and other amenities.
The design selectively incorporates local architectural elements—red bricks, U-shaped glass curtain walls, and high-transparency glass that mimics the color and texture of stone and jade—echoing the traditional red-tiled and white-walled style. Both the roof and walls are composed of the same material to create a seamless envelope, making the “jade” appear purer.
△ Shape evolution
The building’s “cuts” respond respectfully to the site and landscape, creating varied viewing windows. The concave volumes generate a series of shaded grey spaces, which, together with terraces formed by roof openings, establish a dynamic interaction between indoors and outdoors, landscape and architecture.
The sloping roof created by these “cuts” not only reflects the local architectural culture but also incorporates functional gutters at roof-wall joints to collect rainwater, seamlessly blending cultural significance with practical utility.
Beyond architecture, Jianlan also integrates operational logic and allows for the possibility of hosting art events, enriching the rural foundation with artistic elements. The design’s linear features continue the “cutting” technique, linking leisure spaces such as flower fields, whimsical landscapes, observation decks, water features, and non-powered amusement parks.
This creates popular tourist attractions including educational vegetable gardens, scenic flower fields, and artistic landmarks, fostering multidimensional interactions between humans and nature. Visitors experience an ever-changing landscape on their journey through winding paths leading to the building.
Integrated architectural and landscape design
The carefully designed landscape serves as a visual focal point from within the building, creating a vibrant scene of garden beauty, sightseeing, and art appreciation. The architecture itself becomes a moving object of observation, with its carved forms reaching out to the landscape and presenting different faces from every angle.
Between seeing and being seen, art, architecture, and nature merge, intertwining functionality, aesthetics, and conceptual depth.
While straight lines contrast the jade’s natural roundness, Jianlan aims to create a “middle state” where the architecture remains an “unfinished jade.” The task of carving and polishing is then passed on to the builders and users, allowing the space to evolve over time.
03. Space: A Continuously Growing Life
△ Building breakdown diagram
Within the interior layout, the concept of “cutting” continues to guide the design language. The interplay between indoor and outdoor functions is a key factor in shaping the spatial arrangement. Visual connections and linked scenes blur traditional boundaries, expanding the coherence and flow of the experience.
△ Analysis of Building Flow Lines
The integration of exhibition spaces with inviting service areas meets the multifunctional needs of the center, which hosts cultural, artistic, and commercial exhibitions as well as creative events. It simultaneously serves as a showcase for rural revitalization achievements and a platform to celebrate rural culture and contemporary lifestyles.
The winding, bar-shaped long table acts as a spatial “cut,” linking the sales counter, water bar, and seating areas. This feature defines space while fulfilling functional requirements. Its design complements the display zones, guiding visitor flow, organizing exhibitions, and enhancing engagement.
Visually, it unites the interior space through a blend of white and wood tones, symbolizing the bond between city and countryside.
As visitors navigate through the intricately folded spaces crafted by the architect, each step evokes emotional highs and lows, cultivating an understanding of diverse dimensions—space, culture, and life.
04. Uncut Jade Meticulously Shaped, Perfecting the Rural Landscape
In the historic city of Jimo, Qingdao—with a cultural heritage spanning over 1,400 years—the scenic Lianhua Mountain area remains largely unexplored, akin to a dusty, uncut jade. Approaching this site with the precision of a jade master, Zou Yingxi carefully examines and sculpts the space, allowing the raw jade’s brilliance to gradually shine through.
The project unfolds as a continuously evolving space and sensory journey, aiming not only to present the visionary Overseas Chinese Town Qingdao Jimo Lianhua Mountain Rural Revitalization Demonstration Zone to society but also to enrich the broader narrative of urban-rural integration as an international pastoral destination that blends functionality, artistry, and ideology.
Project Drawings
△ General layout plan
△ First floor plan
△ Second floor plan
△ Elevation drawing
Project Information
Project Name: Overseas Chinese Town Qingdao Jimo Lianhua Mountain Rural Revitalization Demonstration Zone Project Exhibition Center
Lead Architect: Zou Yingxi
Architectural Design Team: Chen Shifang, Lei Zhonghua
Interior Design Team: Xia Fuqiang, Qian Guoxing, Cao Zhenzhen, Liu Tingting, Li Qianqian, Feng Yan, Guo Mengjia, Li Hui
Floor Area: 60,000 square meters
Building Area: 2,200 square meters
Design Period: May – July 2020
Completion: 2021
Location: Jimo, Qingdao, Shandong
Owner: Qingdao Overseas Chinese Town Investment Co., Ltd
Photographer: Literal translation of architectural photography
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