Atelier DYJG

In 2007, Fushan District government made a decision to build Fushan Museum. The museum includes Wang Yirong Memorial Hall, Fushan History Hall and Fushan City Planning Exhibition Hall etc. Among these buildings, the Wang Yirong Memorial Hall is the most significant part. Wang Yirong is the discoverer of the oracle bone script and a famous epigrapher, and Fushan is his hometown.

The museum is located at the south foot of Qinglongshan Hill, covering an area of about 2 hectares and Qinglongshan Cultural Plaza is 11 hectares.

Atelier DYJG got commissioned in 2009. At that time, the site had been flattened and a 40-meter-high sculpture which was designed based on the oracle bone script of Chinese dragon had been erected in the center of the site and became the visual focus. The design of the museum was finished and was ready for construction.

The 60-meter-high Qinglongshan Hill is the unique background on the north side. Due to the main traffic roads on the east and south side, the site is very noisy. The flat site is very large, equals to 13 football pitches. Before we design, there were several schemes, but most of them were spectacular, losing human scale and lack of natural atmosphere.

The plaza should be stage of civil life, vital and multi-functional, allowing people to make choices based on their different needs. Therefore, this plaza must have human scale, pleasing environment and enclosed spaces.

A series of green islands separate the large-scale site into several different human-scale spaces with different functions, landscapes and elevation changes. These green islands also connect Qinglongshan Hill and its plants, and create a visual combination between the hill and the plaza. Green islands improve green space and microclimate, and make the plaza look more natural. The green islands and the rainwater gardens at the foot of the mountain collect the rainwater and runoff from both hill and plaza, which improve the plaza’s ecological function.

The half-sunken service building with green roof at the southeast corner separates the plaza with busy traffic roads. This building further defines the space of plaza, creating a whole and comfortable environment and visual effect.

Two sunken spaces not only enrich the vertical changes, but also provide the quiet and pleasing areas for people. Two pools make the scale in front of the building more appropriate. The cascade brings vitality into the sunken area. The spaying pool under the dragon-shaped sculpture makes the ‘dragon’ seems like flying among the clouds.

The plaza is a stage of civil life. Spatial organization and beautiful lighting allow the plaza being used all day long. Activities such as large show, exercise square dance, ramble, rest and communication, and so on are all available.

Due to the main exhibition is the Wang Yirong’s oracle bone script collections and researches, meanwhile the sculpture is designed from oracle bone script, the design languages of the plaza, such as green islands, water pools, amphitheaters, steps, benches, lightings, pavement, are all inspired by the structure and stroke of oracle bone script. Qinglongshan Cultural Plaza integrates the hill, museum buildings, dragon sculpture, city roads, river and other surrounding environments to become a vital and cultural urban public space.