Maiji Mountain Tourism Service Center
Tianshui, one of the important birthplaces of the Chinese civilization, is locates in Gansu Province, where the Silk Road goes through and joins the Shu Road. Maijishan Grottoes is one of the four largest Grottoes in China, which is 45 kilometers away from Tianshui (ancient Qinzhou) at the southeast. With the rapid development of China’s cultural tourist industry in recent years, people have higher and higher requirements for tourist and leisure infrastructure. Maiji Mountain in Tianshui gets its historical opportunity of a rapid development duo to its cultural resort.
The site of the project is situated on the north of the Maiji Mountain scenic spot, around which there are also other scenic areas including the Shimen, Xianren Cliff, Jieting Hot Spring etc. As the core tourism service center in the region, the completion of the project will upgrade the level in the cultural tourist service industry.
Maijishan Grottoes and the surrounding historical sites are the historical witness of the long-term cultural interaction and integration of the ancient Central Plains areas with the ancient western regions. In this process, the introduction of Buddhism and the original culture of the Central Plains area colliding and interacting produced a profound impact on the spiritual life of the Chinese people. The design is to concentrate appropriate cultural temperament and consideration of environment in architecture. It is necessary to take the influence of Buddhism into consideration prior to the study of the significance of Maijishan culture and art, thus this is where the origin of the design begins.
Circular structure is the most common and primitive form of space used for ceremonial space and memorial place after the awakening of human consciousness, which corresponds to the concept of reincarnation of Buddhism. All living things, if they do not seek “liberation”, will always sink into the “six realms” of life and death, and endless. Such concepts and annotations would change in the long history of cultural integration, especially in the process of communication and integration with the original culture of the Han nationality, and even in the process of modernization. It has a more contemporary interpretation beyond the original meaning of Buddhism, which indicates the realistic power of sustainable development and acts on our life experience.
The circular space shall be the basic feeling of architectural experience. At the same time, the ups and downs of the surrounding natural environment will merge into the building’s shape, which promotes the superposition of human feelings and environmental forces to form an energy field with contemporary spirit. Both the Tourism Service Center and Maiji Cultural and Creative Town are participants of public spaces with environmental power, and spread this trend to the design of the whole site.
