Article source: West-line Studio

On a northwestern Guizhou typical plateau, placed at an altitude of above 2,000 meters in-between untouched grassland hills and mountains, stands the Cuisuba Yi Cultural & Visitor Center. Completed in March 2021, the center was conceived as a landmark to pay homage to the Yi people, an ethnic minority group mainly residing in the mountainous regions and rural areas of South-West China. The building grows from a slope with a maximum inclination of 20 degrees, surrounded by mountains all around. Commissioned by the Dafang County Tourism Development Office in order to provide the basic structure to promote tourism in the area, the center aims to become a symbolic landmark celebrating Yi culture.

West-line Studio has a long history in building cultural centers in Guizhou province influenced by local ethnic minorities; the practice’s approach has always been characterized by deep research on the peculiar cultural aspects of a particular community, which can result in rites, fabrics, patterns, construction techniques, festivals, and pictograms, in order to bring some of these unique features into the design, creating a strong bond with local culture and collective memory.

Image Courtesy © Jingsong Xie

• Architects: West-line Studio
• Project: Cuisuba Yi Cultural & Visitor Center
• Location: Guizhou, China
• Photography: Haobo Wei, Jingsong Xie
• Lead Architects: Haobo Wei, Jingsong Xie
• Architecture and Landscape: Yudan Luo, Ke Zhou, Minghua Ou, Bin Liu
• Structure: Yuanping Li, Dingping Fu
• Project Manager: Xuanqin Gong
• Client: Guizhou Province Dafang County Keteleeria River Tourism Investment Development Service Co. Ltd
• Site Area: 1,565 sqm
• Building Area: 2,569 sqm
• Completion: March 2021

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