Hidden away in the historical heart of Yunnan, China, the Weishan Chongzheng Academy Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde seeks to resurrect the region's ancient splendour. The area, famous as the centre of the Nanzhao Kingdom, retains an urban layout from the Ming and Qing dynasties, along with several stylistic elements reminiscent of traditional Chinese architecture of the period. The Chongzheng Academy, built during the Ming Dynasty, has a rich history spanning over 500 years. In 2021, TAO (Trace Architecture Office), invited by the local government and Librairie Avant-Garde, undertook the extensive renovation of the Academy, transforming it into a multifunctional bookstore and cultural hub. The project aims to rejuvenate the academy and surrounding areas, fostering a vibrant community space.

Blending Tradition with Modernity

The Chongzheng Academy holds significant memories for its local residents. The 330-year-old banyan tree near the south gate and a well-preserved iron factory from the 1960s are all cherished landmarks in the vicinity. Located between the ancient and new towns, this site offers a prime location for the integration of fresh, dynamic elements and placemakers into the area. The urban renewal project thus seeks to create a lifestyle hub with cultural, culinary and artistic spaces, fostering public engagement and revitalising the old town.

The design preserves some of the historical elements of the Chongzheng Academy and the iron factory, introducing a new tree pond crafted around the ancient tree alongside an outdoor sunken courtyard at the lower level. This setup accords the Banyan tree with a visual nexus, placing it at the centre of the setting, connecting the east and west sides of the streets. The slightly rotated city square then becomes a focal point for public activities, offering diverse outdoor options for an urban life and sprawl to prosper. The design extends the urban texture of Weishan Ancient Town, integrating old and new architectural elements while meeting the needs of both traditional and modern business formats.

A Bridge Between Eras

The Librairie Avant-Garde's connection to Chongzheng Academy is rooted in their shared love for books, with the latter once holding the most extensive book collection in Yunnan. On a similar note, Librairie Avant-Garde, originating from Jiangsu, aims to bring a wealth of books to the Weishan Chongzheng Bookstore. Apart from everything that the project seeks to achieve in its immediate context, it also seeks to restore Chongzheng Academy's former glory as a centre of knowledge and culture. The design thus employs a low-impact strategy, preserving historical walls and wooden structures in an attempt to maintain the essence of the original spatial atmosphere along with existing trees.

Pathways of Knowledge

The spatial layout introduces two floating Book Galleries along the east-west axis, connecting the academy's functional areas and creating rhythmic transitions between internal and external spaces. An outdoor theatre and recreation courtyard, enclosed by grandstands and trees, offer spaces for reading, communication and cultural activities. The Book Galleries, with their non-parallel layout, enhance the sense of perspective and depth, providing a unique spatial experience that invites exploration and discovery. The galleries, in that sense, also redivide the academy’s internal layout, connecting different courts and rooms and ensuring convenience of shelter during rainy days.

Cultural Corridors

The Book Galleries are 29-meter-long steel-framed structures placed on either side of the central courtyard. Their design condenses book storage and reading functions into a compact, linear structure. The galleries' diagonal layout enhances the formation of a curious avenue on the grounds, aiming to create a spiritual journey through the book collections. At the same time, the stepped outer volumes serve as exhibition and communal spaces for the courtyard's outdoor theatre, fostering various cultural activities.

Urban Gateway

A new structure on the easternmost side of the academy marks the narrative and spatial climax of the central axis. This area, the interface between the academy and the city, features an indoor theatre and a semi-sunken display area for books. The sunken display area, with its glass façade design, allows for a visual interaction between the building and its immediate surrounding. The annexed structure adopts a “pavilion within a pavilion" concept, balancing contemporary architecture and traditional architectural styles. The inner pavilion, a cylindrical volume, houses the theatre, while the external pavilion, with a traditional herringbone roof, harmonises with the historic buildings.

Structurally, the traditional roof is supported by the wood-grained concrete walls and steel beams of the inner pavilion. This design creates a visual effect of the roof floating in mid-air. The external physical rhythm and plan layout of the annexe align with the historic buildings in the complex, maintaining continuity in materiality and design.

Hosting numerous literary and cultural events in the present, the Weishan Chongzheng Academy Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde seems to have lived up to its transformation into a vibrant cultural hub with an idea to seamlessly reintegrate the historical academy into urban life, continuing its legacy of cultural enlightenment. On a similar note, the Gabriel López China's Library in Guatemala, restored by RootStudio, honours the original structure's historical essence while incorporating minimalism among other modern elements. This blend ensures that the library architecture fosters a functional and cultural centre in the present. Along with this pedagogy, the bookstore exemplifies the delicate balance of preserving historical integrity while adapting to contemporary needs and safeguarding cultural heritage for future generations.

Project Details

Name: Weishan Chongzheng Academy Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde
Location: Weishan, Dali, Yunnan, China
Architects: TAO (Trace Architecture Office)
Principal architect: HUA Li
Floor area: 1,384 sq. m.
Client: Librairie Avant-Garde, Weishan Culture and Tourism Bureau
Program: Bookstore, Exhibition, Visitor center
Structural system: Traditional timber structure, Steel structure, Reinforced concrete
structure