Jinglu Mountain Exhibition Area

The ancient poet Ouyang Xiu wrote that the drunkard's intention lies not in the wine but in the mountains and waters. A recent project in Chongqing not only honors traditional Chinese garden aesthetics through the refinement of mountain, cloud, water, and moon but also draws on Chongqing's deep cultural heritage to realize, through design, the classical Chinese ideals of distant mountains in faint shadow, winding waters with floating cups, open and luminous clarity, and serenity leading to the far-reaching. Chongqing is built against mountains and embraced by two rivers, with mountains within the city and the city upon the hills—making it the city most qualified to be called between mountains and waters. The Jinglan Mountain project is located in the Banan district of Chongqing and fully inherits the city's natural characteristics: superior natural resources, on-site hot spring resources, and an elevation difference of up to 60 meters from front to back. In the design, landscape and architecture follow the terrain to create exceptional viewing vantage points, making the grandeur of the mountains and the grace of the waters private treasures. The Book of Han: Treatise on Rhythm and Calendar records that seven is the number from which heaven, earth, the four seasons, and humanity begin. The Jinglan Mountain project fixes seven scenic moments—Autumn Water, Emerging Clouds, Listening to Wind, Viewing the Forest, Gazing at Peaks, Imprinting the Moon, and Flowing Light—capturing the beauty of Chongqing and unfolding them in sequence as one moves through the design. Since ancient times, the forms of mountains, waters, clouds, and moon have forged Chongqing's Chinese charm through poetry. Jinglan Mountain traces these roots and fully displays Chongqing's historical vicissitudes and contemporary character, giving the project both the steady composure of a literati's elegant dwelling and the delicate beauty unique to Chinese design. The refinement and taste of ancient Chinese scholars can be seen in the functional details of each zone. The entrance area is themed Autumn Water, with a facing-view landscape wall symbolizing the opening of a mountain gate, establishing a grand and elegant project tone. The wall uses carefully selected travertine with rich textural variation to emphasize natural quality. Bamboo behind the wall screens sightlines while creating a mountain-forest atmosphere. The gatehouse uses super-white travertine with consistent texture, forming a flowing mountain-water quality. The front courtyard is spacious in both directions, presenting a melodious transitional space. The central water feature follows the celestial-round, terrestrial-square form, with the seven scenes as rhythmic cadences, eloquently conveying the humble and inclusive qualities embedded in the space. The entrance forecourt uses mirror water as the primary element connecting different spaces, causing them to merge and overlap as if shoulder to shoulder, adding intimacy. The faint, enduring mountain ridges on the building facades collide with the calm yet flowing mirror water, and the walkway feels like a plank path over water, crystal clear and translucent, allowing one to appreciate the beauty of spatial sequence. Mountain sculptures on the cloud-patterned wall meet overhanging branches at just the right moment, and the overall space conveys a quiet, restrained temperament while allowing enjoyment of mountain-and-water pleasures. The entrance space uses covered walkways as connectors, serving as a transition between modern and natural space and blending indoor and outdoor landscapes so that tree shadows, rock, and the sound of wind all become part of the scenery.