kong xiangwei sculpts a Threshold to the Forest
At a bend along the mountain road in Jiuxian, China, the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Art Museum by Kong Xiangwei Studio occupies a narrow site shaded by oaks. The building marks the entrance to the Xi Valley Scenic Area’s forest art initiative — an open-air museum that threads artworks through the woods. Modest in scale yet deeply connected to its surroundings, the structure serves as both gallery and gateway, its form revealing itself gradually to those who arrive on foot.
From the road, the building appears as a folded concrete shell drawn inward by concave surfaces. Narrow openings along the base allow light to seep in and out, hinting at the valley beyond. Entering feels like passing through a small mountain opening into another realm, echoing the vision described in Tao Yuanming’s The Peach Blossom Spring. Inside, filtered light, the scent of oak, and the sound of wind combine to produce a calm, transitional atmosphere as a prelude to the larger landscape.
images © Kong Xiangwei Studio
an art museum from Local Construction and Living Craft
Kong Xiangwei Studio’s practice often favors ‘local construction,’ a method grounded in collaboration and site responsiveness which can be seen through this art museum. Here, the process began not with finalized drawings but with an open-ended experiment in form. The architect and his team used twelve-millimeter deformed steel bars as the framework, which are flexible enough to be bent and bound by hand, yet strong enough to define space.
Three villagers from nearby Maojiahe joined the construction, including a seasoned lathe operator whose mechanical intuition became essential to shaping the curves. Together they twisted and tied the steel into a three-dimensional sketch, gradually finding the building’s form through action. The process carried a sense of discovery, with each adjustment revealing new spatial possibilities.
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon Art Museum stands at a mountain road bend in China
a cavity from rolled paper
The initial idea for the art museum, described by both the client and architect Kong Xiangwei, was ‘a cavity from rolled paper.’ This image guided the design’s pursuit of lightness and continuity. As the frame took shape, thin layers of concrete — just three to four centimeters thick — were cast over it to create a delicate shell. Achieving this level of precision in a rural setting demanded patience and ingenuity from the craftsmen, particularly Master Wang, who led the plasterwork with quiet skill.
Although the finish bears traces of hand and tool, the imperfections enhance the building’s tactile quality. Slight irregularities in the surface read as evidence of process rather than flaw. The resulting texture, somewhere between polished and rough, absorbs shifting light and allows the building to sit comfortably among the trunks and branches.
Kong Xiangwei designed the building as both gallery and forest gateway
its narrow site is shaded by oaks and opens toward the valley
the structure is formed through local construction with village craftsmen
steel bars were bent and bound to define the building’s fluid shape
the three- to four-centimeter shell carries traces of handmade precision
the concept began as a ‘cavity from rolled paper’ translated into thin concrete
project info:
name: Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon Art Gallery
architect: Kong Xiangwei Studio
location: Xi Valley Scenic Area, Jiuxian Mountain, Wulian County, Rizhao, Shandong
design team: Kong Xiangwei, Cui Jun, Gao Zhuojian
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