WEME Project Record | The Elegant Architecture of National Cultural Essence in the Cloud-top Business District

Opening: A Wonderful Encounter Between Urban Business and Traditional Chinese Medicine

In the vibrant modern business area of Shanghai Hongqiao Business District, a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) clinic is writing a story of integration between tradition and modernity in a unique way. The Chinese-style Chuimen (hanging-flower gate) entrance landscape construction project undertaken by Shanghai WEME Landscape implants a profound touch of Chinese elegance into this business district, where high-rises stand in profusion and life moves at a brisk pace. It allows the profound heritage of TCM culture to quietly bloom beside the skyline of the modern city, through the structure and charm of traditional architecture.

Located in the core area of Hongqiao Business District, the project serves a TCM clinic that is deeply rooted in the TCM field and upholds the concept of inheriting and innovating traditional medicine. We have positioned the core of the project as "the cultural facade of the TCM clinic, adding Chinese-style elegance to the business district". Our aim is to build a window for the external display of TCM culture through the Chuimen, a representative symbol of traditional Chinese architecture. This enables busy business people to pause and feel the integrated charm of TCM culture and Chinese aesthetics even in a fleeting moment, filling the gap of cultural inheritance and human warmth in the modern architectural complex of the business district. After months of refinement and spanning seasonal changes from the project’s launch to its completion, a quiet Chinese-style space has finally been nurtured amid the hustle and bustle of the city.

Overall Features: A Cultural Symphony of Tradition and Modernity

(I) Style Integration: The Spiritual Alignment of Chinese-style Chuimen and TCM Clinic

A TCM clinic bears the mission of inheriting TCM culture, with its core lying in "syndrome differentiation and treatment" and "the holistic concept"—emphasizing the harmonious unity between humans and nature, as well as between the body and the spirit. This highly aligns with the "harmony between man and nature" philosophy pursued by traditional Chinese architecture.

The Chuimen, as a highly representative element of traditional Chinese architecture, has achieved a dual transformation in spatial function and cultural connotation—from being a ceremonial space in siheyuan (quadrangles) to now serving as the cultural facade of a TCM clinic. The traditional structure of the Chuimen, with its overhanging eaves and upturned corners stretching like bird wings, implies a response to and yearning for nature, much like the TCM health preservation concept of "following the principles of yin and yang, and conforming to the methods of health preservation". Its vermilion pillars stand firm, symbolizing the solid foundation of TCM cultural inheritance, analogous to the TCM diagnosis and treatment approach of "seeking the root cause of diseases". The flowing colored paintings on the beams and brackets are vivid yet orderly, implicitly echoing the TCM theory of "the balance of the five elements and the harmony of the zang-fu organs".

When the traditional style of the Chuimen meets the cultural core of the TCM clinic, the two are not a simple visual combination but a deep resonance of cultural genes. This makes the TCM clinic stand out from the modern architectural jungle and become a cultural landmark that integrates inheritance and innovation.

(II) Environmental Contrast: The Chinese-style Breakthrough in the Business District

Hongqiao Business District is Shanghai’s business window to the world. Modern building clusters with glass curtain walls outline a concise and efficient urban skyline, representing the speed and power of modern commerce. In contrast, our Chinese-style Chuimen, with the warmth of wood, the agility of overhanging eaves, and the delicacy of colored paintings, creates a "cultural gap" in this "steel jungle".

In the early morning, when sunlight falls on the earthen tiles of the Chuimen, the simple and unsophisticated texture of traditional small green tiles contrasts with the cold and rigid reflections of modern glass curtain walls—yet they reach a wonderful harmony amid the interweaving of light and shadow. At noon, as business people hurry by, the vermilion pillars of the Chuimen stand like a cultural lighthouse, striking in the gray tones of modern buildings. They unconsciously slow people down, and as people explore with their eyes, the seeds of Chinese aesthetics and TCM culture are quietly sown. In the evening, as the lights of the business district are turned on one after another, the overhanging eaves and upturned corners of the Chuimen outline a graceful silhouette against the dusk, blending with the neon lights of surrounding modern buildings. The boundary between tradition and modernity becomes increasingly blurred, making Chinese-style elegance even more precious and unique in the urban night scene.

This contrast between tradition and modernity is not opposition but complementarity. It injects humanistic care and cultural depth into the business district, transforming the commercial space from a mere cold transaction site into a micro-stage for cultural exchange and inheritance.

(III) Cultural Transmission: The Mutual Affinity Between TCM Heritage and Chinese Aesthetics

The Chuimen conveys far more than architectural aesthetics—it represents the mutual affinity between the heritage of TCM culture and Chinese architectural aesthetics. From the perspective of TCM, the construction of the Chuimen follows traditional craftsmanship, just as TCM treatment adheres to the "principles, methods, formulas, and medicines". Every step of material selection, design, and construction embodies the pursuit of "balance and harmony", which is in line with the TCM concepts of "preventive treatment of diseases" and "regulating qi and blood" for treatment.

From the dimension of Chinese architectural aesthetics, the Chuimen’s dougong (bracket set) structure, colored patterns, and hanging lotus decorations are concrete manifestations of a thousand years of Chinese aesthetics. The layered protrusion of dougong is like the "monarch, minister, assistant, and guide" in TCM prescriptions—each part performs its own function while working synergistically. The cloud patterns and flower motifs in the colored paintings imply auspiciousness, similar to the TCM expectation that "when healthy qi is abundant inside the body, pathogenic factors cannot invade". The flexible droop of the hanging lotus columns resembles the circulation of qi and blood in TCM meridians—subtle yet full of vitality.

When people stand in front of the Chuimen, touching the wood grain and looking up at the "painted starry sky", they feel not only the beauty of architecture but also the cultural atmosphere formed by the integration of TCM culture and Chinese aesthetics. This atmosphere transcends time and space, revitalizing ancient wisdom in the modern city and achieving the dual satisfaction of cultural inheritance and aesthetic experience.

Photos & Highlight Features: A Microscopic Interpretation of Craftsmanship

(I) Exquisite Craftsmanship: A Millennium-long Dialogue Between Mortise and Tenon, and Carving

Mortise and Tenon Structure: The Inheritance of Ancient Methods as the Soul of Architecture

The framework of the Chuimen is built with the traditional mortise and tenon structure—thesecret behind why Chinese architecture can remain stable for thousands of years without nails. Our craftsmen team followed ancient methods to precisely cut each piece of wood, ensuring a perfect fit between mortises and tenons. For example, the connection between columns and beams uses the "dovetail mortise and tenon": the dovetail-shaped tenon is inserted into the mortise, and the more force applied, the more stable it becomes. This is analogous to the TCM approach of "treating both the symptoms and the root cause"—a solid foundation is essential to resist external pathogenic factors.

During construction, craftsmen repeatedly adjusted angles and dimensions to overcome the differences between modern mechanical processing and traditional manual precision. Every joint of the mortise and tenon is a devout tribute to traditional craftsmanship, allowing the Chuimen to retain the mechanical wisdom of Chinese architecture—"combining rigidity with flexibility and following the natural way"—even in an environment of modern building materials.

Carving Techniques: Cultural Narration in Details

Carvings on parts such as beams, brackets, and hanging lotus columns are not only the visual focus of the Chuimen but also the carrier of cultural narration. Craftsmen used traditional techniques such as relief carving, openwork carving, and round carving to present flowers, cloud patterns, and auspicious motifs one by one.

Take the peony carvings on the beams as an example: relief carving is used to create distinct petal layers and delicate stamens. In Chinese culture, peonies symbolize prosperity and auspiciousness, similar to the TCM expectation of "abundant qi and blood, and healthy zang-fu organs". For the cloud pattern carvings on the hanging lotus columns, openwork carving is adopted to make the clouds look flexible and flowing, as if moving between the beams and columns—echoing the TCM theory of "qi circulating throughout the body, and unobstructed meridians".

During the carving process, craftsmen had to balance artistic beauty with cultural connotations. The depth of each knife stroke and the direction of each line were carefully considered. This makes the carvings more than just decorations—they are a microscopic dialogue between TCM culture and Chinese aesthetics, turning static architectural components into dynamic chapters that tell cultural stories.

(II) Material Selection: Dual Considerations of Texture and Culture

Solid Wood Selection: The Precipitation of Time Behind Warmth

The wooden components of the Chuimen are made of high-quality old elm wood and catalpa wood. Old elm wood has a rough grain and carries the precipitation of time, with a simple and unsophisticated texture—just like the TCM case records passed down in TCM clinics, where every grain is a mark of time. Catalpa wood is tough and has a warm color, making it suitable for fine carving—analogous to TCM medication, which emphasizes "meticulous processing and treatment based on the nature of the medicine".

After material selection, the wood undergoes multiple special treatment processes, combining traditional natural air-drying with modern anti-corrosion and moisture-proof technology to remove moisture and impurities from the wood. This ensures that the wood remains stable, non-rotten, and non-worm-eaten in Shanghai’s humid climate. The selection and treatment of wood not only guarantee the physical durability of the Chuimen but also endow it with a sense of cultural timelessness, turning each piece of wood into a cultural bridge connecting tradition and modernity.

Stone Application: The Cultural Foundation in Solidness

Fine granite is used for parts such as plinth stones, which are polished manually to present a calm and solid texture. Granite is hard, symbolizing the solid foundation of TCM cultural inheritance—just like TCM theory, which "has stood the test of thousands of years and remains unshakable". The lotus patterns carved on the plinth stones have smooth lines: in Buddhist culture, lotus symbolizes purity and transcendence; in TCM, lotus can be used as medicine to "clear heat and relieve summer heat". This cross-cultural application of symbols makes the stone more than just an architectural base—it becomes a carrier of cultural integration.

During construction, the cutting and carving of the stone required precise control: it not only had to connect naturally with the wooden components but also highlight the texture of the stone itself. The installation of each plinth stone is a practice of the cultural concept of "combining rigidity with softness and integrating movement with stillness", giving people a sense of stability and reliability in both visual and cultural experience of the Chuimen.

(III) Detailed Design: The Ingenious Integration of TCM Elements

Integration of Colored Paintings: The Meridian Connection Between Color and Culture

The colored paintings on the beams and brackets are not only a visual feast of the Chuimen but also an important window for the integration of TCM elements. Based on the TCM theory of "five elements and five colors", the painting team matched the five colors (cyan, red, yellow, white, black) with the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, water) and integrated them into cloud patterns and TCM herb motifs.

For example, cyan is used to paint cloud patterns, corresponding to the "wood element"—symbolizing vitality and upward growth, similar to the TCM treatment approach of "soothing the liver and regulating qi". Red is used to paint flowers, corresponding to the "fire element"—implying warmth and vitality, in line with the TCM concept of "nourishing the heart and calming the mind". Natural mineral pigments are selected for the colored paintings, which have pure colors and are resistant to fading—just like the natural properties of TCM herbs.

During construction, the painters first applied a base coat and sketched the composition on the wooden components, then applied colors in layers and blended them. Each layer of color 叠加 is a deciphering of the "color code" of TCM culture, turning the flowing colored paintings on the beams and brackets into vivid visual teaching materials for TCM culture. This allows people to unconsciously touch the "meridians" of TCM culture while appreciating the color aesthetics.

The Implication of Hanging Lotus Columns: Cultural Echo in Subtlety

The design of the hanging lotus columns hides ingenuity: their drooping shape subtly echoes the shape of TCM pills. TCM pills are one of the traditional TCM dosage forms, carrying the TCM wisdom that "pills act slowly"—releasing medicinal effects gradually to nourish the body. This design of the hanging lotus columns is not a simple imitation of shape but a subtle expression of cultural implication: it symbolizes that the TCM clinic nourishes people’s physical and mental health in a gentle and sustained way, conveying the concept of health.

At the same time, the carved decorations on the hanging lotus columns implicitly incorporate elements of TCM meridian diagrams and acupoint maps, setting off the TCM cultural atmosphere from the side. This turns every architectural component into a "silent promoter" of TCM culture, completing the transmission and infiltration of cultural information as people glance at it inadvertently.

(IV) Overcoming Difficulties: The Construction Philosophy of Ingenuity Breaking Through Challenges

The Difficulty of Adapting to the Modern Environment

In the environment surrounded by modern buildings in Hongqiao Business District, the construction of the Chuimen faced challenges such as coordinating with the style of surrounding buildings, limited construction space, and interference from modern facilities.

To address the style coordination issue, while retaining the traditional structure of the Chuimen, we appropriately adjusted the color saturation and the proportion of some components—ensuring that the Chuimen stands out without being obtrusive against the modern architectural background. To solve the problem of limited construction space, we adopted a combination of modular prefabrication and on-site assembly: some components were prefabricated in the factory to reduce the on-site construction area and noise, while ensuring construction precision. These measures ensured that the construction of the Chuimen did not damage the surrounding modern facilities and progressed as planned, achieving the harmonious coexistence of traditional architectural craftsmanship and the modern construction environment.

Balancing the Inheritance and Innovation of Traditional Craftsmanship

During the construction process, balancing the inheritance of traditional craftsmanship with modern construction needs was a major challenge. For example, in the application of the mortise and tenon technique, it was necessary to follow ancient methods to ensure structural stability and cultural authenticity, while also considering the compatibility of modern building materials and construction efficiency.

We addressed this by organizing collaboration between traditional craftsmen and modern engineers: craftsmen passed on the essence of traditional craftsmanship, while engineers provided modern technical support. Together, they developed auxiliary connectors that are compatible with modern wood and traditional mortise and tenon—ensuring the core position of the mortise and tenon structure while improving construction efficiency and structural durability.

In terms of carving craftsmanship, we introduced digital scanning and 3D printing-aided design: traditional carving patterns were first restored through digital means, then refined by craftsmen through manual carving. This achieved the complementary advantages of traditional craftsmanship and modern technology, making every craft detail of the Chuimen a vivid case of dialogue between tradition and modernity. It also explores a feasible path for the inheritance and innovation of traditional architectural craftsmanship in modern landscape construction.

Conclusion: An Architectural Answer Sheet for Cultural Inheritance

When we stand in front of the completed Chuimen, watching the sunlight filter through the overhanging eaves onto the ground and the colored beams and brackets quietly telling cultural stories in the breeze, our hearts are filled with emotions about the integration of tradition and modernity. This project is not only about creating a cultural facade for the TCM clinic but also about sowing a seed of cultural inheritance in the fertile soil of modern business in Hongqiao Business District.

With the Chuimen as the carrier, the project brings TCM culture and Chinese architectural aesthetics together across time and space, creating a space for inheritance and innovation amid the hustle and bustle of the modern city. Every joint of the mortise and tenon, every stroke of the colored painting, and every choice of material reflects our understanding and practice of cultural inheritance as a landscape design and engineering company.

We believe that the Chuimen will continue to tell the profoundness of TCM culture and the elegance of Chinese aesthetics in the business district through the language of architecture. It will encourage more people to pause in their busy urban lives and feel the warmth of the integration of tradition and modernity. Moreover, it will set a benchmark for the inheritance and innovation of traditional Chinese landscapes in modern commercial environments, inspiring more people to engage in the great cause of cultural inheritance and landscape creation. This will allow the wisdom of ancient culture to continue to bloom with new brilliance in the soil of modern architecture, writing an architectural answer sheet for cultural inheritance belonging to this era.