In Fuzhou’s historic alleyways, once walked by emperors, scholars and reformers, the design team has created a contemporary retreat that engages with imperial legacy through spatial restraint and material clarity.
The neighbourhood is a masterwork of Ming and Qing dynasty architecture, rooted in the Tang dynasty’s lǐfāng planning system.
In the heart of Fuzhou’s Gulou District lies a rare urban treasure: the Three Lanes and Seven Alleys, a 45-hectare historic district that has survived centuries of upheaval and modernization.
Known as “the living fossil of China’s urban alley system,” this neighbourhood is a masterwork of Ming and Qing dynasty architecture, rooted in the Tang dynasty’s lǐfāng planning system. Its grid-like layout, defined by three north-south lanes and seven east-west alleys, once housed the intellectual and political elite of imperial China—figures whose legacies shaped the nation’s modern trajectory.
A Response to Time
This cultural tapestry is now being thoughtfully reinterpreted by PEI Architects through the Guanglufang Hotel, a hospitality project that engages in dialogue with history. Completed late last year, the almost 32,000 squaremetre hotel is a contemporary courtyard sanctuary that honours the spatial rhythm and material language of its surroundings.
The architects’ design philosophy is evident in every gesture. The hotel’s low-rise villas and reception buildings are arranged around private gardens and interior light wells, echoing the intimacy of traditional Fuzhou courtyard homes.
A central sunken garden, visually and physically linked to Guanglu Park, creates a tranquil oasis that softens the urban density and invites reflection. This landscape strategy not only enhances biodiversity but also reinforces the district’s historic balance between built form and nature.
Materiality plays a central role in this architectural homage. Cast-in-place concrete, used throughout the project, evokes the monolithic white-and-black walls of the surrounding heritage buildings. It’s a modern reinterpretation of the smooth firewalls that once defined Fuzhou’s vernacular architecture – minimalist, resilient and quietly expressive.
Cultural continuity is woven into the programmatic elements as well. A replica opera house hosts daily performances of traditional Chinese opera, reviving the performative rituals that once animated the salons of Fuzhou’s elite. The Dao Nan Library, reimagined as a function room, bridges imperial scholarship with contemporary utility. These interventions are not nostalgic—they’re generative, allowing heritage to evolve rather than ossify.
A Quiet Intervention
What makes Guanglufang Hotel exceptional is its restraint. In a city where rapid development often threatens cultural erasure, this project listens before it speaks. It doesn’t mimic the past—it converses with it.
The axial entry sequence, alternating interior and exterior spaces, mirrors the ceremonial procession of traditional courtyard houses, guiding guests through layers of experience and meaning.
Guanglufang Hotel offers a compelling case study in contextual architecture. It proves that modern design can be deeply rooted in place, history, and memory, without sacrificing innovation. In Fuzhou, the alleys still whisper imperial stories. Thanks to PEI Architects, those whispers now have a space to resonate.
PRC Magazine recently interviewed PEI Architects Principal Hajime Tanimura which you can read here.
