Project Name: Crowne Plaza Nanchang
Site: No.66 Hongwan Avenue, Wanli District, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
Area: 40,000 Sqm
Design Consultancy: YANG & Associates Group
Chief Designers: Yang Bangsheng, Wang Chaobin, Su Haijiang, Rao Jianmin, Zeng Bin
Opening Date: 29th December, 2017
Photographer: Xiao En

Wanli district is known as “the backyard of Nanchang” and the birthplace of Chinese classical rhythm. The nearby 15,000-hectare Meiling National Forest Park makes the site of the project a gigantic natural oxygen bar. From the marvelous and mysterious nature, YANG draws design inspirations, and creates a 40,000 square meters eco-resort with local cultural aesthetics for business travelers. 

As an ancient Chinese poem goes, “Willows get green again when spring rain falls at the bridge”. Spring rain provides for every thirsty beings, and thus manifests the beginning of lives. Looking from afar, the smoke-like spring rain creates a ethereal aura that resembles the fairyland. Inspired by this beautiful scenery, YANG uses scattered full-height white screens to introduce transparency and mysteriousness into the lobby, making the prelude of the hotel a lasting song of refreshed lives singing by the rain, in which every coming guest enjoys its natural and comforting ambiance. 

With a sloped ceiling and a highest point of 13 meters, the original structure of the lobby is relatively high. To make the space less inapproachable, YANG creates innovative beam structures out of traditional Chinese architecture. By using aluminium plates with wood texture, an architectural and relaxing touch has been brought into the space. And there are four installations derived from the running water surround the stone features in the center, creating a rhythmic space with mountain and river aesthetics. 

Situated in subtropical zone and constantly affected by the East Asian monsoon, Nanchang can be extremely hot in summer and quite cold in winter, thus is known as one of the “Four Fire Stove Cities” in China. To pay homage to that nick name, YANG sets four gigantic humidifiers in stove shape at the lobby lounge. Visually, they looks warm and welcoming, while functionally, they improve the air quality of the space. With this ingenious design, YANG makes it possible for guests to enjoy a spring-like and inviting lobby lounge throughout the year.

As another Chinese poem goes, “Within a wide range of steps, here sit a dozen of bamboos. With various heights they look, it is the harmony they make.” Furniture in different heights resembles bamboo shoots sprouting from the ground, bringing the spirit and vitality of the nature in to guestrooms. Patterns on the carpet reminds one of the beautiful bamboo groves, while the color palette of soft furnishing comes from the energetic and colorful spring. A touch of verve is brought into the elegant space through the use of light purple and dark blue.

YANG spares no efforts in creating the hotel a place with effortless natural aesthetics, while taps into the peculiar memories of this City of Heroes, and then makes a great combination of its natural scenery and cultural legacies. Six pieces of calligraphy artworks writing the Preface to the Prince of Teng's Pavilion make up the backdrop of the front desk. In companion with traditional Chinese brush drawings, this masterpiece of famous poet Wang Bo brings all the guest into the imaginary pavilion at the peak of the hill, where one enjoys a panoramic and picturesque view with literati from the past times.

As one of the most representative cultural cards in Jiangxi and even in China, Jingdezhen Ceramics is best known for its white porcelain, which is described as "White as jade, Bright as mirror, Thin as paper, andSounds like Chime". To make the wide application of the eco-wood color less tedious, YANG adds a tranquil accent into the space by placing transparent and pure white porcelain artworks in various shapes on the huge shelves of the hotel. This deftly use the thousand-year craftsmanship grants the hotel a timeless strength.

By appreciating the sounds of nature, indulging in the beauty of culture and discarding intricate styles and materials, YANG seeks the essence of the space, and eventually creates a natural interior wonderland in a modern minimalist design language. As the first five-star luxury hotel in Wanli district, Crowne Plaza Nanchang is a perfect example of great integration of the interior, the architecture and the landscape, and thus will become the ideal destination for tourists and locals to explore nature while having themselves refreshed