Old Factory, New Qimen Grounds -- Qimen old porcelain factory renovation
Located in Jinzipai Town, Qimen County, Anhui Province, the former porcelain factory embodies both industrial memory and the cultural legacy of Huizhou’s tea and porcelain traditions. With the decline of production, the site became abandoned, yet its historical and cultural value offers great potential for renewal. The project reimagines the factory as a cultural landmark combining exhibition, experience, education, and leisure.
The spatial strategy preserves key factory structures, original brick walls, timber trusses, and steel frames are reinforced and combined with laminated timber beams, glass curtain walls, and recycled tiles to create a dialogue between old and new. Functionally, the ground floor houses permanent exhibitions on tea and porcelain, as well as a Memory Gallery; the second floor provides cultural salons and product displays; the third floor contains a tea & book bar with outdoor terraces, achieving a progression from active to quiet spaces. The landscape design adapts to mountainous terrain and water systems, using local plants to create an ecological and seasonal environment. Visitors are invited to join tea ceremonies and porcelain workshops, experiencing local traditions firsthand. Industrial relics, such as the factory chimney, are retained as cultural symbols, while sustainable strategies—rainwater reuse, natural ventilation, and local material recycling—support ecological goals.
This transformation balances Hui-style traditions with modern spatial expression, reviving the old factory as a vibrant venue for cultural exchange and rural revitalization.
