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Tripping on Neolithic culture in a way-out modern museum

By Nancy Zhang | May 13, 2009, Wednesday | Print Edition

A little-known treasure of Hangzhou is the suburban Liangzhu Culture Village. Its new museum not only explores Neolithic civilization but also represents a modern architectural achievement. Nancy Zhang explores.

From 3000 BC, the Neolithic Liangzhu culture prospered around what is now Hangzhou, and star Western architects have created a striking new museum to house artifacts in the lush green countryside.

The landscaped Liangzhu Culture Village and its newest addition, the Liangzhu Museum, lie in small Liangzhu Town about 20 kilometers from downtown Hangzhou in Yuhang District. It's an area of rolling hills, streams and a lake, with the museum built an island.

It's well worth a day's trip to visit the museum and explore the area containing more than 50 Liangzhu tombs, altars and other archaeological sites. The entire area covers 34 square kilometers.

It's best to drive, as it takes three buses and two hours to get there from downtown - the inconveniences is probably why it's a little-known tourist destination.

The Liangzhu people used the waterways of the Yangtze River Delta to develop advanced agriculture and irrigation systems. This supported their culture of elaborate religious rituals, and a highly stratified society where rich silks and carved jades can be found in the tombs of the elite.

So impressive are the artifacts that Western architects were invited to create a new home for them, one that blends perfectly with the setting.

The 9,500-square-meter museum opened late last year, a few kilometers away from the older Liangzhu Culture Museum.

The new museum is an attraction in its own right, not only a functional space. Designed by the British firm David Chipperfield Architects, the building has been very well received in architectural circles, yet the area is little known as a tourist destination.

Based on four simple rectangular bars covered in the warm hues of golden Iranian stone, the museum also has the feeling of the firms' calm and contemplative galleries and museums throughout Europe and America.

The minimalist structure is a bold, modern contrast to the ancient and elaborate jades, silks and lacquerware of the Liangzhu people. The tan and cream-colored stone facade of the museum evokes the color of famous Liangzhu jade.

According to Mark Randal, director of David Chipperfield Architects, the museum was designed to be "introverted," focusing on the exhibitions in a secluded world.

"The biggest challenge was to integrate three very large exhibition spaces with no daylight into the architectural concept," says Randal. "Therefore we devised inner courtyards inspired by Chinese tradition. The combination of large flexible exhibition halls with artificial light and landscaped courtyards orient visitors, who otherwise would have to be in dark spaces for their whole visit. The courtyards create spaces to linger, sit, and talk between exhibition chapters."

Liangzhu jade, with a milky, bone-like color, represented the last jade culture of the Neolithic Age. The new museum houses more jade artifacts than the old museum.

Set in a former industrial site once isolated from Yuhang Town, the area is now a park with rolling hills and streams. The museum is set in a lake, like "a rock on an island," says Randal.

Crossing a bridge to the building, visitors see the quiet, rectangular shapes reflected in the lake.

"The sculptural quality of the building ensemble reveals itself gradually as the visitor approaches the museum through the park landscape," says Randal.

Moving between the exhibitions, from dark spaces into outdoor courtyards, visitors will often see a single tree silhouetted against the warm hues of the stone walls. It invites contemplation.

"The most interesting architectural element for us was the sequence of inside and outside spaces," says Randal. "A number of spatial elements make the walk through the building an experience - from the bridge at the arrival to the connection with the park through an open courtyard at the end of the route."

The building appears both strikingly modern and primitive with its serene stonework and natural greenery.

Address: 1 Meilizhou Rd, southwest of Liangzhu, Yuhang District

Hours: 9am-5pm (closed on Mondays; no admission after 4:30pm)

Tel: (0571) 8877-3875

Admission: Free

Hangzhou


 

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