The Museum of Cantonese Opera Art

The Museum of Cantonese Opera Art
The Wansha Lake in The Center. Image © Jing Guo

THE MUSEUM OF CANTONESE OPERA ART

Architectural Design and Research Institute of SCUT + Architectural Designand Research Institute of Guangdong Province

CATEGORY
Museums & Exhibit

LOCATION
Guangzhou, China

AREA
17436 m²

ARCHITECTS
Architectural Designand Research Institute of Guangdong Province., The Research Institute of Historic Environment Conservation and Regeneration, South China University of Technology, Architectural Designand Research Institute of Guangdong Province., The Research Institute of Historic Environment Conservation and Regeneration, South China University of Technology

YEAR
2016

PHOTOGRAPHS
Jing Guo, Chao Zhang, Zhixiong Zhao, Xiaoxue Li

MANUFACTURERS
Hitachi Air Conditioning, Foshan Red Lion Ceramic, Mitsubishi Heavy-Haier

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Qian Guo

INTERIOR DESIGN
Guangzhou Seer Design Institute Co.Ltd.

DESIGN TEAM OF SOUTH CHINA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
Qian Guo, Wei Gao, Shaopang Zhuang, Li Sun, Zili Xu, Xiaoxue Li, Kai Huang, Lei Xiao, Yingmei Lu, Xin Luo, Shuai Sun, Mengfan Zhang, Jiayi Ma, Zhengyuan Fang, Fengdeng Wan, Teng Li

DESIGN TEAM OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNAND RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF GUANGDONG PROVINCE DESIGN TEAM
Gang Jiang, Ying Xu, Xing Chen, Ning Li, Zhihao Liang, Chunbin Cai, Qiong Chen, Jiehua Huang, Xudan Pan, Xuezhen Xie, Kai Guo

CLIENTS
Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Television and Culture of Liwan,Guangzhou. Housing and Construction Bureauof Liwan,Guangzhou

VIDEOS
Southern Metropolis Daily Management Co.,Ltd. Guangzhou Liang Heng Yi Shu Culture Media Co.,Ltd., The Research Institute of Historic Environment Conservation and Regeneration, South China University of Technology

Text description provided by architect.

In 2012, Guangzhou Municipal Government decided to build the Museum of Cantonese Opera Art in order to conserve and inherit the now endangered Cantonese Opera in Xiguan.

The Museum of Cantonese Opera Art
Aerial View. Image © Chao Zhang
The Museum of Cantonese Opera Art
Dialogue with city’s public life. Image © Chao Zhang

Xiguan was a vital area for Cantonese Opera in the ancient city of Guangzhou and it is now the Liwan District.Cantonese Opera and Lingnan Garden were deeply rooted in this district.

In 2012, Guangzhou Municipal Government decided to build the Museum of Cantonese Opera Art in order to conserve and inherit the now endangered Cantonese Opera in Xiguan. Xiguan was a vital area for Cantonese Opera in the ancient city of Guangzhou and it is now the Liwan District.Cantonese Opera and Lingnan Garden were deeply rooted in this district.

The Museum of Cantonese Opera Art
ShiwanPottery Sculpture. Image © Xiaoxue Li
The Museum of Cantonese Opera Art
Dialogue with city’s public life. Image © Chao Zhang

In terms of architectural style, the atmosphere of the venue and the characteristics of the city combined with the value of opera’s history and culture make it clear that the best solution is to recreate a " Lingnan style traditional garden."

The proposition paid homage to the history of Cantonese Opera and Lingnan gardens. By combining the spiritual quintessence of Cantonese Opera and the functionality of Lingnan gardens, the resulting architecture and garden space sought to achieve a contemporary dia-logue between the two major cultural symbols of Lingnan across time and space.

From the perspective of contemporary urban design, the project explores the relationship between traditional garden forms and the needs of the public. Constructing a traditional garden in a high-density city center increases urban public space and promotes public involvement.

At the same time, the layout of the garden-styled museum is compatible with the existing urban tissue. Located in the heart of the old Guangzhou, the opera muse-um has become a new city landmark with the taste of ancient Xiguan.

The Museum of Cantonese Opera Art
© Chao Zhang
The Museum of Cantonese Opera Art
The Underground Exhibition Hall. Image © Zhixiong Zhao

The museum is divided into the north and south bank by Liwan canal. The main exhibition spaces and gardens occupy the south bank, while the additional service space occupies the periphery of the museum at the north bank. The space of the museum is articulated by a series of themed gardens.

The general layout of the museum is programed around a North-South axis centered at Wansha Lake scattered with six sub-garden spaces. The flow of water threads through six gardens, forming an organic unity.

The Museum of Cantonese Opera Art
The Underground Exhibition Hall. Image © Zhixiong Zhao
The Museum of Cantonese Opera Art
Chaozhou Wood Carving. Image © Xiaoxue Li

The space to the west of the longitudinal axis is for exhibitions and grand performances, while the east is for recreation, temporary exhibition, and small-scale performances.

The functions of the Cantonese Opera Art Museum is providing spaces for exhibitions,performances, education, research,public usage and everyday life in Guangzhou. All in all, inheritance and development of the Cantonese Opera art is the core objective of the museum.

The Museum of Cantonese Opera Art
Cantonese Opera Art Museum at dusk. Image © Jing Guo
The Museum of Cantonese Opera Art
View from Liwan Canal. Image © Jing Guo

The Museum of Cantonese Opera Art is a traditional Lingnan architecture that utilizes modern construction methods.

Not only did it re-invent the wood clad steel construction, the architecture dramatized the “Lingnan-garden” atmosphere by combining traditional Cantonese wood carving, Chaozhou wood carving, brick carving, stone carving, clay sculpture, Shiwan pottery sculpture with contemporary arts and crafts, without overshadowing any of the traditional Lingnan architectural form.

The Museum of Cantonese Opera Art
Timber Construction with Cantonese Wood Carving and Brick Carving . Image © Chao Zhang
The Museum of Cantonese Opera Art
Nightview. Image © Jing Guo

To visitors, the museum itself offers a comprehensive experience of immersing in the Cantonese Opera culture, Lingnan traditional crafts, and metropolitan life. Therefore, the Cantonese Opera Art Museum simultaneously conserves, exhibits and inherits the intangible cultural heritage.

Respecting the environment and life style of the Cantonese locals, and the close relationship between Cantonese Opera and traditional landscape, this design proposition meticulously set the constructions along the Liwan bay, featuring the gorgeous and extraordinary opera art and culture of Lingnan, providing a lively and historical space for their living inheritance.


The Museum of Cantonese Opera Art
Diverse performance platform
The Museum of Cantonese Opera Art
Exhibition Space
The Museum of Cantonese Opera Art
Masterplan
The Museum of Cantonese Opera Art
Layout and Program Distribution


The Museum of Cantonese Opera Art
East-West Section of South Bank
The Museum of Cantonese Opera Art
South Bank South Elevation
The Museum of Cantonese Opera Art
South Bank South Elevation
The Museum of Cantonese Opera Art
South bank north elevation
The Museum of Cantonese Opera Art
Garden, Exhibition, and Garage Three-Layer Space System