HK X WUHAN COLLABORATIVE WORKS - REBORN AND NEWBORN

Responses By

Wang Kai (Wuhan)

Inspired by Benny’s photography, architect Wang Kai redesigned an old tea factory on the Ancient Tea Horse Road, a network of caravan paths winding through the mountains of Sichuan, Yunnan and Tibet. The oldest tea factory on Tea Horse Road, it was built of red brick, typical of buildings in China. The architecture, which symbolises Hubei’s intangible cultural heritage, is obsolete, inflexible and in need of a facelift. Yet by adding bricks, Wang has preserved the soul of the original factory while revitalising its structure to face the future. The architect creates a new visual language through the process of preservation and reconstruction, taking buildings back to their roots. Wang wants to interest the public in the history of Hubei’s tea culture, and explain the factory’s architectural and cultural significance.