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Project Name: Shanghai Donglin Guanhai·Hexing 1913 Restaurant
Project Area: 6,500㎡ (including 27 private rooms, accommodating over 700 diners simultaneously)
Design Team: Yuanxi Creative Design
Design Consultant: Teacher Liang Jianguo
Chief Designer: Duan Yuan
Design Scope: Space, Hard Furnishing, Soft Furnishing, Landscaping
Primary Materials: Bluestone, Metal Mesh, Wood Veneer, Glazed Tiles, Artistic Paint
Construction Firm: Shanghai Pudao Decorative Engineering Co., Ltd.
Design Phase: June 2021
Completion: December 2021
"Donglin Guanhai·Hexing 1913," located in Pudong Expo Park, Shanghai, stands as a modern tribute to the city's steel industry legacy, elegantly redesigned by the acclaimed Duan Yuan. This riverside retreat, with spaces evocatively named after natural and mystical realms, offers a blend of serene beauty and historical depth. The meticulous transformation of this century-old structure into a lifestyle destination and a museum-like space captures the dynamic tranquility of the Huangpu River, inviting guests into an immersive world of refined contemplation and natural elegance.
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"Facing the rock, I see the vast sea" – this familiar verse from Chinese poetry inspired the name of the Donglin Guanhai·Hexing 1913 Restaurant. "Hexing 1913" pays homage to the site's original occupant, the Hexing Steel Company founded in 1913, and its location as the former site of Shanghai's No. 3 Steel Plant, bearing witness to the city's industrial heritage.
Today, a century later, Donglin Guanhai·Hexing 1913 emerges as a distinguished riverside dining destination, instantly capturing widespread attention upon its opening. Nestled in the prime area of the Expo Park in Pudong New District, the restaurant sits where the park's central axis meets the Huangpu River, near the Mercedes-Benz Cultural Center, creating a unique urban landscape with the emerging skyscrapers of the Bund on the opposite side.
Amidst the backdrop of urban renewal, this century-old building's interior transformation was led by designer Duan Yuan. The design team distilled the vast imagery of the ocean to craft a modern space spanning nearly 10,000 square meters, grand yet intricately detailed, dynamic yet serene.
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Love as a Prelude 
Embracing Design as a Belief
Love, the confluence of all that's beautiful in the world, is embraced as a belief by designer Duan Yuan, who infuses the architecture with a romantic ode to love from a feminine perspective.
A red staircase, spanning 5.2 meters with 27 steps, spirals upwards—5.2 symbolizing "I love you" and the 27 steps, a nod to "forever" (1314), weave a tapestry of enduring affection. Like a ribbon floating in the air, it exudes passion and sways with poetry.
Ascending the stairs to the expansive terrace on the second floor, one is greeted by the majestic outline of buildings along the Huangpu River, a misty grandeur in the distance. Looking down, the garden's mist area and the grassy wedding zone serve as a transition from the bustling city to this serene dining space. The red staircase, a statement of strength and beauty, sets the tone for the entire space, where rationality meets emotion, and solidity contrasts with lightness, infusing dynamic and static energy into every scale of the space. From the architecture and structure down to the tableware and bonsai, the meticulously preserved industrial remnants and the ascending cultural spirit co-create this landscape space, where every step changes the view, inviting one to dwell or wander.
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The Interplay of Movement and Stillness ~ 
Harmonizing the Abstract with the Concrete~
This space finds its balance in the deliberate act of subtraction, leading to a simplification, and in careful addition, fostering a blend. This approach crafts a space where motion and calm coexist seamlessly.
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Dissolving the weight of history, blending in the lightness of the contemporary.
Serving as the building's structural support, the inclined columns steadfastly bear the profound sentiment of mountainous solidity, while aptly mitigating the rigidity that strict orderliness often imparts.
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The design transcends the uniformity of form by integrating diverse stylistic elements. Grounded by the solemnity of deep gray bluestone and the enduring nature of solid wood, the space is infused with whimsy through eclectic touches like artisanal door handles, ornate Baroque chairs, and ethereal ice crystal seating, creating a blend of solidity and levity.
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Blending the rustic charm of traditional materials with the dynamic vibrancy of modern elements, the fusion of rammed earth with glass bricks, and solid wood with acrylic, introduces an innovative aesthetic. This eclectic mix, characterized by unique shapes, contrasting colors, and creative combinations, breathes new life into the space with its contemporary flair.
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Blending the rustic charm of traditional materials with the dynamic vibrancy of modern elements, the fusion of rammed earth with glass bricks, and solid wood with acrylic, introduces an innovative aesthetic. This eclectic mix, characterized by unique shapes, contrasting colors, and creative combinations, breathes new life into the space with its contemporary flair.
Bespoke Elements: The Artistic Perspective of the Designer
Every element, including furniture, furnishings, tableware, wall treatments, flooring, and ceiling designs, along with curated exhibits, artistic installations, and carefully selected plants, reflects the designer's distinct visual philosophy.
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The cultural significance of Chinese red walls and the inherent vitality of green potted plants imbue the space with a profound and enduring charm.
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The ocean's waves, resembling clouds adrift, with their surging momentum, create an intertextuality with the lively exchange of ideas amidst the clinking of glasses.
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The glass ceiling of the fourth-floor restaurant, together with the 270-degree floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides, offers an unobstructed view of the outdoor landscape. In another area on the fourth floor, the water droplet-shaped chandeliers cleverly correspond visually with the outdoor funnel-shaped architectural design.
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The ceiling's sculptural chandeliers echo the artistic elements on the walls, offering a nuanced reflection. The tactile sensation of the walls, reminiscent of fabric, alongside chairs adorned with artistic prints, cultivates a warm, home-like dining ambiance.
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Limited by our line of sight, ceilings are often an overlooked aspect in design. Yet, it is these so-called "marginal" areas that truly reflect a creator's dedication and enthusiasm for design.
From flat to sloped, arched to X-shaped, angled to wavy, the diversity in ceiling designs reveals a designer's fondness for geometric configurations.
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If you look closely enough, you'll notice that even the columns are adorned with unique patterns. Red marble and painted gold glisten, with the former harmonizing with the red sculptures and furniture in the hall, and the latter reminiscent of ancient totemic symbols, akin to precious artifacts found at archaeological sites.
Sound, Light, Scent, and Shadow
An Immersive Sensory Journey
Is a space truly complete
Without sound,
Without scent,
Without light and shadow?
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The whistle of a ship sounds intermittently, while the calls of seagulls ebb and flow; the gentle tap of hands on a doorknob, the steady clack of footsteps on stairs; the friction between chairs and the floor, the clear ring of clinking wine glasses—all these sounds give the space a more three-dimensional presence.
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A feast replete with color, aroma, and taste is a vibrant celebration of life's simple pleasures. The fermentation of beverages from different years brings out the richest flavors characteristic of their various origins.
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"Man is the measure of all things" might not hold true in the context of light and shadow. Under their influence, inanimate objects gain the chance to take center stage.
Mysterious, cool, dreamy, futuristic... Settings vastly different from the everyday allow individuals to momentarily step away from conventional norms and explore hidden aspects of their personality.
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At the Donglin Guanhai HeXing 1913 restaurant, the grandeur of minimalism coexists with the subtlety of maximalism, creating profound effects from minor ripples and constructing magnificent scenes with delicate elements. The essence lies in a moderate balance and a deep appreciation and passion for design, objects, and space. This is what ultimately cultivates an energetic and vibrant space that uplifts and inspires.

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# Lingering Echoes

 

 

"In the early hours of December 20th, as Mr. Zhou, Mr. Wang, and I stepped out of the restaurant, a soul-stirring tremor spontaneously arose within me as I looked back at the brightly lit Donglin Guanhai.

The six months of companionship felt like a love affair destined to end. I experienced it, savored it, and created within it. Yet, the moment it first presented itself to me in its new, complete form was also the moment of our gradual parting.

During these six months, we journeyed from the intersection of time and space, weaving through the dynamic and static, heeding its call. We measured the dimensions of art and mood with light and color, expressed the forces of nature and life with a tranquil language, thereby establishing a harmonious ecosystem with gastronomy. Here, time and space merged; design aesthetics, life aesthetics, and culinary arts intersected, unveiling a fresh present.

Awakening it felt like an ice-breaking journey for me, especially against the backdrop of an ongoing pandemic. I had to travel between Beijing and Shanghai twice a week, and due to a “*” on my travel code, I was even forced to “wander” in different places, adding significant challenges to the project. During this time, my mentor, Mr. Liang Jianguo, offered tremendous support. I also owe my gratitude to our clients, Mr. Zhou and Mr. Wang, whose unwavering support made Donglin Guanhai possible, along with the dedication I poured into it.

Thus, when the time came to truly leave, tears fell unexpectedly, and I found myself speechless. My farewell to it was not an end, but a better beginning.

From now on, let it be a new chapter."

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Duan Yuan

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