Soak It Up: The Dongyuegu Music and Performance Valley

Project Profile

1. Project Statement

The Dongyuegu Music and Performance Valley in Shangrao City stands as a prime example of architecture and nature harmoniously fused, embracing the dynamic processes of the natural world rather than resisting them. Located within the Xingjian Ecological Corridor, this cultural performance space is more than just a venue—it is a living, breathing landscape that responds to its surroundings, adapting to the seasonal rhythms of flowing water, flourishing vegetation, and monsoon floods.

2. Objective and Challenge

The 102-hectare site is a narrow, linear strip of land at the foothills on the south bank of the Xingjiang River—Shangrao’s "mother river." Historically, this stretch was overrun with invasive vegetation and informal agriculture, and it was frequently flooded, leaving a few scattered settlements nearly abandoned due to the high flood risk. Apart from a slender band of higher ground at the hill’s base, nearly the entire site is prone to monsoonal flooding—with catastrophic deluges occurring roughly once every 5-10 years. As a result, access was severely limited and the site held little economic or social value.

Shangrao’s population of 6.4 million—including approximately 700,000 residents living near the river—lacked a public destination that could serve cultural, recreational, and ecological needs. The municipal government sought to transform this underutilized floodplain into a flood-resilient music and performance park. The vision was to create a multi-functional cultural facility with spaces for music and performance, visual arts, and other indoor and outdoor recreational opportunities.

3. Design Strategy

3.1 Transparent Architecture Between Mountains and Waters

Within the narrow strip of flood-safe land at the base of the hills, the architect aligned the required 30,000 square meters of building space in a linear configuration. They also kept the complex’s height under 12 meters to meet local planning regulations. Designed for the region’s hot, rainy subtropical monsoon climate, the main building features a continuous outer corridor that unifies its architectural facade.

Along this corridor, railings composed of planter troughs and minimalist handrails create a rhythmic pattern of solid and void—resembling a musical staff that reinforces the project’s musical theme. The transparent architecture itself seems to breathe with the breezes flowing between the river and the hillside. Extensive green roofs and vegetation along the corridors help dissolve the structures into the verdant environment, blending human-made music with the sounds of nature. Rainwater from the rooftops and surrounding site is collected to form a reflective pond in front of the complex, providing a natural buffer between the architecture and the adjacent roadway.

3.2 Musical Notes on the Staff

The entire complex is composed of multiple functional elements. The core music and performance spaces occupy only 6,000 square meters—just one-fifth of the total 30,000 square-meter floor area. The remaining four-fifths of the development is devoted to supporting services and commercial uses: a music-themed hotel, themed restaurants, training centers, offices, and other service facilities.

The design weaves these service-oriented structures into a unified modern backdrop, marked by a continuous, rhythmic corridor that serves as the defining facade. Against this uniform background, six distinct music and performance spaces stand out like musical notes on a staff, punctuating the linear facade. These six spaces include three enclosed indoor halls and three open-air performance areas, each defined by a unique structure.

The three indoor venues consist of a conventional concert hall and two interactive live-music halls (Livehouse clubs). In contrast, the three outdoor performance spaces are each designed to foster a unique relationship between people, nature, and architecture—sparking artistic inspiration and distinct sensory experiences:

· Cosmic Echo (听影): This structure takes the form of an asymmetrical concrete cone, with a stairway spiraling up between twin walls—an arrangement inspired by Richard Serra’s sculptures. The stairway serves as both an ascent to an elevated observation platform overlooking the city and a crucial connector between the amphitheater, adjacent service buildings, and corridors. It also provides a vertical circulation route within the cone itself. At the base, a circular reflecting pool mirrors the sky and enhances acoustic reverberations. Gazing upward from this pool, visitors engage in a visual dialogue with the sky, where the interplay of light and shadow echoes a cosmic rhythm.

· Spherical Symphony (闻籁): This installation consists of two nested concrete cones tucked between the surrounding service buildings. Ambient sounds bounce and reverberate between its curved walls, creating an immersive soundscape. A skywalk slices through the cones across four levels, offering a layered visual and auditory experience.

· Whispering Bamboo (语竹): A cylindrical enclosure constructed from perforated brick. A path winds upward between its inner and outer walls, leading to an elevated second-floor corridor. Inside, dozens of green bamboo stalks sway gently, their rustling leaves evoking a quiet whisper. In ancient China, bamboo symbolized wind instruments—here, that tradition is invoked as music returns to its natural roots.

3.3 A Symphony of Architecture and Landscape

One key feature of the design is how the performance spaces extend into the surrounding park. Indoor venues, interactive installations, and outdoor bridges and platforms collectively form a stage where people and nature perform in harmony. Music and performance are no longer confined to formal halls; instead, they seamlessly blend into everyday life and the natural landscape.

An elevated skywalk links all six performance spaces, allowing visitors—whether formally attired for an event or casually dressed for a stroll, young or old—to find their own spots for artistic expression. Some might sing solo, others perform impromptu routines for their cameras, and groups may dance together. This is not a conventional performance venue – it's an integrated network of spaces where nature itself takes the stage.

3.4 A Sponge Park that Embraces Floods

As an integral part of the project, the design team treated the site’s flood-prone riverbanks as an opportunity rather than a problem. Instead of building concrete barriers to keep water out, they embraced the water with sponge-city principles, integrating flood events into everyday life and even into the performance landscape. Key sponge-city strategies include:

· Utilizing simple excavation and fill techniques to sculpt ponds and islands on the degraded floodplain, enriching biodiversity while absorbing rainwater and floodwaters.

· Establishing an elevated network of pedestrian walkways and performance platforms above the flood-prone ground.

· Constructing skywalks, pavilions, and shelters that serve as both performance spaces and everyday leisure areas. Even during a once-in-a-century flood, these elevated structures remain accessible to the public, providing connections to the indoor performance halls of the Music Valley.

4. Conclusion：A New Paradigm for Urban-Nature Integration and Human Performance

The Dongyuegu Music Valley is more than an architectural achievement—it is a declaration of a new urban philosophy, one that embraces natural processes and encourages human interaction with them. Rather than resisting water, it adapts to and welcomes floods. Instead of dividing culture from ecology, it seamlessly integrates the two. Nature is not merely a scenic backdrop but an essential performer on this grand stage. By doing so, Shangrao’s Dongyuegu sets a powerful precedent for cities worldwide: build with nature, not against it; embrace water, not fear it; create spaces where people and the landscape flourish together.