Liuli is Love – beautiful and kind, complex and multi-faceted. It offers artists the room for interpretation
                                                                  ── Chang Yi, Founder of LIULI CHINA Museum

“XinTiandi’s Most Striking Construction”
LIULI CHINA Museum, China’s first museum devoted entirely to Liuli, combines both local and international influences from the past and the present. Putting Liuli on display is asking to telling the story of its composition, vigor and emotions. As the creative force behind the museum, contemporary Chinese Liuli artists Chang Yi and Loretta Hui-shan Yang spent three and a half years planning the architectural design of the structure. The four interior spaces promote the art of living and the idea that Liuli is more than a material, it is a spiritual entity seeped in Eastern philosophy. It took eight straight months of construction to pull together the details necessary to bring Liuli China together.

Landmark – 12,000 Liuli Tiles and a One Ton Golden Peony
An 8.5-meter high outer wall built from 4,800 Liuli tiles appears nondescript by day but by night is transformed into a glowing crystalline facade. Not only is it a symbol of the museum’s architectural excellence, it stands as a revolutionary symbol within Xintiandi. Atop the wall perches a one-ton peony sculpture. The traditional Chinese form of the flower forms a striking clash against the clean lines of modern Western architecture. Combined, 12,000 Liuli tiles make up the inner and outer walls. Every tile is made unique by the designer who treated each surface individually during the firing process. The most important feature of this handcrafted wall is the human aspect – bringing to it the touch of life.

Light and Shadow – the Purity of Liuli in a Spiritual Space
The black and white interior theme of LIULI CHINA Museum highlights the strong passion of Chinese culture and style. All superfluous distractions are eliminated to allow for the displayed art to reveal its depth and beauty. Visitors stand with wide eyes in this setting of lowered lights and radiant Liuli. Each room is designed to maximize the mesmerizing effects of the displayed art and to showcase the purity of Liuli in a spiritual space.

Technology – Multimedia Sensory Experimentation
Contemporary art is often paired with multi-media technology. LIULI CHINA Museum employs the powers of technological imagery to create a mysterious “outer space” within the museum’s confine. Butterflies soar within the Liuli walls, yellow sand flows through tiles, animation comes to life in the elevators, there is even a sky hovering above the Buddha. These features bring art to life through illusory enhancements with the hope of forming a connection between art and audience and to break down pre-existing boundaries both physical and mental.

Details – Atmospheric Restrooms
LIULI CHINA Museum tested creative boundaries by designing both a functional and atmospheric restroom. The women’s restroom, romantic and elegant, features pasque flower dotting a red sky. The men’s room features columns of hosta against a handsome green and gracious backdrop. Mirrored walls serve to expand the perception and imagination.

Museum, Café and Lounge
Combining the needs of a café, lounge and museum, LIULI CHINA Museum adeptly adapts to a daytime and nighttime crowd. Designed as a movable space, rooms expand and shrink as necessary – even a small stage seems to appear out of nowhere. The artwork too, works with its audience and shifts to form a striking backdrop to its audience. This space is an experiment combining art, aesthetic, traditional Chinese heritage and fresh design forces to display a thoroughly unique design outlook.

LIULI CHINA Museum was nominated for the Bombay Sapphire Discovery Design Award. The only entry using Liuli as a building material, the submission garnered worldwide attention.

The Southern Metropolis Weekly points out:

The museum is Xintiandi’s most striking construction.