Platinum Interior Space and Exhibition Design · 2025
Wen Shan Hai Moutai Experience Center
by Xiang Wang
- A' Design Award 2025 Platinum Winner in Interior Space and Exhibition Design
- Awarded April 15, 2025
- CLIENT: Tang Design
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 1,012,147
- Verification code 5D98F63363 · Verify this award
About Wen Shan Hai Moutai Experience Center
Wen Shan Hai is a brand experience center for Moutai liquor, located in Chongqing, China. The interior supports tastings, private banquets and club gatherings. A courtyard-style layout places a square atrium at the center, enclosed by corridors that lead to themed private rooms. Display cabinets and tasting areas follow a meandering route through the main hall. Bronze surfaces, cabinets of metal and glass and a mirrored ceiling define the material palette. The design links traditional Eastern architecture with a modern framework.
Wen Shan Hai Moutai Experience Center by Xiang Wang exemplifies the contemporary tendency within experiential retail and hospitality design to transform commercial spaces into environments of cultural reverence and sensory immersion. This interior composition engages with traditions of sacred architecture and museum display while serving distinctly modern purposes of brand storytelling and visitor engagement. The designer demonstrates remarkable sensitivity to the phenomenology of space, creating a processional journey that elevates the act of viewing and appreciating collected objects to a meditative practice. The double-height volume establishes vertical aspiration while the strong horizontal axis of the central table grounds visitors in communal experience, this dynamic tension between earthward gathering and heavenward expansion echoing architectural strategies found in historic assembly halls and ceremonial chambers across numerous cultural traditions. Technical accomplishment manifests in the sophisticated lighting design where focused illumination creates individual shrines within the grid of display niches, each precious object receiving its own halo of warm light against the surrounding shadow. The material palette demonstrates thoughtful contrast between the organic warmth of wood surfaces and the mineral coolness of veined stone, between the transparency of protective glass and the opacity of dark surrounding walls. One might observe how the mirrored ceiling multiplies visual complexity while maintaining spatial coherence, a technique that simultaneously honors and expands the physical boundaries of the room. The arrangement of traditional seating suggests this space functions not merely for display but for gathering, conversation, and shared appreciation, transforming retail into ritual. What does it mean when contemporary design borrows so eloquently from sacred architectural vocabularies to create spaces of commercial and cultural confluence?
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Wen Shan Hai: Moutai Heritage Experience Centeroffers diverse luxury experiencesincludingwine tastings, private banquets, and exclusive clubs, intertwining thehuman touch of the mountaincityChongqingwith the brand cultureofMoutai. Theinterpretations of Eastern aestheticsexplore the transcendence and intersection of region, time, and culture.This space serves as a cultural beacon, translating the city's identity into an engaging design that evokes vivid memories.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The designer artfully intertwines the joy of liquortasting with the richness of tea culture in this understated, timeless space, inviting guests to raise a glass and savor a fragrance that lingers on. The atrium, enclosed by corridors, forms a regular square structure that creates an inviting open courtyard. Theroof tiles,overhangingeaves, and brackets reflect the rhythmicconnectionof traditional architecture and Eastern art.
- Tags
- Moutai, Experience Center, Display, Interior Deisign, Tang Design
- Production Technology
- The hall layout features display cabinets and tasting areas arranged along a meandering route, creating a journey that feels both distinct and interconnected, unfolding layer by layer. The ancient bronze surfaces establish a simple yet textured framework, conveying the historical significance of Moutai. The combination of metal and glass in the treasure display cabinets softens the coldness of transparency, harmoniously integrating with the overall ambiance.
- Design Challenge
- The design features a courtyard-style layout, employing framing and end-scene inspired by Eastern aesthetics. Each corner invites exploration of a unique landscape, while themed private banquet rooms are thoughtfully arranged along the corridor, embracing the atrium. Each room reflects distinct regional and cultural elements, immersing diners in the essence of Eastern life and offering a spiritual retreat into seclusion.
- Project Duration
- The project was designed and completed in August, 2024 in Chongqing, China.
- Operation Flow
- The reception area of the front hall seamlesslyextendsthe Moutai theme, featuring an open backdrop adorned with green mountain wall fabric that beautifully complements the emerald stone-patterned front desk. This design evokes the soothing sounds of silk and bamboo, inviting guests to express their emotions freely.
- Research
- This ethereal space, rich in Eastern aesthetics, embodies the essence of mountains and waters, crafting a serene collection point that celebrates the timeless allure of Moutai. Chongqing’s iconic elements like Chaotianmen, the Yangtze River Cableway, and Jiefangbei are intricately woven into a melodious historical narrative, merging painting and artistic concept to evoke nostalgia for the old city. The mirrored ceiling enhances the space with a symmetrical parallel effect, expanding the visual experience and depth.
- Inspiration
- Inspired by the brand essence of Moutai, the experience center’s spacious dome invites visitors toenjoyin the ceremonial experience of the national liquor. Soft, elegant lighting creates an interplay of lines and forms, constructing a modernist framework that connects ancient traditions with contemporary design.
- Image Credits
- HANMOVISION