Wang Hui - The Five Dragons Temple, Ruicheng City, Cina

This exemplary architectural and landscape regeneration project has restored worth to China’s oldest surviving Taoist temple in a programme to renovate and conserve the historic site executed with the adoption of traditional building methods and in a perfect balance of nature, expertise, history and innovation.

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FROM THE ARCHITECT’S PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Situated in Ruicheng, Shanxi Province, the Five Dragons Temple (Guang Ren Wang Temple) is listed as a class A cultural monument by the National Cultural Heritage Conservation Bureau in China. Built in 831 AD during the Tang Dynasty, it is the oldest surviving Taoist temple. Sitting on a raised ridge above its surrounding village, the temple itself was segregated from everyday village life and the originally picturesque view of the temple had lost its charm with the increasing exacerbation of the environment. Furthermore, modern irrigation techniques have replaced the ritual of praying for rain, turning the Five Dragons Temple from a spiritual centre into a dumping ground. In 2015, the Vanke Group initiated a ‘Long Plan’ to raise funds and revitalise the surroundings of the Five Dragons Temple. This plan also helped raise public awareness of this historical preservation project. The initiative then went on to become the first time the government and private funds had cooperated to preserve a cultural ruin, as well as promoting cultural protection through the platforms of the Internet and the international Expo.