Diaoyuan Village, established in the late Tang Dynasty, is the ancestral home of descendants and clansmen of Ouyang Xiu. As a living vessel of Luling culture heritage, here once prospered but gradually declined into a “hollow village” as residents moved away in modern times. In response, architects partnered with cultural tourism enterprises to revitalize the site, introducing diverse business formats and experienced operations team, thus transforming it into a renowned cultural tourism destination.
ZEN X Hotel is located opposite the Ouyang Clan’s ancestral hall, which comprises 12 small-to-medium-sized dwellings. Among the villager-built brick-and-concrete houses, one with significant visual impact on the townscape was selectively altered: part of its first floor was removed to allow unrestricted façade openings, while the second floor was retained intact. Drawing inspiration from traditional fragment walls, the design applied stretching, cutting, and flowing method to create layered spatial experiences. Beside, the rest of hotel dwellings with architectural DNA—grey brick walls, black-tiled horse-head gables and “Tianyan” drainage systems—were carefully preserved.
