Pingwang Town is in the center of the Yangtze River Delta region, with its unique location and convenient transportation. History records that since the Sui and Tang dynasties, there has been a pond nearby running north-south, full of reeds, the composition of the sky and the pond then gives a view of broad fields and horizon, hence the name “Ping(broad) wang(scene)”.

The core area of the Old Town, where the project is located, is to the north of Ying Dou Lake where the Grand Canal and the local Canal meet. In the old days, the travelers interchanged here from skiffs to schooners, for traveling to Zhejiang Province and further.

“Grand Canal Bazaar” is a cultural/tourism brand jointly developed by Jiangsu YUANJIAN holding company and the people’s government of Pingwang Town. As the southernmost node of Suzhou’s “Ten Scenes of the Canal” attractions, the project takes “a parallel journey along the Grand Canal” as its core concept, integrating various consumer conditions and linking the characteristics of cities along the grand canal to create a dynamic/curated canal cultural and tourism destination.

The scope of the project includes several important parts within the old town: several commercial buildings within the entrance to Siqian Street, the old granary area on the north side of the Ande Bridge, and one two-story commercial building on the north-west side

The project was faced with difficulties as restricted budget，short period of design procedure, complex site conditions, simultaneous operating of façade, interior and landscape constructions, and a large and scattered building area.

Nowadays, China’s urban and rural building environment is in the transition period from addressing functional needs to dealing with urban/rural renovation, as domestic architects are constantly adapting to the context and design works of comprehensive and thematic cultural tourism projects. In the design and delivery process of this project, we have fully utilized our complete capabilities of architecture, landscape, interior and exhibition design to transfigure the specific functions, related activities, and the traditional forms/ornaments/atmosphere from collective memories into contemporary design outcomes.

Through transfiguring thinking of design, the various functional scenarios and senses of atmosphere eventually presented as the renovated spaces and constructions by architects would activate the core space of the old town, and the experience with the theme of “a parallel journey along the Grand Canal” could be delivered. In the regions with the similar context, especially in the grand canal docking area, this project would provide a model for promoting cultural and tourism business.