City is a composite text of aesthetics and culture, and a prism of historical memory.

When we see this city, it has become what it is today, accumulating a lot of history.

Chongqing is not reflected as a uniform skyscraper, but as historical buildings with unique styles and characteristics from different eras. These buildings record the changes of the times, contain regional cultural characteristics, and are filled with different architectural wisdom. In such a building, combined with various elements of modern aesthetics, fashionable lifestyle, and trendy culture, it constitutes a cultural landmark and aesthetic symbol of a region or even a city.

Just like China Merchants Shekou Jinshan Yiku.

As the core carrier of Chongqing's construction of an international consumption center city, Cuntan International New City has become a highland comparable to CBD, and the Jinshan area has been updated around multiple levels such as fashion trends and cultural and creative themes. Among them, Jinshan Yiku is a typical representative of high-quality living demonstration areas. Kingsoft Yiku, which has been in operation for 6 years and has already taken shape, has led the way in designing urban experience scenarios with its unique tone and infinite fun.

This cultural and creative industrial park stands in the Liangjiang New Area. The building itself is a product of urban industrialization. However, in today's booming urban development, the buildings of the past, according to the internal development order of the city and the laws of industrial renewal, are perfectly embedded in the hot spot area of urban upgrading, Cuntan International New City, becoming a high-quality living demonstration area for the entire region.

It's also from Chongqing.

The original site of Jinshan Yiku is a group of young factories. These factories were built in 2004 and were leased to small and medium-sized enterprises in various industries such as machinery, electronics, printing, and technology.

In a short period of time, the area around the Auto Expo Center transformed from a suburban area to a sub center of the city. In 2015, the then leaders of the Chongqing Municipal Party Committee were invited to visit the Nanhai Yiku project at the Shenzhen headquarters of China Merchants Shekou. They recognized the urban upgrading model of the Yiku product line and quickly signed a "Cooperation Agreement" with the Nanhai Yiku development unit, China Merchants Shekou. At the end of 2015, the first phase of Jinshan Yiku started construction. In December 2016, it was unveiled to the public. By 2020, the former factory had completely transformed into this appearance.

In the investment brochure of that year, Jinshan Yiku described the target audience of this project as follows: "Committed to providing cutting-edge cultural and creative resources, thinking guidance, government support, and enterprise incubation for local artists, designers, and creative people, in order to help them achieve their artistic dreams more professionally, and work together with cultural and creative elites to lead the overall improvement of Chongqing's cultural and creative industry

This proposition remains timeless even today: about the artistic dream of a city, and about everything that artists, designers, and creative people need to create.

At the moment when Liangjiang New Area is committed to building a "high-quality living demonstration zone", high-quality living has been reflected in the Halo Shopping Park, Cuntan Cruise Home Port, 5G, VR, autonomous driving embodied in Lijia Smart Park... However, in addition to brand and technology, more qualities unrelated to material are more clearly reflected in Jinshan Yiku. This belongs to the realm of aesthetics, art, and spirit: there is no flaunting of luxury goods or the embrace of new trends here, but more exploration of art and aesthetics can be seen.

This is another recognition of high-quality living by Jinshan Yiku and its residents.

Under such values, Kingsoft Yiku has exhibited a special anti commercial trait since its inception.

Different from the dark background of old houses, the color scheme of young factory buildings is mainly green gray and white. The simplicity and straightforwardness of factory buildings have become another architectural language of minimalism in the new era. The huge french window have become the main landscape for merchants to arrange soft decoration. More importantly, the owner introduced the concept of "community" into the park when reconstructing, designing and operating Jinshan Yiku. At the level of project renovation, the development unit abandoned some of the first floor pavement area and adopted a plan of elevated first floor and connecting the blocks. As a result, the boundary between the park and the urban area is weakened and connected into one; The relationship between architecture and city has been reshaped, and the strategy of "new community-based creative parks" has been implemented using the concept of "floating boxes".

Abandoning the first floor area is very non-commercial: it means that the space with the highest unit price is shared. In addition, Jinshan Yiku is also very different from Chongqing - Chongqing is known for its 9D magic, hotpot, hot blood, light rail, and Chihiro... Jinshan Yiku is somewhat unique: it is not noisy enough, nor is it hot enough. It has a sensitivity and delicacy that Chongqing people rarely mention. In the neighborhoods connected to the city's blood, it is like a huge art museum without walls, with installation art everywhere.

Behind the sculpture is a cherry blossom forest, with small stone bricks and green grass seeping through them. On weekends and holidays, the grass emits a diffuse mist. On one side of the cherry blossoms is an aerial garden, an installation work of "Flower Pavilion". It features a silver cut mirror and geometric block supports, which support a garden three meters high in the air. Under the flower pavilion, the aunt waving silk scarves and the rock youth with tattooed arms harmoniously took photos together, achieving a certain degree of aesthetic consensus.

The interesting thing about public art installations is that without the ritualistic nature of regular exhibitions, public participation deconstructs the complexity of art, and everyone can have their own perspective on art installations.

Not entering any store, nor mentioning any industry. Just by circling around the square, even elderly people with children can know: 'This is art, it's amazing at a glance.'. This is the "International Art Axis" in Liangjiang New Area, which was specifically implemented by the Chongqing Sculpture Society, which invited artists or designers from home and abroad (along the "the Belt and Road") to create seven works of the International Art Axis in an independent or "1+1" mode and landed in Jinshan Gallery, realizing the cross-border of public sculpture in the integration of art and places, and the public. Jinshan Yiku endows the city with a landmark that blends aesthetics and culture, combining the power of art, industry, and commerce, allowing the project to go beyond the natural element of "location".

This is a tone and an aura.

Self operated art spaces are common in cultural and creative parks, but they are often presented in small spaces and small quantities. It is rare to see a cultural and artistic park like Jinshan Yiku, which is built into a self operated ADC art center with the size of a building and holds more than 10 cultural and artistic exhibitions every year, and is open to the public for free. This has established the cultural and artistic atmosphere of Jinshan Yiku, building a platform for citizens to have unlimited contact with culture and art, making culture and art a daily life and rooted in the city.

The nearly 300 merchants gathered in such an atmosphere are randomly scattered in the park, supporting the urban spirit and aesthetics, and also giving Jinshan Yiku the confidence to become a highland of cultural and creative industries.

Jinshan Yiku is a rich area of artistic resources in Chongqing. The ArtDepot art warehouse has been located in Jinshan Yiku for three years. Its founder, chairman, independent curator, art broker, and art investment consultant, Zhao Qianying, has studied at Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts (Department of Decorative Arts and Design), University of Missouri (Fine Art), and the School of Humanities at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (Art Investment and Management). She has planned over 100 art exhibitions worldwide, and the art warehouse has various exhibitions throughout the year, all of which are of extremely high quality.

Zhang Zhanzhan, known as one of the hottest 80s artists in contemporary China, often features the image of a red PUPU bear on the streets of Guomao and Wangjing in Beijing. After moving into Kingsoft Yiku in 2020, the studio held five consecutive exhibitions within a year and completed the only joint work of Smurfs worldwide. In the same year, Hui Wei officially became the exclusive contracted artist of Jinshan Yiku ArtDepot Art Warehouse. His creations range from paintings on shelves to sculptures, giving rise to unique IP images Timmy and Tammy. With this dual personality puppet, he has developed commercial and brand collaborations, and public art projects have also landed in Jiulong Yiku and Donghu Yiku. In addition, the public art projects of the art warehouse have overflowed to the main block of Cuntan International Fashion Consumption Zone, Lijia Smart Park, and Shining Halo... The cultural and artistic development of Jinshan Yiku has achieved growth and overflow, promoting art to shine into commerce.

Qian Art Museum was initiated and founded by professional curator Mr. Chen Zhiwei in 2020, located in Jinshan Yiku Cultural and Creative Park, Liangjiang New District, Chongqing. It is a comprehensive art space that integrates art exhibitions, international cultural and artistic exchanges, public education, academic research, commercial exhibitions, cultural and creative development, and high-quality community interaction. The Shallow Art Museum pursues artistic expression based on genuine emotions. Art is not mysterious, artworks can be understood, and the waters of the art industry can also be shallow.

Shallow Art Museum

The Shallow Art Museum is currently holding a genuine exhibition of Dali's "Divine Comedy" prints, showcasing 100 illustrations created by Salvador Dali, the greatest surrealist art master of the 20th century, for Dante's "Divine Comedy", corresponding to the 100 pieces of "Divine Comedy". This set of works is a culmination of Dali's stage wise exploration of previous art at the time, combining surrealist concepts, exquisite painting techniques, and a recognition and understanding of new science. Through interdisciplinary art forms, his unique bizarre style, and dreamlike imagery, it showcases Dante's journey through hell, purgatory, and heaven.

The Jinshan Yiku Artist Studio corridor has also attracted many well-known artists, such as Fu Wenjun, Zhang Zhanzhan, Hui Wei, Hou Jianan... Many artists are creating their latest works in Jinshan Art Studio. Around the ADC Art and Design Center, Kingsoft Yiku is building an art industry ecosystem to support artists' creativity. A stable creative space provides support for artists, and Yiku's collection of brands deepens the incubation, investment, and promotion of the art market for artists.

In order to better achieve the growth and spillover of culture and art, Jinshan Yiku has launched an "industry incubation model" of creation, exhibition, research, and sales based on the logic of industrial growth and the business model of "front store, back factory". It has completed the organic connection of ADC Art Design Center, ECOOL ART Art Store, art institutions, and artist studios, forming Jinshan Yiku's unique cultural and art industry ecology, achieving "a venue for content creation, space for achievement display, and channels for work sales".

Starting from the cultural industry ecology of Jinshan Yiku, the artistic activities radiating from Jinshan Yiku gradually attract local art, culture, and design professionals.

At Jinshan Yiku, there are regular art events every year: "Liangjiang Creative Activity Month", "ECDF Jinshan Yiku Design Festival", "Jinshan Yiku Children's Art Festival" and "Jinshan Yiku Youth Art Festival", which are known as the four major IP activities. The content is different from simple commercial art exhibitions, but is recognized as innovative and leading within the industry. For example, the art forms of children's painting exhibitions are not limited to children's paintings, but include cross-border art installations and children's public photography exhibitions; The Youth Art Festival also focuses on the "Small Works Collection Promotion Plan", which brings together the artistic and design abilities of young people to jointly promote the power of Chongqing art and gather the strength of artists from all over the country in Chongqing. ECOOL ART art store also adopts the "art mass sales" model, regularly launching pop-up themed content with different themes such as fashion and Chinese style. Although the space is small, every place is a check-in and photo scene.

These IP activities and pop-up spaces are products co created by the park industry and different enterprises, associations, and individuals. During the activities, the park not only cultivates local art, culture, and design capabilities, but also truly becomes a touchpoint connecting the public.

The architectural tone of Jinshan Yiku was shaped before its development, but its impact on the city is more due to the continuous creativity produced by many artists, designers, and creative industry managers who have settled in.

In the field of home aesthetics, Jinshan Yiku has a vertical appeal.

Yiji, located on the first floor of ADC, was the first merchant to make Kingsoft Yiku popular. This buying shop, led by industry expert Mr. Xie Ke, has a strong personal style and is often visited by well-known designers, fashion buyers, artists, and celebrities across the country. The independent design studio "Dongxi Home" of designer Lai Xudong, a frequent guest of "Dream Reformer", has also landed at Jinshan Yiku. The independent furniture brand "LIVIN 'Liwuyin" and the largest flagship store in the country are also located at Jinshan Yiku. Walking into the store, you can smell the fragrance of camphor wood, which is both Eastern and fresh. The winter fireplace and the summer hawthorn tree in the yard are check-in points for life aesthetics enthusiasts.

One episode

With the clustering of top home aesthetics brands in Jinshan Yiku, and thanks to Jinshan Yiku's retention of the original building's loft height advantage, as well as low-density building space and cultural and artistic atmosphere, it has also attracted various creative design industries to settle in.

Art does not represent the independence of the world. In the hustle and bustle of the human world, the enjoyment of life that touches the eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and tongue is also uniquely expressed in Jinshan Yiku. What we need for food, drink, entertainment, check-in, and photography is not the same internet celebrity slot, but a unique attitude, distinctive design, and ubiquitous details about life aesthetics.

Beneficial factors

At Jinshan Yiku, you may break into some rare formats at any time - former magazine editor and designer Wu Tong selects pottery and other vessels from various places at MuchMore at the end of the ADC third floor corridor. The objects have charm and also have Eastern meanings. Several pottery exhibitions have a deep vertical depth within a small circle.

MuchMore March Cat

Qing Shan, dedicated to the inheritance and protection of red coral culture, collects red coral artworks using only top-quality Akka materials grown in the Sea of Japan. After careful craftsmanship, each artwork presents the unique warm color of red coral. In addition to admiring the beautiful red coral, this is also an elegant tea house - with exquisite furniture, elegant floral vessels, and exquisite tea utensils, with a decent taste. It is truly a great place to smell the fragrance and enjoy tea.

Qing Shan

Eating, drinking, and having fun are all related to art, and at Jinshan Yiku, this is something that naturally does not require explanation. The most well-known restaurant, gaagaa, embraces a diverse taste system. The pronunciation of GAA is not only the meat in Chongqing dialect, but also the parents in law in the dialect. It is gentle and carefree, and has won several fans who have come from afar.

Extra Small Hall · gaagaa

The Xian Art Museum restaurant combines exhibition viewing and dining: it is an art exhibition hall and also has creative fusion dishes. During the exhibition, you can have dinner, afternoon tea, or collect art. There are themed art exhibitions and new dishes in different seasons. Perhaps only in places like Jinshan Yiku that combine artistic temperament and fireworks atmosphere, would such a restaurant open in an art museum appear.

Starting from the high aesthetic threshold of investment and operation, the high-quality cultural and creative park style of Jinshan Yiku has become increasingly strong, becoming an active aesthetic experience field in Chongqing at present. For Kingsoft Yiku, it is even more important for all participants to have consensus and work together to give every detail a soul. Appreciate the values of others as do to one's own, and the world will become a harmonious whole. When this' consciousness' becomes a consensus between operators and merchants, it can convey personal understanding of taste, art, ideals, and life while expanding one's own ideas, rather than chasing current trends, and allow this field to gain more aesthetic value.

Photosynthetic space

The past and present of Jinshan Yiku is a long story that concerns the tide of the times, the development and choices of the city.

In July 2022, the official website of Liangjiang New Area in Chongqing released the "International Solicitation Announcement for the Renewal Plan of Jinshan Area in Chongqing Cuntan International New City" (hereinafter referred to as the "Announcement"). The Jinshan area of Cuntan International New City will undergo comprehensive urban quality improvement and become an "international consumption center, international business center, and international communication center".

For Kingsoft Yiku, a new era is slowly unfolding.

Regarding the "High Quality Living Demonstration Zone", Jinshan Yiku has provided unique value for "high-quality" living. In the spiritual world, Jinshan Yiku and all businesses plan in different fields and attributes to provide citizens with creative design and lifestyle experiences, fulfilling the city's expectations for art. It empowers the region and summons people who share the same frequency with it, using the factory building from 20 years ago and the original intention of founding "Jinshan Yiku" 6 years ago, to complete the writing of a new landmark story in another period of time in the city.

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Text | Lian'er Ye

Layout | Hua Mei

Image | Provided by Kingsoft Yiku