AZURE ODE CLUB || A Contemporary Tribute to Song Dynasty Elegance in Xi’an
Where most clubhouses announce themselves with grandeur, this one prefers to convey its message in the language of brush and ink.
At the AZURE ODE CLUB in Xi’an, spaces unfold like a scroll painting, inviting you to wander through courtyards, gardens, and halls that echo the refinement of the Song Dynasty. The design draws from the literati traditions of the era, where art and architecture were inseparable acts of contemplation.
The entrance fountain sets the tone like the first brushstroke of a painting, signaling a journey shaped by rhythm and restraint.
The journey begins at the entrance, where a sculptural fountain sets the tone with the clarity of a first brushstroke. From there, the building reveals itself not as a single gesture but as a sequence of scenes. Materials such as black stone, dark wood, and tinted glass recall the textures of ink and paper, while light filtered through washi-like screens lends a lantern glow that softens the atmosphere.
At the center lies the courtyard, a still point around which the rest of the clubhouse orients. Framed by floor-to-ceiling glass, the garden becomes a living composition: water surfaces ripple like silk, mist drifts across a pond, and branches extend into carefully aligned sightlines. Here, the rhythm of the design emerges: spaces that open outward, retreat inward, and return again, much like the cadence of classical poetry.
The central courtyard becomes the heart of the narrative, where indoor and outdoor spaces merge in a scroll-like unfolding.
Minimalist in form yet poetic in spirit, the glass-enclosed tea room offers a moment of retreat, like a scholar’s studio overlooking nature.
Lounges are arranged as intimate vignettes, each one a quiet echo of Song Dynasty scroll paintings such as Liu Songnian’s Immortal Mountain and Pavilion. A blossoming tree, silhouetted against glass, becomes the focus in one corner; in another, wired glass scatters light like ink washes spreading across paper. Seating flows gently around low tables, always positioned to invite both conversation and pause, with nature as a constant backdrop.
Framed views and layered glass scatter light like watercolour washes, turning everyday moments into living compositions.
The bar adopts a moodier palette, evoking the gravity of a mountain ink wash. Rough black stone forms the counter, its weight balanced by shelves softly illuminated to display ceramics like scholar’s treasures. Adjacent to it, the tea room offers the most intimate retreat: a transparent box overlooking the garden, stripped of ornament yet imbued with a sense of stillness. Here, the dialogue between old and new is most pronounced—a Song-inspired sanctuary framed in contemporary glass.
A counter of rough black stone anchors the space with the depth of an ink wash, contrasted by softly glowing shelves of ceramics.
Mist drifting over the pond softens the geometry of stone and glass, evoking the ethereal atmosphere of Song paintings.
Throughout, the interplay of materials reinforces the pursuit of jian: the beauty of simplicity. Silk-textured walls absorb the light, terracotta brick and copper accents introduce warmth, and subtle water-patterned steel nods to the fluidity of calligraphic strokes. Nothing is ornamental for its own sake; every detail contributes to a spatial narrative that privileges restraint, awareness, and atmosphere.
By the time you circle back to the courtyard, the experience resolves like the closing lines of a poem. What began as an entrance gesture evolves into a meditation on continuity, between past and present, seclusion and community, architecture and art. In a city defined by dynastic history, the AZURE ODE CLUB offers something rare: a modern retreat that allows ancient aesthetics to breathe in the present tense.
Brushes, scrolls, and tea vessels evoke the literati’s pursuit of harmony between daily rituals and artistic contemplation.
PROJECT DETAILS
Project Name: Xi 'an Gemdale AZURE ODE CLUB
Location: Xi 'an, Shaanxi Province, China
Design Company: ZEST ART
Area: 1580m2
Design Cycle: December 2024
Completion: July 2025
Main Materials: Black stone, dark wood veneer, artistic paint, water-patterned stainless steel, antique copper stainless steel, wired glass, stone, washi paper, resin board, silk, terracotta brick
Photographer: Threeimages
