Danxia Exhibition Center is located in the Danxia Landform Area of Chishui City, Guizhou Province, China, and serves as a key component of the Danxia Center architectural complex. The site lies amid a typical Danxia peak-forest landscape characterized by undulating terrain and folded rock strata, presenting a natural composition of “layered podiums and conical spatial units.” Local villages are built in harmony with the mountains: settlements on higher ground step up along the slopes, while those on lower ground extend along the river. Courtyards form the core of communal life, shaping a public space network that reflects a spatial logic of unit repetition and organic growth. The local dwellings feature “undulating roofs, layered podiums, and permeable façades,” which became the primary inspiration for the design.

The design strategy of the Danxia Center learns from the landform itself, adopting a “podium + unit” structure reminiscent of the peak forest, allowing the architecture to merge into its surroundings “like water dissolving into water.” The overall layout follows the topography: the upper area along the main road houses the Visitor Center and the Welcome Plaza, while the lower riverside area contains the Exhibition Center and outdoor exhibition grounds. These two parts are seamlessly connected by terraced plazas, forming an integrated spatial system. The riverside Exhibition Center and the hillside Visitor Center create a dialogue of distance and elevation, blending naturally into the layered landscape.

The Exhibition Center continues Guizhou’s local tradition of places where “the sacred and the secular coexist.” The riverside exhibition area, positioned as if “descending to the river,” responds to the ritual “ascent to the mountain” of the Visitor Center, together creating a spatial structure imbued with rituality, public engagement, and artistry. Courtyards embedded within the building are interwoven with light sources that interact with the exhibits, producing an atmosphere of glowing red cliffs—immersing visitors in the wonder of the Danxia landscape. Constructed primarily from red Danxia stone, the building appears to grow directly from the terrain, embodying a spiritual landscape where mountain, water, and sky converge.