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Chengdu Science
Fiction Museum
Chengdu, China
aunching the careers of many renowned Chinese authors over the
past five decades, Chengdu is the country’s leading incubator
Lof science fiction writing. Showcasing the city’s contribution
to the genre’s evolution and popularity around the world, the new
Chengdu Science Fiction Museum has opened by hosting the World
Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) and Hugo Awards, the first
time the events have been held in China.
Surrounded by mountain ranges and forests, the city of Chengdu has
cultivated unique local traditions and culture rooted in its rich history,
which includes the celestial forms within the carvings and masks of the
Bronze Age Sanxingdui civilization. The capital of Sichuan province in
Southwest China, Chengdu has grown to over 20 million residents, and
is an important centre of scientific innovation and research.
The new Chengdu Science Fiction Museum is situated in the core
area of Jingrong Lake within the Science & Innovation New City
of Chengdu’s Pidu District. Integrating with the natural landscapes
along the lakeshore, the museum’s design defines nodes of activity
connected by pedestrian routes that extend from the city through
the surrounding parkland into the heart of the building; creating
a journey of discovery that weaves between indoor and outdoor
plazas at multiple levels to link the museum’s exhibition galleries,
educational facilities, cafes and other amenities.
Bringing together programmatic and functional clarity while
responding to its unique site conditions, the museum appears to
float above the surface of the lake. The fluid forms of its roof radiate
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