KAILAI HOTEL AND RESORT, JISHOU, HUNAN PROVINCE, CHINA

JISHOU IS A MID-SIZED CITY IN CENTRAL HUNAN PROVINCE. THE APPEARANCE OF THE CITY IS 'CHINA MODERN'. THERE ARE COMPENSATIONS THOUGH. JISHOU IS THE CAPITAL OF A SEMI-AUTONOMOUS REGION POPULATED  BY THE MIAO PEOPLE. A NON-HAN PEOPLE THAT ARE FOUND THROUGHOUT SOUTH-WEST CHINA AND INTO THAILAND AND MYANMAR. THESE PEOPLE ARE FAMOUS FOR THEIR COLOURFUL FABRICS AND THERE PRACTICE OF FASHIONING ELABORATE SILVER HEAD-DRESSES AND JEWELERY WORN BY THE WOMEN.

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OUR TASK WAS TO DESIGN MODERN HOTEL INERIORS THAT WERE OF A STANDARD COMPATIBLE WITH 5-STAR HOTEL IN THE EAST, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME EXPRESSING THE SPECIAL NATURE OF THE LOCALE AND THE MIAO CULTURE.

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WE USED MIAO FABRIC PATTERNS IN ALL HOTEL MATERIALS, AND USED THEIR PALETTE OF FABRIC COLOURING IN THE INTERIOR COLOUR-SCHEMES. WE DECONSTRUCTED MIAO JEWELLERY AND SIVERWORK AND USED THE DESIGN ELEMENTS IN FURNITURE FORMS AND OTHER BUILT ELEMENTS.

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THE DESIGNS EXCEEDED THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE CLIENT - HERSELF A MIAO NATIVE WHO HAD MADE A FORTUNE IN PROPERTY SPECULATION IN SHENZHEN. THE PROJECT WAS NEVER REALISED, HOWEVER, AS THE CHINESE CITY GOVERNMENT, BEING THE SENIOR REGIONAL AUTHORITY, COULD NOT COUNTENANCE A PROPERTY BLAZONING THE ART OF THE MINORITY PEOPLE SHOWING IN A BAD LIGHT THE ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN  OF THE REMAINDER OF THE CITY, WHICH IS OF THE MORE SACCHARINE INTERNATIONAL MODERNIST SCHOOL, TURNING ITS BACK ON MIAO CULTURE.

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