Tea Leaf Market Of Zhuguanlong / THAD SUP Atelier

Architects: THAD SUP Atelier
Area: 460 m²
Year: 2021
Photographs: Yingnan Chu, Jingsfen Sun, Wenwu Wang
Lead Architects: Yehao Song, Jingfen Sun
Lighting Design: One Lighting Studio of THAD
Construction Contractor: Local villagers
Design Team: Yingnan Chu，Wenwu Wang，Mengjia Liu，Xinran He，Dan Xie，Xiaojuan Chen
Environmental Engineering Consultation: Nan Chen
Woven Arch Bridge Construction Consultation: Yan Liu
Bamboo Contractors: Anji Zhujing Bamboo Industry Technology
Client: Zhuguanlong Township government
City: Ningde
Country: China

The Tea Leaf Market of Zhuguanlong, designed by THAD SUP Atelier, is located in Zhuguanlong Township, Shouning County, Fujian Province, China, a tea-rich but impoverished area surrounded by bamboo forests and tea fields. Created to boost the local tea economy, it serves as a multifunctional space for tea trading, community gatherings, and events like produce markets, festivals, and children’s activities. Inspired by traditional wooden arch bridges, the market features an 18-meter woven bamboo roof, crafted using refined bamboo structures, lightweight materials, and local craftsmanship. A rammed earth enclosure wall, reflecting Fujian’s Tulou traditions, and recycled materials from the area were incorporated to reduce waste and environmental impact. The open design promotes natural ventilation and daylighting, supporting its use for cultural and practical purposes year-round. With minimal environmental intervention, the project blends local traditions and modern techniques to provide economic, social, and educational benefits while symbolizing resilience and hope for the region’s future.

Tea Leaf Market of Zhuguanlong / THAD SUP Atelier

Zhuguanlong Township in Shouning County, Fujian Province, China, the site of the Tea Leaf Market, was a region abundant in tea fields and moso bamboo forests yet faced significant poverty. To strengthen the local tea leaf trading economy, the government and villagers proposed the creation of a multifunctional tea leaf market near a bus stop. In addition to supporting tea trading, the market was envisioned as a quality public space for villagers to gather, engage in leisure activities, and explore business opportunities. The result was a large, open-span structure built using local materials, craftsmanship, and building techniques. Designed for flexible, year-round use with minimal maintenance, the space also accommodates a variety of community activities beyond tea trading, including farm produce markets, festivals, weddings, funerals, outdoor film screenings, and children’s events.

Shouning County, renowned for its traditional wooden arch bridge construction, preserves 19 such structures and is recognized by UNESCO as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. This region, rich in moso bamboo, is a key site for the inheritance of these techniques. Drawing inspiration from the prototypes and methods used for wooden woven arches, the design proposed refined bamboo structures as an alternative. Load tests were conducted to determine the maximum bearing capacity, and small, readily available bamboo components were overlapped to substitute for timber parts. Bamboo, being lighter and easier to process than wood, was formed into identical units that were ultimately assembled into an 18-meter-span woven bamboo roof. Unlike bridges, the roof has a significantly smaller load, making this design both practical and efficient.

Given that many villagers in the region were skilled in constructing rammed earth buildings, a tradition common in Fujian Province, the project incorporated this expertise. The Tulou, a type of earthen building native to Fujian and recognized as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, provided inspiration. A rammed earth enclosure wall was built around the reinforced concrete structure on the building’s north side, utilizing traditional earth-ramming techniques. This wall served both as a protective covering for the main structure and as a thematic element, acting as a screen between the interior and exterior spaces.

The project embraced a philosophy of turning waste into wealth by recycling and reusing discarded materials from the site with the help of local craftsmen. A thorough process of waste collection and experimentation was carried out, utilizing: 1) rubble from the foundations of demolished houses; 2) intact timber structural parts salvaged from dilapidated houses; 3) leftover stone from processing factories; and 4) discarded Shouning stone plates from pavements. These materials were repurposed as follows: recycled rubble was used for building foundations and landscape walls; salvaged timber was processed into timber bricks and bench units; stone leftovers were cut into small pavement sections; and smaller fragments were crushed into terrazzo aggregate for use in the building. All materials were sourced within 20 kilometers of the site, achieving a sustainable and locally rooted approach to construction.

Given the environmental and social challenges of this underdeveloped region, the project prioritized a low-cost approach to material sourcing, active participation of local craftsmen, and integration of traditional technologies. This ensured that the structure became deeply connected to its surroundings, akin to a tree rooted in its native soil, while encouraging the villagers’ involvement and enabling them to benefit from its construction. The large span of the market transforms it into a versatile community space, accommodating activities such as farm produce trading, village meetings, extracurricular events, weddings, funerals, and weekend film screenings during non-tea trading seasons. The space allows villagers to take breaks from farm work, children to play or draw, and tea leaves to be sun-dried in the front square. Its open roof design enhances natural ventilation and daylighting, reducing operational costs. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the space is adaptable for pandemic prevention efforts, including nucleic tests and medical observation.

Pavilions and towers, long regarded as symbols of Chinese traditional culture, are often designed with open forms rather than being fully enclosed. This openness reflects the deeply rooted Eastern concept of harmony between humans and nature. Similarly, the Tea Leaf Market embodies this principle, serving as a protective shelter against storms while maintaining an open and inviting design. The use of rammed earth walls, concrete structures, and terrazzo floors conveys a sense of natural solidity, reinforcing the theme of harmony with nature. The modern metal roof integrates seamlessly with the lightweight bamboo structure, ensuring durability and adaptability to the local climate.

The overhanging eaves of traditional Chinese buildings, celebrated in the Classic of Poetry as “stretched wings of beautiful birds,” embody a sense of lightness and elegance. In the remote Zhuguanlong Township, this aesthetic is mirrored in the raw bamboo’s natural strength, bringing a similar grace to the Tea Leaf Market. Reflecting the Chinese proverb, “Weak birds fly first,” the market’s soaring form symbolizes resilience and the aspiration for the region’s future prosperity. Built with the support of local villagers, using regional technologies and materials, the project has delivered significant long-term benefits in areas such as community well-being, economic development, health, and education, all achieved with minimal environmental impact.