➤ Photography by Qingyan Zhu
Resting Loop with Views, a Creekside Pavilion among Hills
On any journey, planned destinations carry their own quiet pull—the satisfaction of arriving where the itinerary promised. But travel is equally shaped by what you did not plan: a striking form ahead on the road, a presence too deliberate to dismiss, inviting you to slow down and take a closer look. For cycling enthusiasts taking part in Huizhou’s large-scale rides along the 218-kilometre “Most Beautiful Tourist Road”—a route linking Nankun Mountain (Nankunshan) and Mount Luofu (Luofushan)—that moment can arrive in the middle of a handscroll-like landscape. As the mountain road unfolds, a UFO-like, rounded mass comes into view beside the Mount Luofu loop road: a monumental perforated concrete ring resting on a stone-strewn shore. It stirs an urge for an impromptu detour—less a stop on the way, more a small, spontaneous expedition.
➤ Photography by Arch-Exist
➤ Photography by Arch-Exist
➤ Photography by Arch-Exist
You may find yourself asking why such a sci-fi object appears amid dense greenery. Yet as people pause at this rest station—set at a sharp bend in the road—looking up, moving through openings, and turning the question over in their minds, the place starts to answer in experience rather than explanation. Whether you are simply passing through or returning home, the landscape is suddenly remembered with unusual clarity. That chain of feeling and reflection also echoes the ambition of the Nankunshan–Luofushan Rim Pioneer Zone (Huizhou) Architectural Art Project: to bring together architects, designers, and craftspeople around the two mountains, and—through a public-art approach—let architecture operate as a mediator between nature and culture, sketching one vision of contemporary mountain life. Designed by HCCH Studio, Resting Loop with Views is a ring-shaped viewing platform with an outer diameter of approximately 16 metres. Three dark concrete volumes at ground level support the ring above, forming a double-elevation frame: a hovering platform overhead paired with a sunken plaza below. Visitors first step into the lower court, where rough stone paving sets the tone. Curiosity does the rest—people drift freely through the openings, guessing which volume contains the café, which conceals the restroom, and which holds storage. Even sitting on the sculptural stone bench at the centre can feel as though one has quietly blended into the surrounding green landscape.
➤ Photography by Arch-Exist
➤ Photography by Arch-Exist
➤ Photography by Arch-Exist
➤ Photography by Arch-Exist
➤ Photography by Fangfang TIAN
➤ Photography by Fangfang TIAN
Climbing the stairs to the upper circular walkway, the experience shifts from occupation to outlook. A sequence of ovoid cut-outs, arranged around the ring, continually recomposes the scene: with every few steps, mountains, river, and sky trade places in the frame. Within these layered, overlapping views, travellers often find their own rhythm—an unforced tempo of looking that settles into the landscape. The aim is clear: to make the mountain road a destination for cyclists, while also providing parking, a place to rest, and beverages. Seen in that light, the donut-like Resting Loop fulfils the client’s intent as it welcomes riders in steady succession, transforming what was once an informal roadside parking area into a purposeful stop. The ring structure and its openings follow the site’s natural grain, proposing a mode of coexistence in which people and landscape can meet without competing for attention. On the exterior, bamboo-patterned formwork gives the concrete a consistent raised texture—an imprint that, in close encounter, points to the presence of local craft embedded in the way the structure was made.
➤ Photography by Arch-Exist
➤ Photography by Fangfang TIAN
➤ Photography by Fangfang TIAN
➤ Photography by Fangfang TIAN
➤ Photography by Fangfang TIAN
