A historic 65-square-meter bookstore within China's Kunqu Opera Museum has been transformed from a deteriorating reading room into a dynamic cultural venue that celebrates the centuries-old theatrical tradition. The Baihua Bookstore, originally established in 1993 in Suzhou—the birthplace of Kunqu opera—had fallen into disrepair over the decades, gradually becoming nothing more than an exit corridor disconnected from its cultural roots.
Architecture firm Tsing-Tien Making approached the 2024 renovation project not as a simple interior redesign, but as an opportunity to reintegrate the space into the museum's living cultural ecosystem. Lead architect Freja Bao and her design team envisioned the bookstore as a compact yet generative "bookstore-plus" model—a contemporary stage for cultural production and exchange that honors the UNESCO-recognized Intangible Cultural Heritage of Kunqu opera.
The design concept draws inspiration from the Tangmingdan, a lightweight, collapsible facade traditionally used by opera troupes in southern China for street performances. Rather than literally replicating this portable stage structure, the architects extracted its essential qualities of mobility, adaptability, and organizational ingenuity to create a contemporary spatial device. This approach reflects what the team calls a "portable theatre" mindset, reconceiving the bookstore not as a static display space but as an embedded micro-theatre and dynamic cultural node.
At the heart of the renovated space stands a central structural element measuring just under 7 square meters—a reinterpreted Tangmingdan that serves as both symbolic threshold and functional core. This centerpiece features four distinct facades, each crafted from different materials and expressions, physically anchoring the space while introducing a sense of ceremony and enabling flexible configurations for diverse cultural programs. The design embodies three essential spatial qualities derived from the original Tangmingdan: identity, generativity, and mobility.
The renovation emphasizes functionality over theatrical appearance, focusing on how traditional stages operate rather than how they look. All display elements are mobile, walls feature magnetic mounting systems, curtains are retractable, and signage is modular. These strategies allow the space to adapt quickly to changing uses and events. Three-wheeled wooden display panels on the north wall can be repositioned from the perimeter to enclose temporary performance zones in conjunction with the central Tangmingdan structure.
Material choices reflect a thoughtful balance between preservation and innovation. The north facade incorporates reclaimed wooden doors found on site, with paint stripped using a carbonizing technique to reveal the natural wood grain and provide tactile warmth. Carved window panels from the original space were preserved not as nostalgic backdrops but as active narrative fragments within the new structure. In contrast, the south facade features galvanized perforated steel forming a contemporary skin, with perforation patterns abstracted from crescent-shaped ornaments worn by Kunqu actors.
The design team, including Liu Shucen, Yang Zuming, Zhu Hongxuan, Feng Yuyou, and Yang Jiayi, deliberately chose not to emphasize a sense of design completion in the modest space. Like the traditional Tangmingdan, this renovated bookstore is designed for reuse and appropriation by different users, allowing it to be inserted into ever-evolving narratives. The project represents a broader exploration of "minimal intervention" strategies in smaller, marginal urban public spaces where structural regeneration and cultural integration are key objectives.
Photographed by Wen Studio, the completed renovation demonstrates how lightweight, embedded, and adaptable spatial structures can reactivate underutilized cultural spaces. The project, completed with support from WIN Design Consultant and Shanghai Zhonggeng Decoration Co., Ltd., shows how contemporary design can honor historical traditions while creating vibrant spaces for future cultural exchange. The renovation enables the bookstore to be seen, used, and woven back into the fabric of civic life, fulfilling its original mission as a dedicated venue for celebrating Kunqu opera's enduring legacy.
