The Cishan Tribe activity space is themed around cultural heritage, deeply rooted in the cultural origins of Handan, a city with a 3,100-year history. Inspired by the local 8,000-year-old Neolithic Cishan culture—one of the cradles of Chinese civilization and an early site of agriculture and animal domestication—the design by XISUI integrates Handan’s distinct historical symbols to immerse children in an environment that reflects the lifestyle of the Cishan tribe 8,000 years ago.
Project Background and Challenges
The Cishan Tribe is located on a green space in front of Handan MixC One Mall, 2 km east of Handan East Station. Developed by the same developer as the mall, it aims to create a free outdoor children’s activity area to attract visitors and boost local vitality. Handan, with a 3,100-year history, is famous for the Wu’an Cishan culture from the Neolithic era, about 8,000 years ago, when early ancestors started agricultural civilization, and millet and chickens were first discovered globally.
The project’s challenge was integrating the cultural relics’ history into the children’s space engagingly, aligning with local history while meeting modern commercial and family needs. It also required maintaining a consistent design across various play facilities, preserving the site’s inclusiveness and skyline..
Design solutions
Drawing inspiration from Handan’s distinct historical symbols, the design team incorporated elements such as round-topped wooden huts, domestic chickens, millet, and walnuts into children’s activity facilities, reflecting the tribal lifestyle of Cishan 8,000 years ago. The use of natural materials, including raw woods, wood-plastic composites, and stones, preserves the features of early dwellings and allows children to feel as if they have traveled back to an ancient tribe while playing.
Key installations include:
Egg-Hatching Chicken Installation: A multifunctional play structure combining slides, climbing nets, tunnels, and observation points. Inspired by a hen incubating eggs, it symbolizes nurturing and the rich heritage of Cishan culture. In addition to representing “nurturing”, it also signifies the uninterrupted history of Handan, a cultural city influenced by Cishan, for thousands of years. Additionally, it reflects the unique historical significance of Cishan as the earliest site of chicken domestication and breeding worldwide.
Millet Arch Sculpture: The entrance sculpture with specimen recognition and kaleidoscope functions, representing Cishan as the earliest site of millet cultivation.
Walnut Seat: A large seating area symbolizing the origin of walnuts in the Central Plains, incorporating fun elements like lying nets, photo spots, and seating for multiple people.
Running Tripod Bowl: The Tripod Bowl-themed installation allows children to experience the fun of spinning, running quickly, and challenging the centrifugal force of gravity. It also commemorates the pottery tripod bowls unearthed from the Cishan cultural site.
Tribal Wooden House: A structure featuring swings, climbing nets, hanging ropes, and a pavilion for resting, reflecting the architectural style of ancient Cishan dwellings, characterized by domed wooden structure.
Cishan Tribe is more than just a leisure spot; it merges history with modernity, and education with recreation. This free public outdoor space allows children to play, exercise, and learn about the region’s history, making it both educational and entertaining. Through the fusion of cultural features with various activities, it reimagines historical significance for modern communal enjoyment, enhancing the area’s vitality and appeal.
Furthermore, the project responds to the local historical context and meets the aesthetic and functional needs of commercial spaces and parent-child activities. By immersing children in the play of 8,000-year-old Cishan culture, it strengthens cultural identity and historical awareness. The harmonious integration of the Cishan Tribe project with its surroundings has contributed to its success in attracting tourists and locals, offering leisure and relaxation, and subsequently establishing itself as a new cultural and commercial landmark in Handan City.
Cishan Tribe: Where 8000-Year Cultural Relics Encounter Public Children’s Space
Location: MixC One Plaza, No. 277, Lianpo North Street, Economic Development Zone, Handan City, Hebei Province, China
Client: China Resources Land Ltd.
Design Team: XISUI Design
Chief Designer: Hu Yihao
Project Manager: Peng Yang
Designers: Li Chengxi, Liu Yihe, Zheng Mengzi, Chen Wenqi, Chu Tiancheng, Ruan Chengxin, Cai Jiangang
Construction Firm: Shanghai Lucqplay Facilities CO., LTD
Structural Consultant: Spiring Achitectural Design
Photographer: Hu Yihao, XISUI Design and FOLOR Studio
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