mountaintop hotel in china offers views across a landscape of rivers, forests, and hills

this hotel in china’s hunan province is perched on top of the region’s undulating terrain, offering incredible views across a landscape of rivers, mountains, and bamboo forests. officially titled ‘eagle rock cliffs’, the hotel comprises three distinctive structures: the dinghui, the largest building which is located on a long and narrow plot on the mountain’s peak; the yanshang, an oval-shaped structure that contains hotel rooms; and the ziyahui, a peach-shaped events sapce capable of hosting wedding ceremonies, small performances, and other activities.

all images by jin weiqi

designed by beijing duoxiangjie architectural design, ‘eagle rock cliffs’ is the third phase of the ‘pingjiang homey wild luxury hotel’. the dinghui occupies a plot that measures 122 in length (400 feet), with the building itself about 45 meters long (148 feet). the design team sought to define a horizontal plane as the roof at a high point of the ridge, so that the building’s mass could be built downward to fill the in between space. a host of luxurious suites and living areas overlook the landscape, with a curved pathway leading to an open-air infinity swimming pool.

located on a small hilltop platform, the yanshang is about 35 meters (115 feet) below the dinghui. within the oval-shaped building, a series of hotel rooms are organized around a central hallway. in addition to this centrally positioned space, a breakfast room is also included as part of the viewing platform. floor-to-ceiling glazing presents encompassing views from each room, while a rooftop wading pool creates a playful display of light entering through the large skylights. ‘the space design here does not have much deliberateness, instead, everything slowly unfolds with the natural rock form,’ explain the architects.

the final part of the project, the ziyahui, is a peach-shaped venue that can be used for a range of events including wedding ceremonies, small performances, and bonfire evenings. the building features a soaring wooden roof canopy with a skylight at the top that provides natural light and ventilation. beneath it, an oval-shaped courtyard serves as a stage. meanwhile, other ancillary spaces, such as restrooms and storage facilities, are hidden below grade.

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project info:

name: eagle rock cliffs – pingjiang homey wild luxury hotel
site: baimao village, pingjiang county, hunan province, china
development team: zizaixiaoyin hotel co., ltd., hunan
project general consultant: wang shouzhi
project planning: cui donghui
architectural design: beijing duoxiangjie architectural design co., ltd.
principal designer: li liang
design team: zhang bichang, huang chang, zhang wen
building area: 1,190 sqm
construction time: august 2017 – june 2019
photography: jin weiqi