Arch-Exist

The official images of Mixc Oceanfront Outlets

Though it shares its DNA with its French counterpart in Lyon, the landscape and architecture here have undergone a comprehensive and profound upgrade by China Resources, especially in the landscape design—where every detail and atmosphere is refined to the core.

First, a glimpse of the overall ambiance, followed by more detailed shots of the landscape construction that everyone’s curious about.

Thanks to our photography team’s long-standing focus on architectural storytelling and capturing the interplay between small-scale architecture and landscape is crucial to our work. Unlike large-scale buildings where landscape and architecture can exist independently, the relationship between smaller structures and landscape design isn’t just a physical interweaving—it’s more like a chemical reaction. We believe even the architects might not fully anticipate the experiential journey the landscape design would create upon completion, and this is precisely the answer we aim to convey through our photography.

Commissioned by:

The Whisky Experience Center Emerging from the Linpan in Western Sichuan
Laizhou Distillery Experience Center
Architect

As China’s largest spirits culture and art experience center, it is located in the western outskirts of Chengdu, where the typical features of the Linpan in Western Sichuan have been preserved. A cluster of white buildings emerges freely from among more than 2,000 native trees.

Seeing the weather forecast predicting moderate snow, we immediately flew from Chengdu to Inner Mongolia. In the biting wind of minus 20 degrees Celsius, we waited until sunrise and witnessed China’s polar-like landscape. Tiny ice crystals were whipped up by the wind, forming ice-crystal bands that drifted in mid-air like low-lying fog. This transformed the house amidst the volcanic cluster into a pure white marvel.

Architect

Baiyinkulun: A Volcanic Cluster Deep in the Grasslands—A Wild Luxury Journey from Inner Mongolia. Southerners can experience China‘s extreme cold here, with temperatures already hitting -20°C (-4°F) at the start of winter. A world-class new architectural site and a cluster of wild luxury hotels are about to emerge here.

Architect

2026 New Year‘s Greetings from Baiyinkulun

At the volcanic craters embracing the Baiyinkulun Grassland

WithinTheVolcano
DaoDaZhe Hotel, Xilinhot.
Completion: 2025
Opening: 2026

Architect

We camped out for three consecutive days hoping to capture a clear shot of the snow-capped mountain, but it remained mostly shrouded in thick clouds with low visibility. On the morning of our departure, strong winds briefly parted the mist. Seizing the narrow window of less than five minutes, we quickly completed the shoot in the freezing cold. Although the final images retained a hint of haze, the texture of the snow ridges is clearly visible—the best conditions we managed to record.

Design

I had no idea that the winter scenery of Yushan Island could be so beautiful.

A particularly remote yet fascinating little building embodies the coexistence of infrastructure and public use.

This is the freshwater lake management building on Yushan Island (in Ningde City, Fujian Province), which combines the functions of reservoir management and a café. It serves as a daily workspace for staff and a resting spot for visitors on the island.

Architect:

The photographer, also our prolific recent partner: Arch-Exist

Two Mountains Ring Architectural Art Project / Green Screen Stone Beach Pavilion - Recirculating Scenes

Some fine houses truly integrate with their environment, as if emerging naturally from the earth. However, there are also good houses whose value lies in their stark contrast with the surroundings. This structure, with its seamless form and surface resembling a doughnut, belongs to the latter category. Its construction techniques and casting details are executed flawlessly, making it a must-stop spot for motorcycle enthusiasts riding through the surrounding mountains.

After the shoot, we had a brief discussion with the two architects and decided to forgo meticulous post-processing. There was no need to further enhance the sense of dissonance through editing, it was better to let the doughnut speak for itself in its purest form.

Commissioned Architects: Chen Hao, Hu Chenchen | HCCH Atelier

These are nearly straight-out-of-camera shots. The photographer is Lu Yun , a partner of . He also captured the small building by HZA+ next door—the ”Nap Palace,“ which carries a completely different vibe and is something to look forward to.

This set of images has a slightly different style from our usual work. While we generally don’t intentionally pursue extreme weather or intense visual impact, the futuristic feel that suits the project’s character truly relies on unique atmospheric conditions. Therefore, we seized the opportunity to shoot during the typhoon, capturing the decisive moments gifted by nature, moments that are nearly impossible to replicate. After a full day of gloomy skies and strong winds, the setting sun suddenly broke through, casting a fleeting glow on the architecture, with Guangzhou’s urban skyline as the backdrop.

On May 1st, we set off from Chengdu, traveling from the intensely scorching cities of Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, and Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) to the cool and refreshing Tirana (Albania), finally arriving in Rotterdam on May 17th to document the opening of Fenix. By the time we reached the Netherlands, it was already the sixth stop of our journey. Every step of the way was meticulously timed, especially the shoots in Albania and Rotterdam, where the availability of the clients and the forecasted good weather had to align perfectly.

Upon arriving at Fenix, accompanied us to meet the client, and we happened to run into Iwan. He asked if it was our first time in the Netherlands, to which we replied yes. When we asked him how many times he had been to China, he said he had completely lost count. This year, we kept running into him at various projects. In the past, we always photographed together in China, but this time, meeting in his hometown of the Netherlands felt somewhat indescribably exciting or even proud.

We extend our sincere gratitude to and team for their commission and invaluable collaboration.

Aside from the distinctive features of the architecture itself, we always strive to capture one or two unforgettable photos for each project. However, it is often quite challenging to achieve such a shot in many cases, which is part of the joy of architectural photography, every project is vastly different, offering varying degrees of creative freedom. But for this project, we( )managed to take numerous impressive photographs.

Xinyang Floating Boat Memorial · Village Center
Architect:

Ultimately, it is the complexity of the site that provided ample subject matter to work with during the shoot. Encountering such a project and site that allow us to fully leverage our skills is quite rare. Xinyang (Henan Province) retains almost all the characteristics of rural life in central China—the flat, expansive landscapes of the north, combined with the vegetation and farming methods (including water buffaloes) of the south. The lifestyle and working methods of the villagers are exceptionally well-preserved, making it a microcosm of contemporary Chinese pastoral scenery.

Outstanding photographic works rely on a unique era and environment, as well as the architect’s thoughtful utilization of the site.

Lastly, the operation of the new structure will bring more attention to the rural area and generate additional income for the villagers.

Using traditional African tribal methods, a zoo was hand-built in the Middle East. Located in Sharjah Safari, UAE, it is the largest African themed wildlife sanctuary outside of Africa.

The commissioned architect was Spain‘s Urko Sanchez Architects. All structures in Sharjah Safari were crafted using techniques inspired by primitive African villages. As shown in the last image, even the most basic mortise and tenon woodworking techniques were not employed all structural connections reverted to a primitive state. This can be considered another form of ”brutalism.“

Our experience in the Middle East is relatively limited. By early May, when we visited, the weather was already excessively hot, with no rainfall. The African animals there were too heat-exhausted to move much, and visitors were sparse. It was somewhat regrettable, going a month earlier might have allowed us to capture more scenes of both people and animals.