In the Jin Dynasty, Zhang Hua wrote in The Annals of Natural History (Bowuzhi), Volume 10: “As the old saying goes, the river and the sea are connected. In recent times, there were people living on islands in the sea. Every August, a floating raft would arrive. A young man, seized by a fanciful idea, built a tall pavilion on a wooden raft. He stored ample provisions and set sail upon the blue sea, riding the wind and waves toward the stars.” This is a mythical tale from coastal regions. The natural seascape, where water and sky merge, inspires the imagination of a connection between the sea and the heavens. Raft voyages were also common among coastal inhabitants. The “Story of the August Floating Raft” was regarded by the ancients as a passage and bridge between sea and sky, reflecting their maritime imagination and desire to explore unknown realms.
The boat-dwelling people recorded in the Yazhou Chronicles are a traditional community in Hainan society who made boats their home and lived on the sea. The “Dadan Port and Baoping Port” mentioned in the chronicles were located near the cultural and sports center of the present-day Sanya Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City. Their fishing rafts were furnished with beds and stoves, yet the entrances and windows were as small as cage openings, to be sealed during storms. For generations, these boat-dwellers lived on the sea, dwelling on boats and wandering indefinitely, earning them the name “sea gypsies.” Living on floating rafts, drifting across the sea was their fate, their survival dependent on the ocean. After millennia of development and accumulation, boat-dwelling culture and beliefs have become one of the most important representatives of Hainan’s indigenous culture, contributing significantly to the region’s cultural diversity and heritage.
Genius Loci (Tech Bay Shrimp Pond) – The historical rudiments of a place endow it with character. Shrimp pond farming is a traditional method in Yazhou District, Hainan, and represents a way of production and life for local fishermen, showcasing their wisdom and carrying their collective memory. The shrimp ponds were a vital source of livelihood and a treasured asset for the local people, embodying their deep affection for the sea and their awareness of ecological protection. The cultural interpretation of the site’s memory preserves the scale and texture of the traditional shrimp ponds. This approach breaks down the massive volume initially required by the site, creating a porous spatial texture.
A. Porous Public Platform: The cultural and sports center atop the “floating raft” primarily combines small-scale, porous spaces. A vertical grid of public space is overlaid from high to low, fostering public engagement. The grid gradually diminishes toward the sea, allowing activities at different levels to intersect visually with the ocean.
B. Tandem Track: A sports track connects the basketball hall, badminton hall, swimming pool, competitive martial arts hall, and the Deep Sea Museum of the National Sports Center, integrating the eastern and western plots. By weaving through the museum space, it invites more citizens to participate in and experience Hainan’s deep-sea culture, transforming the enclosed museum into an outwardly open facility.
A. Scattered Blocks: In response to Sanya’s subtropical climate, the individual ground-floor venues are dispersed, creating gaps between buildings. These are interspersed with green courtyards of varying sizes, forming ecological micro-environments and fragmenting the original large volume into distinct micro-landscapes.
B. Ecological Grid Platform: A grid-platform public space covers the scattered blocks, providing a multi-dimensional activity area facing the sea. In summer, this porous ecological platform enhances natural light and ventilation, effectively reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions. The ground-floor gray space offers ample shade and semi-outdoor activity areas. Through stack ventilation, it drives airflow across the site, providing a cooler outdoor environment and forming a robust natural cooling system.