Architects: Nikken Sekkei
Area: 13000 m²
Year: 2022
Photographs: Nikken Sekkei
Lead Architects: Nikken Sekkei Ltd, Nomura Garden Laboratory
Construction Contractor: Beijing Shunjing Garden Co., Ltd.
Category: Hotels
Concept Design, Schematic Design, Tender Documentation Supervision, Site Supervision: Nikken Sekkei Ltd
Program: Hotel
Client: Beijing Xitan Hotel Management Co., Ltd.
Site Area: 21,000 m2
Site Supervision: Nikken Sekkei
Tender Documents: Nikken Sekkei
Schematic Design: Nikken Sekkei
Concept Design: Nikken Sekkei
City: Men Tou Gou Qu
Country: China
The Beijing Xitan Hotel is a resort project rooted in a landscape design that extends the philosophy of Tanzhe Temple, integrating Japanese aesthetics with the mountainous terrain of Beijing. Developed through a five-year collaboration involving the client and the design teams of Nikken Sekkei and Nomura Garden Laboratory, the project sought to combine grandeur with subtlety. The hotel officially opened in May 2022.
Beijing Xitan Hotel luxury resort, designed by Nikken Sekkei and Nomura Garden Laboratory in Beijing’s western mountains, has fused Japanese garden design principles with the mountain landscape to create a contemplative hospitality space influenced by Zen philosophy and the legacy of Tanzhe Temple. Completed in 2022, the project transformed a former village into a garden resort of 38 guest rooms surrounded by 17 courtyards. The design team, led by landscape architect Kanji Nomura, drew from the traditions of East Asian landscaping, including karesansui and borrowed scenery (shakkei), embedding cultural symbolism such as the Four Gods (shijin souou) into the spatial composition. Key materials like natural hexagonal stones from Inner Mongolia and custom Aji stone walls were incorporated into a built environment that honors both natural topography and spiritual alignment. Through a five-year process of site observation and handcraftsmanship, the hotel emerged as a “garden village,” integrating nature, art, and cultural heritage into a rare hospitality experience rooted in Japanese and Chinese landscape traditions.
Situated in southwest Beijing on Tiger Mountain, above the historic Tanzhe Temple, the site lies approximately one hour from the city center. Known for its dense natural environment, the area has recently drawn attention for its quiet setting and expansive mountain views. The project is grounded in a full restoration of a former village, where interior detailing and landscaped gardens resonate with the vernacular environment and reflect the region’s sense of hospitality. The landscape design was led by three members of Nikken Sekkei’s Landscape Design Section in close collaboration with Kanji Nomura, director of Nomura Garden Laboratory. Nomura, a student of Mirei Shigemori, brought a deep understanding of traditional Japanese garden philosophy. His experience in garden surveys and design across Kyoto and other Japanese cities informed the approach from concept to construction.
The 21,000-square-meter site contains roughly 13,000 square meters of built area, mainly single-story volumes. The hotel consists of 38 private guest rooms surrounded by 17 individual courtyards. As a member of Relais & Chateaux, it aligns with high standards in the hospitality and culinary sectors. Natural stones from Inner Mongolia and handcrafted architectural details signal the high degree of craftsmanship behind the project.
The design process relied on on-site exploration. Landscape architects walked the grounds, observed key viewpoints, and developed design sketches inspired by real-time environmental impressions. This method enabled a spatial strategy that stayed responsive to the site’s inherent atmosphere and seasonal variability.
Stone placement was a critical process, consistent with East Asian traditions where each stone is treated as a unique element with its own expressive qualities. Designers studied the form of each stone from three dimensions and physically climbed the rocks to determine their proper orientation. Nomura, unable to maneuver the taller stones due to elevation differences, delegated this role to younger team members who handled the selections under his guidance.
The result was precise stonework carried out efficiently without loss of quality. Stones were procured from Inner Mongolia and transported to the site for careful assembly. The project emphasized face-to-face engagement with materials, ensuring that every element carried the designer’s intent while echoing East Asian spatial values.
The broader landscape concept is organized around the traditional cosmology of the Four Gods (shijin souou): Genbu (Black Turtle) to the north, Seiryu (Blue Dragon) to the east, Suzaku (Vermilion Bird) to the south, and Byakko (White Tiger) to the west. These orientations correspond directly to the surrounding geographical conditions: mountains, valley, basin, and road. This symbolic alignment gives the hotel a spatial narrative rooted in regional mythology and elemental balance.
The landscape references Zen Buddhism through symbolic and geographical analogies. The site’s location to the southwest recalls Japan’s Saihoji Temple, and the mountain’s name, Hongyin, invokes a classic Zen tale set in Hongzhou. That story’s landscape, recreated in a karesansui (dry landscape garden), was originally composed by Zen monk Soseki Muso. The villa’s setting shares this sacred alignment, establishing a thematic connection between Chinese and Japanese Zen landscapes.
Visitors ascend a winding mountain road to approach the hotel. As the route rises, the city’s noise recedes, reinforcing the psychological transition into a more contemplative realm. The main gate, minimal in its construction and flanked by pine trees, introduces an understated threshold into the landscape.
Beyond the gate, layered views of gardens and mountain ridges appear, structured according to the principle of “shakkei,” or borrowed scenery. This method, shared by both Chinese and Japanese traditions, integrates distant vistas with the immediate site through calculated visual framing. The result is a constant spatial dialogue between foreground and background.
Along the path, remnants of the original village come into view. Stone paving and fog effects generate a sensory disconnect from everyday reality. These elements gradually pull visitors toward a more immersive landscape experience, culminating in a carefully composed waterfall that anchors the entrance sequence.
The Otaki waterfall, constructed from scenic stones weighing up to 20 tons, drops nearly seven meters. Its composition follows Japanese garden construction techniques, creating the illusion of water emerging directly from the mountain. Designed to cleanse the senses, the waterfall also sets the tone for the rest of the journey through the hotel grounds.
Past the waterfall, the entrance lobby comes into view. Its architecture is embedded into the surrounding terrain, flanked by pine trees and a front courtyard that includes snowflake-shaped stones and carefully pruned vegetation. The Otaki Fall remains visible from this space, forming a connection between exterior and interior experience.
A second waterfall, Medaki, continues the transition into the hotel’s internal program. Framed by stone walls and cloisonné surfaces, the interior space blends with the outdoor scenery. A pine tree extending across the frame guides the visitor’s path toward the residential courtyards.
Among these, the Tian Xian Gong courtyard stands out as one of the most historically grounded. Its design integrates three old pine trees that have long watched over the site, and the surrounding stonework emphasizes views outward toward the mountains. This courtyard distills the project’s broader goal: harmony between the site’s historical layers and its new program.
Above the entrance lobby, the east terrace—referred to as the “moon-viewing platform”—offers another spatial highlight. The basin, encircled by water and appearing to float in greenery, allows guests to dine while observing both the mountain backdrop and the waterfall below. Viewed from Tian Xian Gong, the terrace links the sky, earth, and built form in a single frame.
The Beijing Xitan Hotel is ultimately conceived as a “garden village,” where landscape, architecture, and culture interweave. By placing equal importance on garden stones, mythological orientation, and Zen symbolism, the project defines a new model for high-end resorts grounded in both Chinese and Japanese landscape traditions.
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Project Location
Address: No. 10, District 6, Tanwang Road, Mengtoumen District, Beijing, China
The location specified is intended for general reference and may denote a city or country, but it does not identify a precise address.
