Back to the Glory of the Tang

Capital of thirteen dynasties, Xi'an carries a deep historical and cultural legacy and a distinctive urban fabric of its own. Built on a wealth of historic sites, its immersive celebration of Tang culture lets visitors travel back to the dynasty at its height.

DJI aims to be a technology company that keeps driving human progress, reshaping how people work and live through innovation. E Studio has worked closely with DJI for three years on technology retail, continually developing spaces and scenarios for new kinds of consumers.

A New Experience Space Beneath the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

This DJI & Hasselblad concept store, the first in northwest China, stands in Xi'an's Datang Everbright City scenic area at the foot of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Qujiang New District. Running along a central axis from the North Square of the pagoda to the Tang City Wall Ruins Park, Datang Everbright City is the country's only large pedestrian street of Tang-style buildings set against the culture of the High Tang.

The Beauty of Symmetry: Eastern Architectural Wisdom in Miniature

"What Chinese architecture values above all is the establishment of a main central axis. No people, East or West, has loved and kept to the axis of symmetry so faithfully." — Liang Sicheng

Chinese architecture favours axially symmetrical plans and a well-ordered hierarchy, unfolding as groups of buildings across the ground to give traditional architecture its sense of grandeur. The store follows the same aesthetic: the entrance and the main central display island are laid out along the central axis.

As a renewed building, the store continues the overall character of Datang Everbright City while bringing in new elements. It follows the three compositional elements of Tang-style architecture and its division into bays, so that vertical and horizontal compositions read together.

Light, transparent façades, opened up as far as possible, hold a conversation with the ancient city. On the street side, contemporary matte stainless-steel columns and full-height glass reflect the streetscape: dappled tree shadows and playful reflections let inside and outside merge.

Through the glass of the front and side façades, pale grey stone comes into view. Laid in large slabs in golden-ratio proportions, it reads in a way as a continuation of the ancient city wall.

Simple materials and a restrained palette, together with an atmosphere that joins spirit and art, capture the essence of tradition while keeping pace with the modern city: vital and contemporary.

"Chang'an glitters with flowing light; fireworks and lanterns keep the night sky bright." No line describes Datang Everbright City better. At nightfall the store lights up too. Under warm, soft light it looks livelier still, a visual highlight on the street like a grand invitation to art, creating a cityscape where day and night are endlessly interwoven.

A glorious history and a world of culture have inspired identity and pride in millions of Xi'an's people, and these will become a shared source of feeling for the city. Through the artistic expression of the building itself, with cultural strength at its core, the design weaves culture into people's lives.

For DJI & Hasselblad Xi'an, E Studio's approach was to start from the city and find the design that suits it.

Some moments are destined to become classics. Before light and shadow settle into an image, inspiration has already sparked behind the camera. It all begins with one person's drive to break with convention. From the film era to the digital age, Hasselblad has made imaging tools that give form to creative vision and let inspiration flourish.

DJI & Hasselblad Shanghai

The first concept flagship in Shanghai sits on the busy Xintiandi shopping street. The whole building keeps its Shikumen façade, an emblem of modern Shanghai, while the interior answers the historic district with a minimal, technological image: a dialogue between past and future.

The challenge in developing the identity of the DJI & Hasselblad SI concept store was to balance two brand characters, DJI standing for the future and Hasselblad for the timeless classic, merging and distinguishing the two brands within one retail setting.