Mocun Resort
Area: 5000 sqm
Status: Complete
The renovation of Mohkan Shan Lodge carries a century of history. From Qing-dynasty missionaries discovering its potential as a summer retreat, to French entrepreneur Stephane in 2005 creating a Sino-European “foreign family homestay,” this building has always told a cross-cultural story.
In 2023, designers Chen Peng and Gao Ya honored the original vision—preserving Stephane’s “home away from home” warmth—while upgrading for modern needs: optimizing circulation, lighting, and privacy. Rejecting standardization, they redefined it as a “resort” rather than a hotel, revitalizing its rural aesthetic through meticulous details that reconnect the historic structure with the present. This project is both spatial renewal and a contemporary tribute to Mohkan Shan’s century-old summer culture.
Facing 50 unique room layouts, they developed a “flexible design system”: modular 2m-tall headboards doubling as room dividers, convertible sofas for children. Materials followed a “Mocun formula”—yak-wool rugs (custom-made with Nomadic Nights) that soften over time, linen textiles blending with original textures. From sheer fabric wardrobes to weathered wood grains, each solution turns constraints (varying ceiling heights, irregular structures) into virtues, creating a distinctive “Mocun style” where renovation becomes a symbiotic experiment with time.
