China (Harbin) Woodcarving Museum

China (Harbin) Woodcarving Museum

This bizarre-looking silver building is the Harbin China Woodcarving Museum, located within a high-rise residential complex full of European flair, completed in February 2013. Its design was inspired by a piece of wood and was created by the renowned Chinese MAD Architects. The building is approximately 200 meters long, resembling a piece of alien silver wood frozen on a narrow plot beside a residential area in the city center. The total floor area reaches 13,000 square meters, with a chaotic and abstract form that blurs the boundaries between solid and liquid.

The building’s exterior is covered with silver stainless steel panels, and the surrounding environment and light cast onto it, creating a fantastical visual effect. Due to its location in the northeast, to ensure minimal heat loss, the building features a large amount of solid wall construction and is designed with three split skylights to capture the low-angle northern sunlight, while also bringing ample diffused natural light into the three atrium spaces.

The museum’s main collections include woodcarvings with local characteristics as well as northern ice and snow paintings.

Address: Intersection of Jingjiang West Road and Qunli Fifth Avenue, Daoli District, Harbin

Admission: Free

Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday: 8:30 – 16:00

Transportation Reference: Bus routes 85, 131

Information Source: Harbin Municipal Bureau of Tourism