ABOUT

In the not-so-distant future, our screens will become windows into a new age of the internet, with immersive digital platforms offering us new experiences and opportunities to socialise and shop, to be entertained and have fun, to create and set our imaginations free, all at our fingertips.

For Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li the future is now. With a vision to inspire and engage new audiences, the iconic hospitality, entertainment and retail destination in Chengdu, China, partnered with Superunion to create an immersive virtual experience and digital art space, The Temple. The ambition was to design a digital platform to showcase the contemporary experiences of Taikoo Li and celebrate its cultural heritage and unrivalled reputation as a patron and collector of the arts.

The concept of The Temple was inspired by the ancient Daci temple that lies at the centre of Taikoo Li. Named the "Temple of Infinite Compassion and Mercy", Daci temple is one of the oldest in China, dating back to the 3rd century during the Wei and Jin dynasties, when Indian Buddhist monk Baozhang came to Sichuan to worship Samantabhadra. Over a thousand years, the temple has retained its cultural role and recently became the heart of contemporary Taikoo Li, a unique destination that combines hospitality, shopping, dining and entertainment experiences, all set amongst restored lanes, mansions, tea rooms and courtyards surrounding the temple.

In our creative strategy we wanted to convey the extraordinary sense of place in a digital form, to reconnect with the past, and bring it forward to the future. We designed a digital sanctuary outside the limits of time and space, created as a spiritual home for the arts and self-expression. A place of infinite imagination and creativity, The Temple is constructed into three distinct rooms — The House of Light, The Blossom Garden, and The Infinity Tower — inviting the viewer on a journey of discovery, and creating a sense of wonder through colour, texture and form. Each of the rooms is inspired by rituals within the Daci temple, from observing the movement of light and shadows that reveal inner meaning, to releasing a koi carp, and the melody of interactive singing bowls and water meditation.