Cai Feng Lou - The Local Birds

An F&B experience that captures the informal character of Qidong’s rural lifestyle, where leisurely bird-walking is a common pastime within the local community.



Indigenous birds and scenes of village life feature throughout, echoing an old Chinese proverb that says “restless birds always come home” - a metaphor for migrant workers returning to where it is most familiar and genuine.

The experience is antithetic with common notions of luxury and focusses on infusing in guests the welcoming and relaxed feeling of living in a rural context, where one can leave behind the troubles of urban life.

The layout is inspired by the town planning, with the floor pattern staggering and meandering like irregular road paving and where a series of private dining rooms line both sides like houses. The continuous, flowing space breaks down unnecessary barriers, creating a sense of openness and shared participation that is reminiscent of village life.



An intimate ala carte area resembles a small park for gathering – a convivial setting often seen with elderly men playing Chinese chess and ‘bird-walking’.

Dining tabletops are etched with a Chinese chessboard pattern, with a large art mural backdrop, printed onto glazed ceramic tiles, depicting local scenes that continue throughout the walls of the restaurant.



Traditional elements are subverted and offset, by playing with colour and scale:

Oversized lanterns, resembling birdcages, are powder coated in a bold red, creating punch and rhythm.

Furniture pieces take on a simplified Chinese dynasty aesthetic, reinterpreted in bright lucid yellow, to create fresh pops of interest.

Rattan and cane, materials used as roadside basket displays, feature in the dining chair backrests; supersized in the floor-to-ceiling screens; and appear in their unadulterated form, as part of a ceiling feature in various parts of the restaurant.



Each PDR is adorned with decorative metal strapwork and inside, showcases a different colourway and species of native bird - digitally printed into super graphic textured wallcoverings. Flat-screen TV’s are concealed behind circular one-way mirrors, resembling those inside bird cages, whilst the pendant lights echo the forms of hanging bird feeders.