Minimum Intervention: Tongyuanmen Relics Park

Tongyuanmen Relics Park transforms an unexpected archaeological discovery into an open public landscape where heritage and everyday life coexist. During the renewal of Yingwu Street in Xiushui County, the remains of the ancient Tongyuan Gate, sections of the city wall, historic roads, and traces of daily life were uncovered beneath a site originally planned as an entrance plaza and parking lot. Rather than treating the discovery as an isolated archaeological exhibit, the project reimagines it as an integral part of the city's public realm.

Guided by the principle of “minimum intervention, maximum respect,” the design carefully preserves the archaeological remains while restoring the historic circulation pattern that once connected the city gate to surrounding neighborhoods. Instead of reconstructing the lost city, the project reveals its memory through subtle architectural interventions. Timber sleeper walkways reinforce the original pebble roads, gabion retaining walls resolve level changes without disturbing the excavation, and illuminated engraved glass panels trace the former outline of the city wall, allowing visitors to understand the site's history while experiencing it as part of everyday movement.

The park accommodates heritage conservation, public circulation, cultural interpretation, and leisure within a single landscape. Residents continue to walk through the site on their daily routes, while visitors encounter the city's history through direct spatial experience rather than conventional museum displays. By transforming archaeological remains into an accessible civic space, the project demonstrates an alternative approach for historic county towns in China—one where heritage is not frozen in time, but becomes an active participant in contemporary urban life, strengthening local identity and reconnecting fragmented urban memory with the future.