Fudian Chanyin, Zen style hostel in Jinxi town

Fudian Chanyin Inn offers a unique accommodation experience among the numerous options available in the culture-rich town of Jinxi.

The inn was designed by FCD FuchenDesign with an undivided focus on minimalism, creating an environment for the meditative mind.

The inn's designer and owner of FCD, Wan Fuchen, has reshaped a mundane tiered building and molded it according to his aesthetic ideals, affection for rural life and childhood dreams to stand out from the generic surrounding architectures.

Located on the fringe of the town, Fudian Chanyin opens to the street through a moon gate carved on a white wall; a dark, circular wooden board is used to seal the opening.

Behind the gate is a stone lion that guards the door and a concrete path that leads to the other side of the narrow yard. The central part of the path is hunched up to mimic the arched design of characteristic Chinese bridge structures.

Behind the moon gate at Fudian Chanyin Inn is a concrete path that leads to the other side of the narrow yard. [Photo from Kunshan Tourism Resort WeChat account]

Loosely bundled dried bamboo branches are used to cover the upper part of the French window in the common room on the first floor. The design provides just enough natural light and a clear view to the preserved grey brick wall outside. The ceiling of the common room is also adorned with bamboo braches draping down.

The common room on the first floor features a bamboo theme with dried bamboo branches adorning the ceiling and the French window. [Photo from Kunshan Tourism Resort WeChat account]

The terrace on the second floor features a same bamboo theme, an old canoe boat and old tiles arranged in neat lines that extend from the roof down to the rubble-covered terrace floor.

Guest rooms are fitted with comfortable latex mattresses, wheeled tables, and thoughtful light fittings. Bamboo and wood has been used to make door boards, screens and even a sink pedestal. These items give yellow-brown tinges to the rooms dominated by the whitewash from the walls and linen.

Geometric design is found in abundance in the interior design. An oval-shaped recession on the wall marks the spot where a Buddhist statue is placed in a corner of the first floor. Round and hexagonal shapes are used to build window frames in guest rooms. Moon gates are built between the bedrooms and the connected bathrooms. Pentagonal, trapezoid and triangular shapes are used in the design of the walls and the ceilings. The gypsum boards behind beds are designed to have curved corners or surfaces.

Guest rooms feature minimal whites complemented by the warmth of deep browns. [Photo from Kunshan Tourism Resort WeChat account]