This project explores the restoration process and reactivation of an ancient Chinese city wall in Jingzhou, Hubei, with a 3,000-year history. The strategies of preservation and conservation address both material components of the city wall: The brick wall and the earthen wall. The project aims to re-integrate an ancient giant into a modernising city, following David Lowenthal's statement on landscape and memory: "We need the past to cope with present landscapes".

The dilapidated city wall is restored but not overly renovated in order to preserve its historical traces. Outside of the city wall lies the modern city; inside, people experience the past. The wall itself becomes an in-between space that offers activities of various kinds; it can be appropriated for cultural activities and festivals, and provides new paths to outdoor sports for the city’s aging demographic. In this way, the ancient city wall coexists with the modern city and its inhabitants.