Visit the Yantai Time Tower to salute nature and enjoy quality time.

Despite the biting wind in Yantai these days, people's enthusiasm for the seaside remains undimmed, not to mention the award-winning, popular Time Tower standing quietly by the sea, waiting to be explored. If you visit on the spring equinox, March 20th, the tower's shadow should fall precisely on the blue-black line north of the square (see the second image).
Designed by OPEN Architecture, the Time Tower is located on the shore of Golden Sand Beach in the Yantai Development Zone, Shandong Province. It's a multifunctional public cultural building, featuring an outdoor theater, a sky library, a digital exhibition hall, a cafe, and other leisure facilities. At the top, there's a unique semi-outdoor "phenomenon space."
OPEN Architecture aimed to create a meaningful public building that not only brings much-needed public cultural functions to the new district but also evokes people's attention to time and natural phenomena, along with a sense of reverence for nature. The spectacular sunrise over the Yellow Sea and the trajectory of the sun's movement became key design considerations. This multifunctional urban landmark integrates the ancient ritual of awe for nature with contemporary cultural life.
The Time Tower's geometric form is derived from the sun's trajectory. The tangible architecture transforms intangible energies—breath, light, sound, and seaside natural phenomena—into experiences perceptible to the human body. It's a "lighthouse of the soul" that pays homage to time and nature.
Currently, the Development Zone's Time Tower, City Exhibition Center, Whale Fall Sculpture, and other attractions are free to visit. To enter the Time Tower's interior, you need to scan a code and register.

Post by Rowan_Winterbourne/25 | Mar 17, 2025