Conceived as a contemporary Yi ritual altar, the centre stands on Cuisuba’s high meadow, nearly 2,000 metres above sea level. This ground holds traditions of honouring heaven and earth and celebrating the Torch Festival. The design draws on those memories, translating the altar’s form, collective movement through the hills and reverence for nature into a spatial order.

Folding entrance ramps recall torch-bearing groups winding uphill during the festival. Slender suspended light courts introduce red and yellow daylight above dark interiors, giving the journey a changing ceremonial atmosphere. The roof’s concave, projecting edges open towards the mountains; collected rain passes through gutters and open courts back into the ground. This “Sky Pan” system connects sky, building and earth through light and water while providing daylight and ventilation.

Ritual structure and contemporary uses meet within parallel units. Reclaimed boards from old Yi houses and local pine formwork imprint timber grain into concrete mixed with local sand. Altar, procession, light, rain and the traces of construction become spatial reminders of a shared history, carrying collective memory into everyday use as a wordless monument on the plateau.