SHORT DESCRIPTION

Shouxian Palace is one of the principal settings in Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms (2023), winner of the Best Genre - Artistic Contribution at the 80th Venice International Film Festival. Situated within the imperial city, it is secondary in size and rank to Longde Palace yet carries a distinct identity as the residence of the empress and her children, embodying a maternal presence. To reflect this character, the design adopts a softer, more soothing wooden architectural language. The palace’s vertical ridges are shaped with gentle curves, contrasting the powerful straight lines of Longde Palace. Its dougong - more ornamental than structural - adds refinement and delicacy, while the inclusion of zaojing creates expansive vertical spaces essential for the film’s dynamic action sequences, such as actors leaping across roofs and vaulting over walls. Scale and proportion were carefully tailored to the human body, and interior details infused with feminine qualities reinforce the palace’s softer identity. Equally important is the courtyard design, which anchors the palace’s emotional and visual atmosphere. A large rectangular courtyard with a single cherry tree was conceived to evoke beauty tinged with desolation, enriching the cinematic mood and underscoring Shouxian Palace’s unique role within the narrative.