01 / How this building reached the presentFACTS BEFORE INTERPRETATION
Before the journey, a power station
Massarelos thermal power station began operating in 1915, producing and transforming electricity for Porto’s tram network. The museum opened in this industrial building in 1992.
The vehicles attract attention, but their building is also part of the collection. Its large spaces and power equipment reveal the work behind everyday urban movement.
Notice the industrial scale outside. If visiting inside, compare the vehicles with the power-generating equipment and the work each required.
I Ching · Independent reading
Jing: sustaining what seems effortless
The position of this readingThe well suggests a shared resource whose continued usefulness depends on care.
A contemporary editorial reading through the I Ching, open to discussion and challenge; it does not represent the building’s original intent or the venue’s position.
Explore the I Ching reading
The classical text and the building
HEXAGRAM 48
48Jing · The wellWater over wood / wind
Zhou Yi · Image · Excerpt and editorial translation
木上有水,井。 Water above wood: the well.
The well suggests a shared resource whose continued usefulness depends on care.
01
Unseen infrastructure
We remember tram colours more readily than generation, maintenance and labour. Jing redirects attention to those conditions.
02
After production ends
Preserving machines alone does not explain a system. This reading connects equipment, workers and passengers.
Another perspective · I Ching
A contemporary cultural interpretation by Xiaoxiong inspired by the I Ching, not architectural intent, historical fact, divination or an interpretation endorsed by the venue.