Building in Hangzhou set to nourish culture

For one thing, the design of the entire site follows the style of Song Dynasty gardens, according to Wang Shu, chief architect and winner of the 2012 Pritzker Architecture Prize.

With next to no surviving gardens or buildings from that period for reference, Wang and his team turned to Song-era paintings for inspiration.

"From the very beginning, when we chose the site－an abandoned mine with several deserted hills－we have taken Song Dynasty aesthetics into consideration," explains Wang.

"Gardens in the Song Dynasty were not built relying on artificial rockeries; the more natural the surrounding environment, the better."

Therefore, all the architectural structures at the venue were built with minimal alterations to the original setting.

Now, without any special design, the view in front of the main building－called the main study－resembles the famed painting Travelers Among Mountains and Streams by Fan Kuan of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127).

Another unique feature is the many standing screen doors, again inspired by the screens in Song Dynasty paintings, with the celadon tiles tailor-made at the Longquan kiln in Zhejiang's Lishui city.

"Both in color and texture, celadon looks quite like jade," says Wang. "It echoes the name 'Wenrun', the name of the venue, which means as gentle as jade."

While drawing inspiration from the Song culture, Wang emphasizes that the architecture is far from a simple imitation of the past.

"It is completely modern," says Wang, including the 15-meter-high rammed earth wall of the main building, arguably the world's highest.

"I call the design concept 'modern Song Dynasty culture', meaning it is a modern interpretation and innovation of tradition," he says.

Only in such a manner can Chinese traditions and culture be better passed down to future generations, he adds.

MA ZHENHUAN in Hangzhou