The new building is intended to store and study the works of Nantong-born Fan Zeng, a prominent Chinese artist, calligrapher and poet who works in line with the national ink painting tradition.
Like Fan Zeng, architects "created modern works according to ancient rules." The gallery is organized around courtyards in the spirit of historical Chinese architecture. However, in this case, the courtyards are located one above the other, "depopulating" the volume of the building. On the first tier there is a “courtyard of a well”, above - a “courtyard of water” and a “courtyard of stone”, on the third floor there is a “surrounded courtyard”. Courtyards reduce the volume of a building and the scale of its parts, bringing it closer to a human.
Moreover, such a system creates a fluid, fluid space where the relationship between different rooms - and courtyards - takes on a different character depending on the position of the observer. In addition, the absence of a predetermined viewing route allows blurring the line between the viewer and the work of art: the exposition is "scattered", there is nothing direct or boring in presenting the work to a person, the impression is formed gradually, "tortuous" - in the process of experiencing the object of art.
