5 free things to do in Hangzhou (3)

Xiangshan campus of China Academy of Art

The campus has been a hot scenic spot since Wang Shu, the school's dean of architecture and designer of the campus, won a Pritzker Architecture Prize - considered by many in the field the "Nobel Prize" for architecture.

Although it's in suburban Zhuantang Town, the campus receives hoards of visitors eager to see what all the fuss is about.

The campus covers an area of more than 500,000 square meters and is surrounded by tree-covered mountains and flowing streams.

The combination of natural scenery and the unique architecture makes for an impressive sight.

Most of the buildings are less than five stories tall, featuring square windows that come in different sizes.

These add vibrancy to the design, breaking the rule that they must conform to fixed locations and sizes.

In addition, the buildings are designed so that their contours match the line of the hills in the distance, visually forming a harmonious bond. Corridors and cloisters wind around the campus, softening the overall look.

Wood, stone, bricks and glass are all used to ensure visual diversity on campus. To create an authentic historic feel, six million tiles from demolished traditional houses were used in the project.

And adding a note of natural antiquity, centuries-old trees grow along the banks of ponds around the campus.

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