The architecture of the Gongwang Art Museum blends traditional Chinese elements with modern aesthetics. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The couple lived an idyllic life in Hangzhou where they would often stroll along the West Lake and had plenty of time to spend sipping tea with friends. Wang said that this calming experience nurtured his heart and in turn evoked a change in his perspective to life.

"You could spend a long time watching the rain, how it falls along the ridges of a building, how the streams flow and where the water drops. All this interests you. You would be thinking if it is possible to design architecture and show clearly where the rain comes from, where it flows, where it goes ... each turning and change in movement touches one's heart," he said.

Wang's unique style was eventually recognized and he was presented with the opportunity to design the Ningbo Museum in Zhejiang province. Construction of the museum, which featured the use of bricks salvaged from old buildings that were demolished to make way for modern developments, took place from 2004 to 2008.

Wang said that he had built the structure as if creating a landscape painting.

"Looking at the museum from afar, you see the building as a painting of a mountain that is spreading out right in front of your eyes. When entering the structure, you'll find different landscapes at different positions, offering different perspectives. This is how traditional Chinese landscape paintings should be experienced, through free shifts of perspectives and angles," said Wang.

Following this project, Wang was a part of the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai where he designed the Tengtou village pavilion, which was inspired by a painting of a mountain dwelling by Chen Hongshou (1599-1652). He said that stepping into the doorway of the pavilion is akin to entering a cave where different landscapes unfold at every turn of the step, like "a page in an ancient leaflet of small paintings".

Wang also gained international recognition for designing a building in Xiangshan Campus at the China Art Academy in suburban Hangzhou district.