Artworks breathe energy into serenity

“Zhang’s pieces respond subtly to changes in humidity and temperature. They breathe with the space, constantly shifting in imperceptible ways,” Guan explains. “At the same time, his art pays tribute to intangible cultural heritage, building the contemporary into a centuries-old craft.”

According to Guan, Zhang’s artworks evoke a poetic pursuit, a search for a personal Peach Blossom Spring, the mythical utopia of Chinese lore. “The hotel, tucked quietly within the Caochang community, mirrors that same spirit. It’s a hidden urban sanctuary, tranquil and almost hermit-like.”

Zhang made multiple visits to the site during the exhibition’s planning, carefully studying the courtyard and its atmosphere to ensure his works would be in sync with the space.

“In the courtyard’s calmness,” Guan adds, “Zhang’s work reinterprets classical traditions for a contemporary audience. His pieces are not just art, but translations, renewals, and meditations on how the past breathes into the present.”

What sets Zhang’s artwork apart is its thematic depth and technique. Each piece incorporates dragon-scale binding, or longlin zhuang, a bookbinding method that flourished during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), in which pages are layered like overlapping scales, allowing a book to unfold in an accordion-like manner.

Zhang spent years exploring and refining the technique, transforming it into his own artistic vocabulary.

In addition to his visual artworks, the exhibition showcases Zhang’s books created using the ancient dragon-scale binding technique.

Among the highlights is his award-winning piece Diamond Sutra in 32 Zhuan (Seal) Fonts, which earned the Gold Prize at the China Print Awards. This monumental 8-meter-long scroll consists of 217 dragon-scale pages and, when fully extended, measures an impressive 73.4 meters in length.

When fully unfolded, the scroll resembles a vibrant, undulating dragon, with layered pages that flutter and ripple like scales in the wind. As viewers read from right to left, there is an alternating rhythm of elegant calligraphy and sweeping imagery, accompanied by the rice paper’s soft texture and the faint scent of ink.