China Archives | Moss and Fog

Museums

A Floating Silver Cloud Becomes China’s Newest Science Museum

June 3, 2026 Museums

A scenic view of a winding river surrounded by lush greenery in the foreground, with modern buildings and a unique stadium structure visible in the background under a cloudy sky.

Rising beside a tropical wetland in Haikou, China, the new Hainan Science Museum looks less like a building and more like a cloud suspended above the landscape.

Modern architectural structure with smooth, curved surfaces and glass elements, surrounded by landscaped greenery.

Designed by MAD Architects, the 46,500-square-meter structure takes inspiration from the invisible air currents that form clouds, resulting in a fluid, silver form that appears to hover over reflecting pools.

A group of students wearing yellow hats walking towards a modern architectural building with a unique, swirling design.

Its seamless exterior is made up of 843 uniquely shaped panels, creating a sculptural shell that feels both futuristic and organic.

Three individuals photographing a modern, curved building surrounded by greenery in an urban setting.

Inside, visitors follow a continuous spiral path through exhibitions on space, oceans, ecosystems, and technology, with a central skylight flooding the interior with natural light.

A close-up view of a modern architectural building featuring smooth, curved metallic surfaces and large glass windows, reflecting warm sunlight in the foreground.

“ Its seamless exterior is made up of 843 uniquely shaped panels, creating a sculptural shell that feels both futuristic and organic. “

An astronaut figurine suspended in a spiral atrium, with a large moon model hovering above and two individuals observing below.

Rather than dividing exhibits into separate rooms, the museum encourages exploration through a single flowing journey.

A group of children in matching uniforms and white hats explore a vibrant, immersive environment filled with digital trees and colorful flowers. The walls are adorned with glowing nature-themed projections, and there are easels present in the space.

Depending on where visitors begin, the experience unfolds either from earth to sky or from cosmos to coast.

A spacious modern interior featuring white curved walls, an astronaut model and a globe suspended from the ceiling, with a group of children walking in the foreground.

Alongside galleries, the museum includes a planetarium, giant-screen theater, and outdoor learning spaces, making it one of China’s most ambitious science destinations.

Interior of an aquarium exhibit featuring a colorful submarine and interactive displays about marine exploration, with visitors observing the display.

Like much of MAD’s work, the project blends architecture, landscape, and storytelling into something that feels both imaginative and deeply connected to its surroundings.

Modern architectural design featuring a futuristic building surrounded by greenery and trees.

Aerial view of a modern building resembling a futuristic design, surrounded by urban landscape, with roads and a body of water nearby, during dusk.

Images courtesy of MAD Architects.

Design

Kindergarten With Colorful Glass Looks Like a Magical Place for Learning

May 2, 2026 Design

School design has come a long way in the last few decades, and this particular design struck our eye as especially beautiful and inspiring.

Located in Tianshui, China, the kindergarten is fulled with nearly 500 pieces of colored glass that bring a rainbow effect into everyday learning.

The whimsical nature of the design from SAKO Architects is meant to make discovery and color a part of everyday learning.

Looks like a fun and inspiration place to be, for sure. Via Trendland:

Architecture

Dramatic, Rippling Headquarters for Charity Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects

November 5, 2025 Architecture

The new Yidan Center in Shenzhen is not the usual glass box with a mission statement attached.

Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, it rises like something carved by water and time, a fluid form that seems to flow rather than stand still.

It will house the Chen Yidan Foundation and the Yidan Prize, both focused on reshaping global education, but the architecture speaks louder than any plaque or press release.

Below we see the building topping out in construction, and the dramatic, undulating balconies that are a Zaha Hadid design signature.

The building is shaped around openness. Dozens of elevated terraces step like worn stone paths, an internal courtyard runs like a canyon of light, and the edges blur between indoors and out.

View of the Yidan Center in Shenzhen, showcasing its unique, fluid architectural design with dramatic undulating forms and reflections. — The drama of the building’s curves are evident in this rendering.

Visitors travel through light-filled spaces that encourage people to meet, talk, argue, rethink. The place feels active rather than static, closer to a research trip or a climb than an office building.

The Yidan Center in Shenzhen, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, features a distinctive fluid form and dramatic balconies, set against a backdrop of modern buildings and greenery.

Despite its sculptural presence, there is careful practicality. The atrium pulls daylight deep into the core. The skin of the building manages shade and air, reducing the need for heavy cooling.

A modern architectural view of the Yidan Center in Shenzhen, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, featuring fluid forms and undulating balconies. People, including children in yellow backpacks, walk along the entrance area surrounded by greenery.

Solar panels and hybrid ventilation support its LEED Gold goals. The sustainability is embedded within the DNA of the building itself.

A modern building with a sculptural design featuring undulating balconies, surrounded by greenery and people engaging on a staircase.

What stands out is the symbolism. Most charity headquarters are polite, quiet, and forgettable. The Yidan Center chooses to be bold.

It suggests that education is a living force worth celebrating. What if our ideas should move, stretch, and change shape, just like the structure itself?

Aerial view of the Yidan Center in Shenzhen, showcasing its fluid architecture with undulating balconies and integrated greenery, surrounded by visitors exploring outdoor terraces.

It is refreshing to see architecture like this take a stance.

Images © Copyright Zaha Hadid Architects.

See more on ArchDaily.

Animals

Thomas Barbéy’s Surreal Photo Montages Depict Impossible Landscapes That Don’t Exist

September 17, 2024 Animals

Before AI-generated imagery made surreal landscapes a daily scroll, Thomas Barbéy was doing it entirely by hand — combining film negatives in the darkroom to create places that feel deeply familiar and completely impossible at the same time. The craft is staggering. Each image is the result of years of accumulated negatives, patience, and a precise visual imagination that no algorithm can replicate. In a world now flooded with algorithmic surrealism, his work is a reminder that the most unsettling dreamscapes come from a human mind with something specific to say.

Via Whudat:

“In every location Thomas Barbéy has traveled to, he has taken photographs. He uses the pictures to create artistic montages of a imaginary concepts, which are technically made with a combination of negatives, pre-planned double exposures, and/or other methods. His work is heavily inspired by his travels, everyday life, and art by Rene Magritte, M.C. Escher, and Roger Dean.”

More pictures here:

Architecture

Reflected Moon Wedding Chapel at China’s Mount Tai

November 1, 2021 Architecture

This elegantly designed wedding chapel at China’s Mount Tai features a ‘moon’ that never sets. The semicircle design reflects perfectly in the lake, and presents a lovely appearance against the rocky slopes.

Designed by Syn Architects, the chapel is only part of the buildout, which encourages visitors and guests to explore the beautiful natural surroundings.

Inspiring design, indeed. Via Dezeen:

Colors

This 1400 Year Old Gingko Tree Rains Down an Ocean of Yellow Leaves in Autumn

October 12, 2021 Colors

Located in China’s Zhongnan Mountains, this astounding gingko tree has been standing for well over 1400 years. It’s huge canopy creates an eruption of vibrant yellow leaves in autumn, raining down a massive carpet that transforms the ground.

Within the walls of the Gu Guanyin Buddhist Temple, the tree adds has a special zen quality to it throughout the seasons, but particularly in fall, where it commands reverence for nature.

Another example of how trees are magical.

Architecture

Rare Photographs Showcase 19th Century China

December 14, 2020 Architecture

This archive of photographs from the 1860s and 1870s shows us a rare glimpse of Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Beijing in the early days of photography.

These rare images are part of Stephan Loewentheil’s impressive photo archive, giving us insight into a country before its rise to power and size.

CNN has a collection of these images, showcasing some of the 15,000+ images that Loewentheil has amassed over the last several decades.

Many of the photographs are hand colored, and show simple street scenes, laborers, as well as dignitaries and people of prominence. We are struck by how much had changed, and how the Chinese landscapes would be entirely unrecognizable in today’s modern metropolis.

Architecture

The World’s Longest Glass-Bottomed Bridge Just Opened in China

September 4, 2020 Architecture

A massive new 526-meter (1,725 feet) long bridge just opened in Southern China, but this one has a twist. The bottom is entirely clad in glass, so visitors have a stunning view of the Lianjiang River 200 meters below.

Designed by Architectural Design & Research Institute of Zhejiang University, it’s a slim yet impressive feat, and we can only imagine it’d be an exhilarating and hair-raising walk across its length.

Part of the Huangchuan Three Gorges Scenic Area, the glass bridge is just the latest attractions to this natural area. Read more on Dezeen:

“Through blending the structure into the natural surroundings and deploying innovative construction methods, the design team realized the seamless integration of nature and the artificial.”

“The glazing endows the bridge deck with crystal-like lustre, high transparency and refractive index”

Architecture

Rainbow Glass Turns This Kindergarten into a Magical Place of Learning

April 10, 2020 Architecture

Though Covid-19 may have scuttled all of our school plans for the year, school design has come a long way in the last few decades, and this particular design struck our eye as especially beautiful and inspiring. Located in Tianshui, China, the kindergarten is fulled with nearly 500 pieces of colored glass that bring a rainbow effect into everyday learning.

The whimsical nature of the design from SAKO Architects is meant to make discovery and color a part of everyday learning. Looks like a fun and inspiration place to be, for sure. Via Trendland:

Art

Stunning and Controversial Indigenous Portraits

November 19, 2018 Art

There’s no doubt that Jimmy Nelson’s portraits of indigenous peoples from around the world are beautiful. They’re exceptionally composed, and the diversity of faces, setting, and dress are stunning. Photographed over several years, the series includes some of the smallest and most remote indigenous groups on the planet, captured in their most ceremonial and impressive of dress. From Bhutan to Namibia to high in the Andes mountains, Nelson’s lens has documented some amazing cultural diversity, in a series he called “Before They Pass Away“. That title, and some of the staged setting caused controversy when Nelson’s book was released, claiming that he was glorifying a past era that no longer exists. Controversy aside, we find the images brave and important, capturing fragile cultures in pockets of the world that we rarely see. Via WBUR:

32149021_192750911370305_8211674713412337664_o — Huli Wigmen, Ambua Falls, Tari Valley Papua New Guinea, 2010

32089994_192751441370252_6963482759641694208_o — Yang Shuo Cormorants, China, 2005

32105240_192750848036978_8835668641874706432_o — Himba, Epupa falls, Namibia, 2014

32116453_192750918036971_1227800269387988992_o — Khoyor Tolgoi Hill, Altan Tsogts County Bayan Ulgii Provence, Mongolia 2017

Mount Bosavi waterfall, Papua New Guinea, 2017

32149330_192750998036963_3453252125159587840_o — Likekaipia Tribe Ponowi Village, Jalibu Mountains, Western highlands Papua New Guinea, 2010

32152746_192751204703609_1585696316455911424_n — Samburu tribe, Kenya

32154051_192750831370313_4214526827743412224_o — Mask dancers, Paro, Bhutan, 2016

32157217_192751138036949_3907751646095998976_o — NI Vanuatu Men Rah Lava Island, Torba Province Vanuatu Islands, 2011

32162684_192750944703635_5372356002500837376_o — Korcho Village, Omo valley Ethiopia, 2011

32162810_192751251370271_2372641579006427136_o — Tangge Village, Upper Mustang Nepal, 2011

32187140_192751101370286_1446441253242667008_o — Ndoto Mountain Range Kenya, 2010

32187563_192751164703613_1512154154087219200_o — Paro Pass, Bhutan, 2016

32191090_192751018036961_1929386617458393088_o — Miao Village, Liu Pan Shui, Gui zhou, China, 2016

32191621_192750988036964_4064858221184024576_o — Lake Argentino / Cerro Christal on horizon Patagonia Argentina, 2011

32191712_192751181370278_7038286328135417856_o — Perak women, Thikse Monastery, Ladakh India, 2012

32202892_192751321370264_6642368846856454144_o — Uramana clan, Amuioan, Tufi, Papua New Guinea, 2017

32214730_192750808036982_4095055741105209344_o — Ganges, Haridwar, India

32231262_192751384703591_8345701594540539904_o — Vaioa River, Atuona, Hiva Oa, Marquesas Islands, 2016

32256248_192751314703598_4126780328058552320_o — Te Aroha Mikaka & Sky Bay of Islands, Haruru falls, North Island New Zealand, 2011

XL_15.tif — Q’ero | Qochamoqo, Hatun Q’eros, Andes

Architecture

Tianjin Binhai Library by MVRDV

November 2, 2017 Architecture

Libraries have seen a slew of impressive new architectural achievements in recent years, with architects taking the traditional format of a building with books, and flipping it on it’s head. The latest striking example of that is the Tianjin Binhai Library, designed by the Dutch architecture firm MVRDV. Built in just three years, the massive library has a form that focuses attention on a giant ‘orb’ in the middle, which serves as a luminous, spherical auditorium. The organic form and stepped platforms allows for easy browsing and sitting, while keeping the space open and clean. Located adjacent to a new park and a burgeoning cultural district, the Tianjin Binhai Library is an ambitious design that will serve as an icon in this city of 15 million. Via ArchDaily:

Tianjin Binhai library — The curving, undulating wall panels all five way to the central ‘eye’, which houses an auditorium.

Architecture

A Magical Bookstore in China

July 19, 2017 Architecture

If you find yourself in Chengdu, China, make sure to look up the Zhongshuge Bookstore. A massive and ambitious space, the bookstore is the brainchild of bookstore owner and publisher Jin Hao, who collaborated with Shanghai-based XL-Muse to create a store that feels more like a museum. With a vast amount of space, mirrored ceilings, and creative and whimsical shelving, Zhongshuge just begs to be explored and played in. Fun nooks and seating areas invite patrons to sit down and read, while lectures and other events take place throughout the store. We love the way the different spaces create entirely new and distinct moods throughout the store, almost forming a narrative by itself.

In an era of digital-everything, it’s great to see stores take a leap on concepts such as this. We all need a little more reading in our lives, not to mention creativity. Via The Cool Hunter:

Architecture

China’s New Bridge Boom

June 29, 2017 Architecture

While politicians in the United States argue over how badly to hurt our own healthcare system, other countries get to work on infrastructure and other needed projects that will pave the way for their future successes. China is no doubt in the lead on this front, spending hundreds of billions of dollars on infrastructure, from massive high-speed rail projects, to giant wind and solar projects, to a slew of new enormous bridges. Many of these bridges have already taken the mantle as the world’s biggest, longest, highest. Americans will have to wait to see if our own aging infrastructure will get the boost that it so badly needs.

The New York Times has a great in depth look at China’s bridge boom, and the results from their massive undertaking. The dirty underbelly of these projects is huge debt, corruption, and in some cases, empty or underutilized bridges, begging the question, why?

For the most part, the bridges are a soaring success, a testament to China’s vastly improved quality control, and their ability to tackle huge construction projects with speed.

From the Times:

“The amount of high bridge construction in China is just insane,” said Eric Sakowski, an American bridge enthusiast who runs a website on the world’s highest bridges. “China’s opening, say, 50 high bridges a year, and the whole of the rest of the world combined might be opening 10.”

Of the world’s 100 highest bridges, 81 are in China, including some unfinished ones, according to Mr. Sakowski’s data. (The Chishi Bridge ranks 162nd.)

The article is well worth a read. Hugely informative about infrastructure, it shows how much of a lead China is building over the rest of the world, despite the many costs that come with it. The most striking photo to us is the top one, showing the huge disparity in wealth, with a modern new bridge in the background, and poor farmers shoveling dirt in the foreground.

chinas bridges moss and fog 2 — The cost of crossing the new Chishi Bridge is only $3, but that’s out of reach for most of the people who live the staggering 610 feet below it.

chinas bridges moss and fog 4 — Clockwise from top left: the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge in Qingdao, in Shandong Province; the Duge Beipan River Bridge, in Guizhou Province; the Aizhai Bridge, in Hunan Province; the Beipan River Shanghai-Kunming high speed rail bridge in Guanling Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Anshun, a city in southwest China’s Guizhou Province.

Art

Couriers of Shanghai

April 17, 2017 Art

In a clean and bright photographic series by Alain Delorme, he explores the bike couriers in Shanghai, and the extraordinary loads that many carry on their bicycles and carts. The huge payloads are comical in size and subject matter, but showcase a side of Shanghai that is increasingly rare these days, as China rapidly turns into a 21st century superpower. Strangely beautiful work, via Fubiz:

Architecture

China to Build the World’s Tallest (and Pinkest) Skyscrapers

June 18, 2014 Architecture

The Burj Khalifa will simply be another tall building when these two towers are completed. The Phoenix Towers, to be built in the huge city of Wuhan, in central China, will rise a full kilometer into the sky. At 3,281 feet tall, this enormous undertaking plans to incorporate a huge number of green energy technologies, including wind, solar, thermal, biomass boilers and hydrogen fuel cells. At well over 200 floors and built on an island, the towers will be huge and garish, but also a hugely visible symbol of sustainable ingenuity and design, something lacking in modern China. Designed by UK Architecture firm Chetwoods. Via the architect:

Based on the traditional Chinese Phoenix – two birds, male Feng and female Huang; The plan was generated from Yin/Yang form to represent perfectly balanced union; Symbiotic – the Feng tower uses cutting edge technology to feed the Huang tower with renewable power.

Design

Beijing Smog Vacuum

October 22, 2013 Design

Screen Shot 2013-10-22 at 1.39.47 PM

Lately there have been a bunch of stories coming out of China on just how horrific their air pollution is. Days where the smog is so thick that you can’t see more than a few feet in front of you. This is mostly due to coal and dirty oil emissions, and lax environmental controls.

china-polluted-chinese-city-smog

It’s something that makes me terrified, and the Chinese government must act. Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde is developing a system that collects the smog like a vacuum cleaner using copper coils buried underground. Below is a very brief explanation on how it works.

Via Dezeen:

The buried copper coils produce a weak electrostatic field that extends into the sky above. Smog particles are drawn down towards the ground, punching a clean hole in the air and allowing the particles to be collected. The coils can be buried beneath the grass of a park and are completely safe.

Screen Shot 2013-10-22 at 1.40.00 PM

Screen Shot 2013-10-22 at 1.40.12 PM

Screen Shot 2013-10-22 at 1.40.38 PM This is a proof of concept, and Roosegaarde has only done minor trials, but the idea is interesting. Surely the Chinese government should fund and explore this type of solution to smog, while simultaneously enacting strict emissions regulations.