German architect Ole Scheeren has won a design competition for his vision for a tropical resort complex in the beachfront city of Sanya, on the Chinese island of Hainan. Scheduled to open in 2026, Sanya Horizons has been designed for developer CDF Investment & Development and will be sited on 83,500sq m of lush beachfront property. The property will consist of two hotels under IHG luxury brands – The Regent

Designs have been revealed for a flexible, multi-purpose events centre which will have the appearance of a "cloud floating by the sea". Designed by MAD Architects, led by Ma Yansong, the “Cloud Center” in Qinhuangdao, China, will offer a new multi-purpose public space for Aranya – one of China’s most vibrant seaside arts and culture communities. Situated close to the scenic Beidaihe coastline in the north east of the country,

Architect Bill Bensley has announced plans for a luxury sustainable 'human zoo' hotel and spa project. Bensley’s concept will involve guests staying like caged animals within a luxury hotel and looking out onto an expansive wildlife sanctuary park full of rescued endangered animals. Bensley design studio’s vast 2084-key project named World Wild is comprised of seven hotels spread throughout Asia, Africa and Australia covering a total 654,867sq m. The concept's

Waterfrom Design 's Exhibition of Frozen Time spa in Beijing, China, was conceived to eschew the traditional impression of Chinese medicine in favour of a more clinical and technological approach. Created for Aqua Health Clinic, the facility was conceived to use "medical principles of pulse diagnosis, medication and food therapies as the approach to design specific treatments for visitors to relieve physical and psychological fatigue." Covering 280sq m (3,000sq ft),

Developers have been given the green light to start work again on the US$750m (£647m, €688m) Nickelodeon theme park development at the Mall of China. Work was suspended as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, however, plans for the construction of the third and fourth phases to resume were approved following an inspection ensuring health requirements were met. Located in the Yubei District of Chongqing City, the Mall of China

The National Maritime Museum of China, designed by COX Architecture, has opened in Tianjin after a six-year design and construction process. Covering an area of 80,000sq m (860,000sq ft) on the waterfront, the three-storey museum comprises four long main volumes that are joined together by interconnected spaces. This design was inspired by ideas of jumping carp, corals, starfish, moored ships and an open palm. The volumes cantilever and fan out

LUO Studio recently completed a new community centre in Hubei province, China, by adding a timber frame to a set of existing foundations for a residential project that had been abandoned. It was necessary to find a new home for the Party and Public Service Center of Yuanheguan Village because its existing location had been earmarked to be part of a new hotel development. What's more, there were only two

Wutopia Lab have transformed a former church in China into a 388sq m (4,176sq ft) poetry bookstore by installing a large freestanding steel frame that provides shelving and creates a space within a space. The St. Nicholas Church in Shanghai was built in 1932 and has variously been used as an office, a factory, a warehouse, a canteen, a residential space, a club and a restaurant. Its historic status meant

MVRDV is one of two finalists in a competition to design the Shimao ShenKong International Centre, with a proposal that combines stacked terraces, curved organic forms and lush greenery. The competition sought designs for a municipal facility for Universiade New Town in China that would accommodate a variety of different amenities and green spaces. MVRDV'S 101,300sq m (1 million sq ft) Shenzhen Terraces proposal was conceived as a new urban

A bookstore in Wuhan, China, has reopened after a two-year design and renovation project by Wutopia Lab that has seen a huge "light cone" inserted into the building, drawing natural light from the roof down to all floors. The 10,000sq m (107,600sq ft) Hubei Foreign Language Bookstore was established 40 years ago and has undergone a number of alterations and renovations over the years. Wutopia Lab were keen to re-establish

X+Living have created a kids' activity centre in Shenzhen, China, that combines a mix of slides, ball-pits and hidden spaces with fantastical design elements and a pastels aesthetic. Shenzhen Neobio Family Park is the most recent of a number of Neobio Family Parks that X+Living has worked on. Covering 6,000sq m (64,600sq ft), it houses the play space, an entrance lobby, a changing area and a restaurant. Located partly in

MVRDV 's design for a new campus for Chinese technology firm Tencent is, in reality, an urban district in which for employees to live, work and play, with cutting edge smart city technology and nature deeply integrated into its design. Tencent began plans for a new headquarters shortly after completing their current headquarters in Shenzhen, China, due to the speed on its growth. Located the city's Qianhai Bay area, MVDRV's

MVRDV 's design for a new campus for Chinese technology firm Tencent is, in reality, an urban district in which for employees to live, work and play, with cutting edge smart city technology and nature deeply integrated into its design. Tencent began plans for a new headquarters shortly after completing their current headquarters in Shenzhen, China, due to the speed on its growth. Located the city's Qianhai Bay area, MVDRV's

RMJM Shanghai has won a competition to design a monument for the Hengyang in Hunan Province, China, with a design aimed at reflecting the city's status as a fast-evolving tech hub as well as its cultural heritage. The Xiangjiang Gate will comprise two bipedal towers that curve up from their feet and rise gracefully together to 177m (581ft), joining and torquing at their midriffs, before separating again at the top.

Aurelien Chen has created a pavilion in China that reimagines the traditional Chinese landscape of mountains, forest, clouds and water. The 350sq m (3,770sq ft) Dragon Mountain Landmark Pavilion, so-called because of its location in Zhulongshan – literally Dragon Mountain, was created to draw the attention to the entrance of the Dragon Mountain Natural site. Described by Chen as "an ethereal and abstract version of a traditional Chinese landscape", the

MAD Architects are in the third and final stage of construction for the Nanjing Zendai Himalayas Center mixed-use development in Nanjing, China, with completion due this year. According to MAD, "The scheme seeks to restore the spiritual harmony between humanity and nature through the integration of contemplative spaces that, while immersing inhabitants in nature, still meets the conveniences of modern-day living." Covering 560,000sq m (6 million sq ft), the vast

The Wuxi Taihu Show Theatre, designed by Steven Chilton Architects with a forest of bamboo-inspired columns around its perimeter, has opened in Jiangsu Province, China. Built to house a permanent water show by Franco Dragone, with its designs released last year, the 2,000-seat theatre was inspired by China's largest bamboo forest – the Sea of Bamboo Park in Yixing. The circular building is wrapped in a full-height glazed façade and

Herzog & de Meuron have won a competition to design a new museum complex on China's Grand Canal with the aim of the reflecting the river's importance in Chinese culture and to create a new gathering place. Situated in the city of Hangzhou at the junction of the Grand Canal and the Hanggang River, the museum will be surrounded by water on three sides. it will cover an area of

Snøhetta have won a competition to create the Xingtai Grand Theater in China with a design that provides indoors and outdoors performance spaces, unites nearby cultural programmes and anchors a new masterplan for the region. The fast-growing city of Xingtai is one of a number in Hebei Province that is struggling to meet the demands of its development. The Grand Theater has been conceived as the cultural cornerstone of a

CROX have created an organically shaped museum in Liyang, China, inspired by a musical instrument that is one of the city's cultural symbols and designed to give the appearance of floating on a grassy hill. The Liyang Museum is located next to a lake within a public park in a new urban district of the city and is aimed at acting as a connection between the new urban area and

C+ Architects have created art gallery in Wulong, China, that is designed to look like a glowing ring in the mountains. The LAB Art Museum is set on a 3,000sq m (32,300sq ft) hilltop site that at times is surrounded by clouds. Its white elliptical form stands out against the surrounding green hills and its main volume is raised up on four functional blocks at ground level that serve variously

Creative studio Unknown Works has completed a 33sq m (355sq ft) restaurant in China called Scotts TKL based on 3D scans of fish and chip shops from around the UK. The project was based on the concept of 'Shanzai' – the act of copying and imitating that is often ascribed to Chinese businesses – and seeks to ask questions about Sino-British relationships and cultural exchange. Ben Hayes of Unknown Works

Architects Vague Edge have revealed the third and final phase of the Pingjiang Homey Wild Luxury Hotel in China. The hotel has been built on three sites, ranging over mountainous terrain. The newly-completed building – the Dinghui – covers an area of 1,190sq m (12,800sq ft), and was designed to fit the unusual site on which it sits. The structure is a 45m- (148ft) long, narrow block that curves with the

MAD Architects, led by Ma Yansong, have been chosen to build their ethereal design for the Yiwu Grand Theater in China’s Zhejiang province. The announcement comes following a competition with Arata Isozaki & Associates, Atelier Christian de Portzamparc, GMP, and KDG. The new building, located on the south bank of the Dongyang River, will have a 1,600-seat grand theatre, a 1,200-seat theatre and an international, 2,000-capacity conference centre. Positioned with

Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill (SOM) and TLS Landscape Architecture (TLS) have teamed up to masterplan a wellness-focused city in a recently incorporated district of Hebei, China, 100km south-west of Beijing. Called Xiong’an, the 3,800-hectare development will be constructed in phases and serve as an exemplar of nature-centred urbanism, with forests and wetlands, as well as Baiyangdian, the largest freshwater lake in Northern China. The site will also be home to

Spanish firm Cruz y Ortiz Arquitectos have revealed the first concept images of their latest project – a 260,000 sq m football complex in Dalian, China. The expansive campus will comprise 23 regulation-size pitches, a hotel, gardens, and a select number of short-stay residential units. The US$297m (€264.7m, £235.8m) facility will also function as a training ground and academy for professional teams and youth clubs, including Dalian Yifang FC. Cruz

The Neri & Hu-designed Aranya Art Center (AAC) has finally opened to the public in Qinhuangdao, China. Situated opposite the Bohai Sea in an affluent resort community known as the "Gold Coast", the cultural hub comprises a café, an amphitheatre, a rooftop viewing area, and multiple galleries. The building, which is composed almost entirely of concrete, also features a neo-Brutalist, pixellated façade. According to Neri & Hu, the appearance of