Pei spent many childhood summers in Suzhou and grew to adore the whitewashed loveliness of its buildings and manicured ambience of its gardens.

But reworking the model proved tough for a man who left his homeland in 1935. Man-made architecture and the natural garden are one entity in China, Pei has said, but adapting this precept to a grey and white yesteryear-meets-tomorrow Suzhou landmark was tough because, he admitted, "No-one knew how to do it."

The resulting USD 40 million, 1.5-hectare Suzhou Museum-adjacent to the Humble Administrator's Garden in the heart of the old city-opened last October, in time for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Sleek, white and angular, the museum is a stunning accomplishment destined to become one of China¡¯s most visited  ¨Cand photographed- works of contemporary architectural art.

Pei has respectfully rearranged Suzhou's architectural angles. Instead of crowning his perpendicular white walls with upturned grey slate roofing, he has encased them in roughened granite trim. The entrance gate features a split-level glass and chrome roof that fuses the technical sophistication of a solar power installation with the refinement of a Chinese palace. The walled front courtyard is traditional in style but minimalist in form, eschewing the usual landscaping of flowers, plants and trees.

Inside, a becalming sense of space predominates, with both the east and west wings decorated in white paint, grey granite and black polished tiled flooring. Adapting the leitmotif of his controversial Louvre pyramid, swathes of glass convey natural light into a man-made structure ¨C complemented by hexagonal portholes and triangular layered bamboo ceilings that refract sunlight onto the walls.

The contrast of progressive geometrics and ancient heritage is most apparent in the splendid garden. Here, Pei's grey-trimmed white Suzhou walls are offset against their slate-capped ancestors of the adjacent 19th-century Palace of King Zhong. The garden itself elaborates the sparse openness developed through the front and interior. Three strategically placed wisteria trees guard the glass doorways and a small flourish of bamboo shoots paints the color of nature onto the grey and white canvas.

The highlight is the unorthodox, off-center lake pagoda, reached by a straight ¨C rather than zigzagged ¨C bridge that crosses the sharp lines of the fish pond. Pei has sliced open the pagoda roof into two overarching layers. The result will most likely shock purists, but undoubtedly delight those seeking both substance and subtlety in contemporary Chinese architecture.

As with most of Pei's work, the building is undeniably the star. Its sober elegance overpowers the rather uninspiring collection of historical treasures that under-serve the museum's description of the Ming- and Qing-era "pursuit of elegance and refinement [that] left important contributions in painting, calligraphy, handicrafts, architecture, interior design, fashion, gastronomy, music and dance". Mind you, each showcase is beautifully lit and exquisitely designed.

Exiting onto the junction of Dongbei Jie and Lindun Lu, it's well worth looking back. Somehow, the clean white lines of Pei's museum both blend effortlessly with yet also stand distinct from the traditional buildings that flank the road crossing. And, thus, he has fulfilled the brief to create an iconic landmark that is "Suzhou, but new; China, but new". Put simply, it's a modern masterpiece.

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