A new vision for building on the past

Japanese architect Norihiko Dan has worked on many major buildings, but he now has his sights set on a smaller project - to build a modern Buddhist Zen temple in China. Sun Yuanqing reports.

For the past decade, China has been a playground for the world's boldest architectural ideas. But a Buddhist Zen temple? It's still new territory. And Japanese architect Norihiko Dan wants to be among the first explorers.

Dan is a designer who thinks big - and has previously been commissioned to work on major projects - but now he is looking for an opportunity to work on an expansion project for a small temple on a secluded island in Ningbo, a port city in East China's Zhejiang province.