Chinese avant-garde artist Huang Rui's private art studio, Hang Rui White Cloud House, has opened for free public visits on weekends, becoming a new destination for art lovers in Beijing. It offers a glimpse of the versatile artist's early paintings, sculptures and art installations, as well as his art and antique collections.

Huang, born in 1952, is a pioneer in Chinese contemporary art and also a founder of Beijing's art hub 798 Art Zone.

Contemporary architecture, Beijing courtyard style

The 3,000-square meter space was built near the 798 Art Zone on the site of an abandoned waste yard. Construction work started in 2006 and it took Huang almost 10 years to finish, using up to 200,000 ancient bricks from China's Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911). Some of the wooden beams came from the Palace of Prince Gong.

The main building, spanning nearly 1,200 square meters, was cooperatively designed by Dutch designer Neville Mars and Chinese designer Bian Jing. It's added with a twist of Beijing's old siheyuan courtyard style, because of Huang's special bond to Beijing — he was born here six decades ago.