Ethos of giving that finds free expression in architecture

The courtyard of Yuhu Elementary School in the UNESCO World Heritage site in Lijiang, Yunnan, that Li Xiaodong designed.[Photo provided to China Daily]

The architect has a responsibility to come up with ideas conducive to maintaining or creating the most ideal physical environment for humans, he believes, and then bringing them to fruition.

Having conceived an architectural idea, Li tries to find a location whose conditions best reflect what he sees as the soul of the proposed work. In doing so he thoroughly investigates the local cultural background and the natural environment.

Beyond Li's altruistic goals, his central architectural aim is said to be to achieve spatial order and the profound tranquility and harmony that light can bring to people.

To realize his ideas, Li has worked on charity programs in remote areas, one being Yuhu Elementary School, which sits in a small village of the Naxi Ethnic group in Yunnan province, Southwest China.

The village of Yuhu, named after Jade Lake, or Yuhu Lake, sits at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain at an altitude of 2,760 meters and enjoys pleasant, warm winters and cool summers.

The elementary school was built in 2001. One year later, when Li Xiaodong and his students visited Yuhu on a research trip from Singapore, he found the school needed urgent expansion but the village was severely short of education funds. So he decided to build a Hope primary school there. He designed the school free of charge, donated 80,000 yuan to the project and helped raise the other 220,000 yuan required.