Chapter 589 - Top Chinese Master

A conspiracy against the Keswick family and the Landmark Group unfolded silently.

Xia Yu and Bao Yugang and the others were like vipers in the darkness, full of patience, approaching step by step, gradually eroding, and then finally delivering the fatal blow.

Although this plan would consume a relatively long period of time, it was all worth it in comparison to the possible battle results that could be gained.

Just when Xia Yu had just had some free time, Hua Shengshi, who had been in Xiangjiang for a long time, approached him with gusto.

The antiques pulled back from England were arranged by Hua Shengshi to fill the underground treasure room of Xia Yu's current villa, but because there were so many antiques, Xia Yu had to activate an unsold villa not far away to be used exclusively for storing the antiques.

After storing them, Hua Shengshi disappeared, and Xia Yu only knew that he had gone to run for the construction of a private museum.

Unexpectedly, Hua Shengshi, who had disappeared for some days, suddenly reappeared, and he excitedly told Xia Yu that he had found a candidate to design the museum, and had also had a preliminary talk about it, and now he wanted Xia Yu, the principal, to come out and negotiate.

Seeing that Hua Shengshi was very confident, Xia Yu asked him who he was looking for with a little curiosity, and he didn't expect the name Hua Shengshi said to surprise Xia Yu.

Surprised, Xia Yu wasted no time and immediately asked Hua Shengshi to lead the way.

He soon found the person he was looking for in the faculty dormitory of the School of Architecture at Xiangjiang University.

Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei!

A person who was already famous now but not yet known all over the world, but in the future would be known as the 'Last Master of Modern Architecture'.

This future Chinese legend was already well known in the United States, having designed the Franklin National Bank Building, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art, the Indiana University Museum of Art, and the John F. Kennedy Library, among others.

After fourteen years, the Kennedy Library, which will be completed in October this year, is dedicated to the late President John F. Kennedy, and will be awarded the Gold Medal of the American Institute of Architects at the end of this year for its subversive design, which is similar in nature to the Nobel Prize in the field of architecture, and from then on, his fame has spread throughout the United States.

After his fame in the United States and the world, he will also design the Morgan Building, the Xiangshan Hotel in China, the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong, the glass pyramid of the Louvre in France, the Bank of China Head Office Building in China, the German Historical Museum, the Embassy of China in the U.S.A., the **** Museum of Fine Arts and other extremely important buildings.

It can be said that I.M. Pei is the most accomplished person in the field of Chinese architecture, even now.

Xia Yu was surprised that Hua Sheng Shi was able to find I.M. Pei, and that Pei had initially agreed to do so.

It was only when he learnt more about the project that he realised that Wah Shing Sai had a close relationship with I.M. Pei's father, and that he had a good personal relationship with I.M. Pei as well.

It just so happened that the Kennedy Library was about to be completed, with only the finishing touches left, and Pei didn't need Pei to put much effort into it, so he came to Xiangjiang for exchanges and learning, to enrich his knowledge and find new inspiration.

The only people in Hong Kong who could communicate with him were the professors and teachers of the School of Architecture of the University of Hong Kong.

In order to facilitate the exchange programme, the university arranged a temporary staff dormitory for I.M. Pei.

'Mr Pei, hello!'

After meeting him, Xia Yu shook hands with I.M. Pei and greeted him with a smile on his face.

I.M. Pei was sixty-two years old, but his hair was thinning, probably due to overuse of his brain, and his attitude was very friendly. Even though it was the first time he had met Xia Yu, he still had a gentle attitude, not complimentary or arrogant, and his attitude was very calm, with a bookish aura all over him, making people feel that he was a cultured person at a glance.

'Mr Xia, how are you, humble house, please forgive me, please sit!'

I.M. Pei tidied up the architectural drawings placed on the table and stool, and said with a smile.

'Thank you, please don't stand!'

Hua Shengshi also exchanged a few pleasantries with Pei I.M., and the three of them took their seats one after another.

After briefly saying a few un-nutritious words, Xia Yu got straight to the point and chatted about the museum, anyway, Hua Shengshi had already made it clear to him, there was no need to keep beating around the bush.

'Mr. Bei, Hua should have told you that I want to build a top class private cultural museum in Hong Kong, even the world, which will have Chinese cultural relics as its main collection, of course, it will not exclude relics from other civilisations.'

'Although there is a Forbidden City Museum in China, but deep inland, not convenient to the world to show my five thousand years of colourful Chinese culture, I also want to let the Chinese people around the world have a channel to understand the roots of the ancestral land, so I hope that this museum can be built to the best, to be able to match the profound Chinese culture.'

'I don't want a museum of civilisational significance to be poorly built or designed by a white man, you are the most accomplished Chinese in the field of architecture, and only a museum designed by you will not disgrace the Chinese civilisation.'

'That's why I want to ask you to design the museum.'

After saying that, Xia Yu looked at I.M. Pei with a solemn expression.

At this moment, after listening to Xia Yu's words, Pei I.M.'s face was moved and his heart was touched.

When Hua Shengshi had approached him, he had also told him about Xia Yu's deeds and his ambition to collect lost overseas cultural relics, which was why he was interested in taking on this job.

I never thought that listening to Xia Yu's words in person would make I.M. Pei realise that Xia Yu actually thought this way, and for a Chinese American who had never forgotten his roots, these words were no less than dropping a bomb inside his heart, causing his mind to be shaken.

At this moment, I.M. Pei had one strong thought in his mind: no matter what, he had to take on this design project.

Not for any other reason, just for the sake of letting another museum representing Chinese civilisation appear in the world, showing the world the glorious history of the ancient Chinese civilisation, and also for the sake of letting the Chinese growing overseas to have channels to learn about their motherland, and not forgetting their roots.

'Mr Xia, your ambition is admirable, I'm an ordinary designer, since you look up to me, then this task, I'll take it, and I don't need any payment.'

I.M. Pei said with a firm expression.

Hearing this, Hua Sheng Shi and Xia Yu were both surprised, but how could Xia Yu be so kind as to let Pei work for nothing, it wouldn't take much money for him, not to mention that this project was not small to say the least, and would definitely need the aid of employees from Pei's architect firm.

I.M. Pei had already surprised him by being able to win the design, so how could he let him not charge for it!

Therefore Xia Yu immediately advised, 'Mr Pei, I appreciate your good intentions, but designing a museum is time consuming and requires you to put in a huge amount of effort, besides, you still have to support a large group of people from the architect's firm, so if I let you work for nothing, it's not a slap in my face!'

After saying that, Xia Yu gave a wink to Hua Shengshi.

Hua Shengshi also hurriedly advised, 'Mr Pei, there's no need for you to save money with Mr Xia, we're one size fits all.'

Bei's expression moved slightly, and only after thinking about it did he reluctantly nod his head and say, 'Mr Xia, Elder Hua, since you guys said so, then we will only charge the price of the work, I don't want to make a cent here, just consider this wandering child of mine doing his bit for the motherland.'

Although he was speaking with a smile, that firmness in his tone was very obvious.

Xia Yu and Hua Shengshi glanced at each other, before looking at Pei Ieoh Ming, before nodding with emotion, 'Alright then, Mr Pei's high righteousness!'

Pei smiled and changed the topic, 'Then let's talk about how this museum is going to be built, Mr Xia, Elder Hua, you might as well tell me what your requirements are, and I'll design it with the requirements in mind.'

'Okay.'

'The land has been chosen, it's in the Kwun Tong district of Kowloon ...'

After that, the three of them chatted with great interest.