CO-EXIST: China Between Tradition and the Future

On May 9, the China Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia was inaugurated at the Arsenale in Venice. Titled CO-EXIST, the pavilion is curated by Ma Yansong, founder of the architecture firm MAD. The project explores how ancient Chinese spiritual philosophy can interact with contemporary technology in an era of transition from industry to intelligence.

The opening ceremony was attended by the Chinese ambassador to Italy, Jia Guide; the deputy mayor of Venice, Massimiliano de Martin; former Italian deputy foreign minister Laura Fincato; representatives from the special regions of Hong Kong and Macao; and numerous other guests.

CO-EXIST will be open to the public until November 23, 2025, at the Magazzino delle Cisterne in the Arsenale of Venice (Castello 2169/F). The pavilion is promoted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China and supported by partners including Huawei, OPPLE Lighting, Langjiu, China Construction Eighth Bureau, and Tencent Research Institute.

The Twelve Works on Display

The pavilion showcases twelve installations created by architecture studios, academic institutions, and research groups. These projects reinterpret local traditions and principles of Eastern philosophy to reflect on the complexity of contemporary urban environments, offering context-sensitive solutions.

The works on display include:

• 12 Rhythms in Liangzhu
  A sonic ritual that reconstructs the ancient spirituality of the Liangzhu civilization using traditional instruments and an acoustic landscape connecting past and future.
• Dunhuang·Con-Stella-Tion
  A floating urban cosmos inspired by the religious domes of Dunhuang, where each structure represents a different worldview—an ode to cultural coexistence.
• Spring, Along Beijing Central Axis
  A poetic video installation animating ten sites along Beijing’s central axis, merging digital reliefs and ambient sounds to evoke the symbolic spirit of the historic city.
• Vault of Heaven
  A suspended dome made from green construction netting transforms urban materials into a new form of architectural spirituality.
• Concrete Spolia: Reuse of Building Waste
  Venetian concrete scraps become both structure and sculpture, showcasing the potential of reuse in circular architecture.
• Renew City Plugins
  Urban “plugins” generated by artificial intelligence reactivate underused spaces, suggesting new models of participation and livability.
• City in China – Nature of All Things
  A vision of vertical ecologies integrated with urban transportation, where nature and infrastructure coexist in the skyscrapers of the future.
• Open Source City
  Social data is transformed into tools for collective design: the city becomes a platform and citizens become co-authors of space.
• Interchange City
  Another city takes shape under highway overpasses—fragile, vital, and capable of generating new urban narratives in leftover spaces.
• Chinese Paper Umbrella
  A traditional icon reimagined as a microclimatic space, where craftsmanship and architecture merge in a poetic gesture.

A Collective Platform for New Cities

The China Pavilion is the result of collaboration between emerging architects, universities, research centers, digital innovators, and tech partners. The project adopts a situated approach—one place, one solution—to sensitively address urban diversity and complexity. The installations reflect ongoing transformations, imagining alternative ways of living and designing the future.

“We hope that this collective presentation represents a transformation process—visible and openly discussed—that reveals how new generations interpret traditional Chinese culture, presenting proposals rooted in modernity and visions for the future. We believe we have entered a diversified, humanized, and emotionally rich era. In this context, we aim to offer ideas from China—so that Chinese wisdom can be shared with the world.”

Ma Yansong

>>> Also discover Ancient Future: Bridging Bhutan's Tradition and Innovation, BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group's exhibition at the Venice Biennale 2025