Liu Jipiao, Designer of Zhejiang Library and the First West Lake Expo

Liu Jipiao is often remembered as the chief engineer of the West Lake Expo. A man of diverse artistic interests, he was the designer of the National Academy of Art (at Solitary Hill's Luo Yuan), the architect of the Zhejiang Provincial Library (on Daxue Road), the first director of the Pattern Department at the China Academy of Art, and a porcelain painter, earning him the title "Eastern Phidias." Starting in the 1920s, young Chinese flocked to Paris, embracing and practicing Cai Yuanpei's aesthetic education philosophy: bringing back elements that would contribute to the advancement and modernization of Chinese art. Sketching, human anatomy, and historical painting were the three main goals of Chinese artists studying in Paris. An artist by training, Liu Jipiao transcended the confines of his profession. In France, he founded the Fine Arts and Crafts Society, aiming to introduce China's exquisite craftsmanship to the European stage. Influenced by the European Art Deco movement and drawing inspiration from the vastness of Chinese culture, he explored the possibilities of modern Chinese design with an artist's freedom and vitality. At the age of 24, Liu Jipiao single-handedly designed the China Pavilion at the 1925 International Exposition of Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris. At 28, as the director of the Art Department, he oversaw the architectural and decorative design of eight halls, two institutes, and three sites for the 1929 West Lake Expo.