China has announced it will build its largest yet museum of contemporary art at the Beijing Yihaodi International Artbase in the first half of 2009, according to the Ministry of Culture (MOC).

The museum with its square will cover an area of about 66,000 square meters. The Center of International Cultural Exchange (CICE), which is affiliated with the MOC, initiated the project, the ministry said this week.

"The contemporary art works, such as huge statues and action art, don't fit in with the existing art museums," said Lu Jun, head of the center.

The museum will also be a stage for exhibitions of modern art works from China and abroad.

The construction work will be completed by the end of 2010.

"The museum will look like an unfinished piece of work, rather than a landmark or an architectural monument," the designer Zhu Pei said.

"Artists can convert it to whatever form they like, such as installations and statues," he said, "And the trucks carrying art pieces can reach any hall of the building."

Graduating from China's prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing, the 46-year-old Zhu Pei is an award-winning architect. He designed the Digital Beijing building, which was the Control Center for the 2008 Olympics and which was a well-known feature of the Olympic Green.

(Xinhua News Agency November 3, 2008)