The century-old building, Zhai Ya Pavilion, has been transformed into the living room of Wuhan's Design Capital, serving as a hub for brand launches, dissemination, and exchange of design ideas, as well as a center for releasing Wuhan's urban cultural brands.
Completed in November 1921, Zhai Ya Pavilion was originally the gymnasium of Wen Hua University in Wuchang, which is now the predecessor of Central China Normal University. It is also one of the oldest university buildings still standing in Wuhan.
Designed and constructed by a foreign architect, the building closely resembles traditional Chinese architecture from the outside. Its most distinctive feature is its large roof, described as combining Eastern and Western styles—like wearing a Western suit with a traditional Chinese "gua pi mao" hat.
Combining a Chinese-style roof with a Western-style body, Zhai Ya Pavilion Museum embodies both the charm of ancient Eastern architecture and the dynamism of Western construction. Despite standing for over a century, its allure remains undiminished.
To honor the contributions of James Jackson (Chinese name: Zhai Ya Ge), the first president of Wen Hua University, Zhai Ya Pavilion was officially opened during the university's 50th anniversary celebration and was primarily used for physical education and indoor sports.
After several changes, in 1953, the school was renamed Central China Normal College and subsequently moved to Guizi Mountain. The original campus was taken over by Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, but Zhai Ya Pavilion was preserved and later renamed Zhai Ya Pavilion.
In 2013, Zhai Ya Pavilion gained widespread attention at home and abroad when it represented the Tanhualin district architecture at the second Wuhan Design Biennale.
A renovation project began in 2015 and took more than a year to complete.
On November 11, 2016, Zhai Ya Pavilion opened for a trial run.
The renovated ground floor layout of Zhai Ya Pavilion largely follows the original architectural design, serving as a permanent exhibition hall while also featuring a coffee salon for cultural, artistic, and academic discussions.