Exhibits at the Ai Weiwei solo exhibition at the Tang Contemporary Art Center and the Galleria Continua Photos: Li Jingjing/GT

On Saturday, artist Ai Weiwei opened his first and largest solo exhibition since his return to China around 22 years ago. Titled Ai Weiwei, the huge exhibition is being divided among two galleries in Beijing's 798 Art District, the Tang Contemporary Art Center and the Galleria Continua, and will be on display until September 6. 

For the exhibition, Ai rebuilt and relocated the 400-year-old Wang Family Ancestral Hall. The wooden building was originally built in Xiaoqi village in Jiangxi Province during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) as a ceremonial hall where the local wealthy Wang family could pay respect to their ancestors and discuss public affairs. However, the hall was moved to Dongyang, Zhejiang Province and repaired after a businessman purchased it in an auction in 2013. Ai bought the hall in 2015.

According to the exhibition's curator Cui Cancan, Ai divided the hall into 1,500 components which he moved to Beijing and reassembled between the two 798 galleries.

Ai has long been a controversial artist in China and the new exhibition has already caused quite a stir among art circles.

A selfie of Ai and US actor Lee Pace that was posted on Ai's Instagram also led Pace to face some troubles on Chinese social networks as many worried Pace might be part of what some Chinese netizens call the "Anti-China vanguard."

Pace has become a hit heartthrob among Chinese fans and is currently touring China to meet with fans. Before running into Ai at the opening of the exhibition, Pace had just finished a press conference and fan-meet organized by sohu.com on Saturday.

Global Times