The Chinese city of Hangzhou is the lucky recipient of its first private museum after the inauguration of the T Museum earlier this month. 

The art investment company Tianrenhe reportedly invested several million yuan into converting and refurbishing an old 1960s train depot and factory.

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The T Museum takes the 'T' initial from Tianrenhe's name, the art investment organization also owns the T Art Center located in China's Beijing capital.

The new museum features 2,000 square meters of space and part of the architecture includes a 200-meter wall and has earned the T Museum the rather inaccurate title of "China's longest museum."

Shen Qibin, the museum's director, art curator, and art dealer pointed to Hangzhou's vibrant cultural scene. Hangzhou is the capital of China's eastern province of Zhejiang, one of China's wealthiest areas, and is also home to the China Academy of Art.

"Hangzhou is rich in contemporary art, but this is its first private art museum," Shen told news sources.

Shen has worked with well-known artists and previously did work with the Zendai and Himalayas museums in Shanghai.

The T Museum opened with a show called 'Fusion/Convergence' and, according to Shen,"the goal is to express China's local problems via art.

"It is about societal problems and contradictions, which are all very complex."

Shen also expressed the goal of the museum hosting research-based exhibitions in the near future and hopes to focus on contemporary art as well as international exchange. Programs such as these will also feature residencies which give 10 young artists the opportunity to travel to China to gain understanding of the country's art scene as well as to help organize exhibits.

It's only been five decades since scores of artwork was destroyed during China's Cultural Revolution but the rise in organizations and the wealthy looking to foster the growing art scene in China has caused many to look positively upon cultural change in the nation in recent years. 

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