Set along the Silk Road on the sea, the five towers of the Nansha Business Center are composed of layered, slanting planes, which form the graceful profile of an opened fan against the Guangzhou skyline. Inspired by the local fan-manufacturing history of early twentieth century Guangzhou, the five towers of the business center create a single monumental form out of a series of independent structural elements. The curved plan of the towers is brought together with a conference center, creating an office/conference complex with a more varied set of opportunities for business clients. Returning to Chinese tradition for the formal inspiration, the plan of the conference center is figured as a second curved element, in counterpoint to the first, identified in plan as a pair of swimming carp, with their traditional symbolic orders of wealth, perseverance, and fortitude.