Yan started collecting Eliasson's works nearly a decade ago. He visited the artist's studio in Germany several times and was impressed by his work attitude.

Eliasson takes advice from scientists, architects and engineers when working on his art projects.

It took him two years to prepare for the Beijing show. The artist and his team, according to Yan, had set up a miniature space like the museum in Beijing to work on the show before it began.

"Many describe him as a 'scientist artist'. I think science is a kind of language for him to realize his artistic ideas," says Yan.

While in Beijing, the artist carries around a solar-powered lamp to promote his social business Little Sun, a project to provide these lamps to people living in areas that have a shortage of electricity like Ethiopia. He hopes to attract more Chinese people by his art to join in the project to help those in need.