Tong Jun created more than 300 sketches, drawings and watercolor paintings during his Europe trip in 1930. Although the artworks have never been publicly exhibited, they have always been highly recognized within the architectural community in China because of the techniques employed. In 2003, the artworks were donated to the library of Southeast University in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, where Tong Jun taught architecture after 1952.

"We borrowed them from the university and selected 80 pieces for the show," says Tong Ming, who is an architect and a professor at Southeast University.