Tianming's tower, with its dark red wooden rooms precariously stacked and aided by repurposed utility poles, offers an aesthetic that both charms tourists and raises eyebrows regarding its engineering. Inside, the living space seems almost an art installation. Power strips hang from beams, while improvised rainwater storage points to an unorthodox approach to utility management. Sturdy though it may appear to its creator, the structure is open to critiquing as “shabby” and “unsafe” by visitors and neighbors alike.

Yet, it is precisely this uniqueness and defiance that has drawn a flow of tourists to the rural corner of Guizhou, which was previously relatively overlooked. Chen’s project raises pertinent questions about the value of community and creativity in the face of bureaucratic restrictions. In his eyes, the tower is not just a shelter but a statement of resilience against conventional norms in housing and lifestyle, turning his home into a celebrated tourist attraction against all odds.