In 1988, at the request of the local Chinese business man resident in Hong Kong but with wide financial interests in Kwangtung Province, I revisited that Province under his escort to review his current project...an 18 hole golf course designed by Arnold Palmer.  He wanted to surround the course with luxury villas designed for foreigners but in traditional local Chinese style adapted to modern living.  He took me to several courtyard village houses which were of exception beauty and certainly suitable for adaption.
He was prepared to organise a car, photographer and interpreter to ferry me around Southern China to research their traditional culture, styles and construction techniques.   I unfortunately was too fully committed to other projects to organise the 4 months necessary to carry out this enterprise.

In 1983, I was invited to attend a meeting of 12 elders assigned from different areas of Kwangtung Province, to critically review a presentation by their town planning body of a proposed New Free Port Town.
After giving my critical analysis, they asked if I could become involved in designing, constuction and financing this vast project.
I said I had several options open to me to investigate the possibilty of foreign involvement.
On returning to Australia, I asked the Commissioner of the National Capital Development Commission if they would be interested to become involved as they certainly had the professional and financial resources to handle such a project.  He was certainly interested but said that there would have to be an agreement between the two Heads of State (China and Australia). I did not pursue that avenue further.
Next, Peter Costain was approach to see if his company would be interested to look into the possibility of their becoming involved.  He sent a team to China but they returned disillusioned with the total lack at that time of a proper legal system that would protect their interests.  End of story.