An island getaway, a home in the country, your own private paradise, is a dream too far for most people. But architect Mu Wei has laid the foundations, literally, for such a dream for his family and himself on an island on the outskirts of Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province.

"Everything was dreamy here when I first saw it, with weeds, a tree and a vast spread of water," says Mu, 38, who was born and bred in North China's Hebei province.

The island covers an area of 20 hectares and was rented by a friend of Mu's more than a decade ago, mainly for sustainable agriculture development.

"It was great to find a place like this near the city to allow my children and myself to escape from urban life for a change," he says.

Mu began to build houses on the island with some of his friends in 2017. The whole project took a year, and now four houses, each with particular features, stand testament to his vision.

Mu's own house covers an area of 60 square meters and resembles a big "X".

"It was built of logs and bolts, at low cost, and blends into the natural landscape," he says.