such as Nora Fok's Galaxies. When the venue was refurbished after a fire in 1998, the centre began to commission new site specific works by UK-based artists of east Asian heritage to use the new space to its best advantage. Between 2000 and 2003, the New Commissions scheme produced 8 exhibitions by emerging artists such as Suki Chan, Lisa Cheung, Gayle Chong Kwan, and Jiang Jiehong. As part of its agency work, the centre extended the scope of its educational workshops to a national audience and acted as a focal point for other businesses and art organisations who wanted to know more about Chinese culture. The centre began to contribute to debates regarding Chinese arts by arranging conferences such as A New Vocabulary for Chinese Arts?, held in London in 1998, and Contemporary Chinese Art in the International Arena held at the British Museum in 2002. The centre also began to develop global contacts to introduce international artists to the UK audiences. In 1997, Champion undertook a research trip to China with the aim of introducing the centre to international audiences and developing partnerships with organisations in mainland China. As a result, the centre produced Representing the People (1999), its first major touring exhibition to feature works by artists from mainland China. Developed in collaboration with the Courtyard gallery, Beijing, the exhibition was seen by approximately 250,000 people, and has been seen as one of the first independent UK exhibition to present the work of artists from Mainland China. This was followed by a second touring show, Made in China (2001-2002) which showcased contemporary design from China. In June 2001, the centre was informed that it had been accepted on to the Arts Council of England's lottery programme and £2.1 million was reserved for the centre to purchase and outfit a new building as well as fund the operations and marketing of the new venue. Chinese Art Centre, Thomas Street, (2003–2013) The new venue on Thomas Street opened on 28 November 2003, after the organisation had received a £2.2 million lottery grant from Arts Council England. The new building, designed by OMI Architects and awarded a RIBA prize for architecture in 2004, featured a large gallery space, teahouse, shop, offices, resource area, and studio and living area for resident artists. The centre opened with a specially-commissioned work by New York-based artist, Xu Bing. Champion stated at the time that the