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"Cultural Creative Industry Parks" and Chinese Contemporary Art—A Comparative Study of Beijing's 798 Arts District and Songzhuang Artist Village

Simon, Lydia Noelle
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu149265536987791

Abstract Details

2017, Master of Arts, Ohio State University, East Asian Languages and Literatures.
Following China’s Open Door Policy in 1979, Chinese contemporary art and China’ cultural industries began to emerge amidst an increasingly globalized nation. In the wake of socio-economic changes following the end of the Cultural Revolution, artists began to establish villages in rural areas for reasons including low housing costs and greater artistic freedom. Scattered around the outskirts of cities, these bohemian artist colonies consisted of thousands of contemporary artists living and working in a shared space. It was in these places that like-minded, free spirits had the ability to express themselves and create astounding works of contemporary art. Owing to China’s post-reform desire to fortify the country’s global image in the early 2000’s, the government recognized the social and economic benefit these artist villages could provide to the state and thus began to encourage the development of what’s called “Cultural Creative Industry Parks”—a complicated system through which control and management of these districts was largely transferred to the state. These changes are seen most distinctly in the development of Beijing’s 798 District and Songzhuang Artist Village. With the hopes of increasing China’s cultural diplomacy and tourism, the city of Beijing capitalized on the creative nature of these artist villages by encouraging real estate development and commercialization. Many argue that the urbanization of 798 District and Songzhuang has encouraged rampant gentrification, and has allowed the government to more closely monitor the production of arts—thereby threatening the creative authenticity of the villages and the artistic spirit of the artists. I argue that the involvement of the state in the form of these “Cultural Creative Industry Parks” has created a space in which art and urbanization are in conflict. 798’s host of internationally known galleries, coffee shops, and boutique stores, have allowed 798 Arts District to become a good place for the exhibition of art, but it is no longer a suitable place for the creation of art. Owing to subsidies and support provided by the government, Songzhuang Artist Village is still a suitable place for the creation of art, but the lack of high-quality galleries, tourism-centered services, convenient transportation, etc. suggest that it’s not as suitable of a place for the exhibition of art. My research will explore the tensions between creativity and industry found within these “Cultural Creative Industry Parks.” Ever since the dawn of China’s art market, some say unadulterated creativity has bumped up against commercial interests. But, can creativity only exist on the margins of society? By exploring policy infrastructure, the role of the State, as well as the opinions of artists, tourists, and scholars of the 798 Arts District and Songzhuang Artist Village, I will determine how Chinese contemporary art, the market and government can form a mutually beneficial and symbiotic relationship--a process by which creativity can thrive alongside urbanization.
Galal Walker (Committee Chair)
Xiaobin Jian (Advisor)
83 p.
Arts Management
Cultural policy; urban planning; arts districts; Cultural Creative Industry Parks; Chinese Contemporary Art; arts management

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Simon, L. N. (2017). "Cultural Creative Industry Parks" and Chinese Contemporary Art—A Comparative Study of Beijing's 798 Arts District and Songzhuang Artist Village [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu149265536987791

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Simon, Lydia. "Cultural Creative Industry Parks" and Chinese Contemporary Art—A Comparative Study of Beijing's 798 Arts District and Songzhuang Artist Village. 2017. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu149265536987791.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Simon, Lydia. ""Cultural Creative Industry Parks" and Chinese Contemporary Art—A Comparative Study of Beijing's 798 Arts District and Songzhuang Artist Village." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu149265536987791

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.