BEIJING, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- When Yue Minjun's painting "The Pope" sold for 2.14 million pounds at a London auction house last year, it not only set a record price for a work of Chinese modern art, it also put Yue's artistic base in Beijing firmly on the international cultural map.
The former rural town of Songzhuang, on the city's eastern outskirts, has become one of the centers of Beijing's burgeoning art scene over the last 10 years, drawing artists with its cheap rents and proximity to the capital's growing markets and galleries.
But plans for a major new "cultural industry" development have sparked debate in the thriving community, with many artists fearing it could drive up rents and force the "commercialization" of the creative zone.
The Songzhuang town government announced on Oct. 28 that construction of the 10-billion-yuan development would begin next year, leading some of the town's 3,000 artists to wonder if it was time to leave.
The development, on an area of 14.6 square kilometers, aims to support four "pillar" cultural industries: the creative arts; animation and computer games; the design sector; and the leisure industry.
"We'll build an exhibition center, a five-star hotel, commercial buildings, residential facilities, and a cartoon-theme park covering 20,000square meters in the southwest of Songzhuang," says Li Jun, director of the development's regulatory committee.
The committee has promised to leave the central artist community of Xiaopu Village untouched in order to protect the creative core of Songzhuang.
Li says the project will benefit artists by modernizing infrastructure, and bringing a more creative environment and greater opportunities to exhibit and sell their works.
However, some of Songzhuang's artists, whose ranks include big names such as Li Xianting and Fang Lijun, fear the development will detract from the informal creative environment where visitors can wander into artists' homes and studios to watch them at work and buy pieces on display.
"Songzhuang will become another 798 and many artists are preparing to move out," says Tao Baochun, a successful oil painter and visiting scholar at the prestigious Tsinghua University, who argues the quiet ambience is essential for artists.
The 798 Art Zone, the former factory area where many of China'scontemporary artists especially the avant-garde had gathered, has been criticized for the loss of its artistic spirit since its fame spread. With the attention came rising rents and a conglomeration of galleries, "creative" businesses and fashion stores.
The development of a new subway line, Line 6, through Songzhuang is bound to add to the economic and creative pressures, says Tao. "With loads of children will come here to the cartoon park, how will we be able to keep the area's character?"
Tao says the farmers who owned the land rights in Xiaopu Village had already held meetings to discuss raising rents, currently at around 10,000 to 20,000 yuan a year for a house and more than 40,000 yuan for a studio.
"That's already beyond the means of most artists," says Tao. "Only a few artists won't be affected." Rents in neighboring villages, such as Daxing, were about a half as much, although theywere also rising as the area developed.
Tao cites a Tsinghua University study in 2006 that showed about90 percent of Songzhuang artists live below Beijing's minimum income level. He and fellow artist Hu Junqiang have called on the local government to compensate artists for the rising living costs.
Li Jun denies Songzhuang is headed down the same path as 798, saying Xiaopu would be far enough from the theme park site to maintain its character.
Li also argues that the local government should refrain from intervention in the housing market as the artists must share the area with other sectors of society. "If less successful artists can't afford the rent in Xiaopu, they can move to villages nearby."
Some artists, such as painter Gao Yulin, 60, who sells her works on the street, have welcomed the development. "I hope more visitors will come here with this development," she says.
Oil painter Hua Jiankun rents a second-floor studio-gallery in Xiaopu where he lives with his wife, Jiang Yaqin, although they have another home in downtown Beijing. By selling one or two paintings he can cover the annual 20,000 yuan rent.
They say the lack of facilities and convenient public transport has never been a problem. "Songzhuang is famous for art. That's why we want to stay here," explains Jiang. "The big buyers will come here by car."
Tao says the economic evolution of Songzhuang is inevitable and natural, but it needs to be managed carefully.
"Songzhuang government is very clever. They've promoted the brand of Songzhuang, which benefits the artists. But over-exploitation will destroy the original creation."
