798 District Blog

Wu Guanzhong, the father of modern Chinese art, died late on Friday in Beijing Hospital, aged 91.

Born in 1919, Wu was a native of Yixing in east China’s Jiangsu Province.

In 1947, he went to France to study Western painting and returned to China in 1950. He taught at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts and Tsinghua University.

Wu integrated the Chinese ink and wash technique with Western painting methods. He is now widely regarded at home and abroad as the father of modern Chinese painting.

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More creative zones are being developed in Beijing and around the country.

These are similar to 22 International Art District, near Baiziwan and home to indie record company Modern Sky; and Shang Bar, near Wanda Plaza, for fashion companies.

Wang Xiaoyun, director and research fellow at the Regional Research Center of the Cultural Industries Institute of Peking University, says 20 of these cultural areas are being constructed in Beijing, more than 40 in Shanghai, and more than 50 in Nanjing, Jiangsu province.

“The creative industry has been developed for less than 10 years in China, but at a really fast pace,” says Wang, who is a consultant to Beijing municipal government on creative industry zones.

“Take 798 art district for example, it is mature and has developed into more than just an art area,” Wang says…

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