Magical World of Beijing Art

The ancient former home of the Imperial Archives (Huang Shi Cheng) makes a perfect setting for Wan Fung Gallery's outstanding art collection. In stone buildings that once housed emperors' prized documents hang some of the capital's finest examples of contemporary Chinese art, thus metamorphosing Wan Fung into one of those rare spaces where the gallery is as much an attraction as the art itself.

Set like some rare walled architectural jewel at the southern end of Nanchizi Street near noisy Wangfujing, Wan Fung is but a single block from the red walls of the Forbidden City. Tantalisingly, the gallery's Qing Dynasty buildings display the identical telltale ochre-tiled roofs whose color was exclusive to emperors. Leftovers from the Forbidden City? Or is there a deeper, unknown explanation?

Wan Fung's stunning Red Gate (above), studded with gorgeous golden knobs, opens to reveal a courtyard in conspicuous imperial style. The gallery's collection is displayed within the ancient halls, originally constructed to house delicate paper archives in the pre-computer world but which have turned out to be perfect for modern 21st century art. The pillarless, waterproof, insect-proof and mould-proof buildings make a wonderful, unobstructed gallery space, with constant temperature and humidity throughout the year.

Brainchild of Hong Kong painter and art critic Kwok Ho Mun, who set up his original studio in Hong Kong as early as 1986, the collection covers a broad canvas with a contemporary focus, embracing Chinese paintings, prints, oil paintings, watercolors, mixed media, sculpture, lacquer paintings and ceramics. The styles of the artists are just as varied, ranging from watercolors of beautiful Chinese women against traditional backdrops to oil paintings of fashionable lifestyles.

Although Shanghai born, Kwok did not hesitate in choosing Beijing as the place for his branch in 1993, thus contributing to the fabulous content of his own Tale of Two Cities. He simply had more confidence in the artistic potential of Beijing, based on its rich cultural tradition, to the whiz-bang commercial capability of Shanghai. Even now, you can not find a similar venue that is 100 percent Chinese in Shanghai.

The success stories of contemporary Chinese painters identified, rejuvenated and supported by Wan Fung could be interpreted as footnotes to Kwok?s insight of Beijing. Among them is Huang You Wei, now a rising star at Wan Fung, who a few years ago quit his teaching job in Hunan Province to come to Beijing, where he became an efficient, well-paid producer of painting products at a commercial company.

"I certainly didn't come here only to be a rich painting producer," he reminded himself four years later. "I came here to be a master of art." So he went to Wan Fung, and Wan Fung, with its prestige, stature and open-handed professional guidance, has helped Huang win international recognition. It is a familiar tale inside the famous Red Gate.

In the past seven years, Wan Fung has been the catalyst to the transformation from humble to well-known of many young and middle-aged painters, the most famous being the so-called No.1 Tiger Master, Feng Da Zhong, the price of whose paintings continues to rise from their original tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands. Once the gallery finds a young painter with great potential, it launches promotions for him and sometimes even provides a stipend for him to establish his own style by whatever means, including staying in areas outside Beijing to gain better understanding of what makes them tick.

Wan Fung's high standards and strict procedures have ensured a comparatively secure 'future for more than 100 contemporary painters in the ever-changing art market, mostly through what is described as "contracts between gentlemen". The gallery's high reputation matters a great deal to everyone involved. Its public relations manager, Sun Xin, can not count the number of times she has given a firm "No" to tourist guides expecting a kick-back for bringing potential customers through the door. It is a brave stance in face of the something-for-nothing philosophy that is all too common in China, Beijing included. Some other galleries are known to pay "ommissions" as a matter of course.

A representative mix of art is usually on display in one of Wan Fung's buildings, while another houses exhibitions for local and foreign artists. Although many works are seemingly traditional Chinese paintings, modern elements can be found everywhere, either from the subject, color or from its structure. The current display of oil paintings by contemporary Chinese masters introduces subtle differences in what is essentially a new medium for local artists.

Sadly for many art enthusiasts, westerners in particular, last month saw the conclusion of an exhibition by Hu Yongkai, whose vibrantly colored paintings in traditional inks on xuan paper are instantly recognizable because of his central theme -- women with an elongated face and body, always in a classical setting. Hu favors the lone female subject, usually in traditional garb of a Qing robe or the slinkily republican qipao. Often his figures tend to their songbirds, sit in a Ming chair or cuddle a kitten.

Unlike much of contemporary Chinese art, Hu's works are highly acceptable to western collectors. However, his modern treatment of traditional subjects rarely brings compliments from older Chinese, who are becoming more and more important consumers because of the development of the local economy.

"What is he trying to portray? I could not understand at all," complained a local buyer, examining a Hu painting while holding several traditional paintings he had bought. "the tree is not like a real tree, and the girl is meaningless sitting there."

Wan Fung staff usually take note of such comments and feed the more constructive of them back to the artist in case he wants to become better attuned to a market trend. "But of course, it's for their reference only," explained Sun. "We leave it totally to them on whether or not to change their style. It's their decision alone."

Visitors charmed by Wan Fung's collection or enchanted by its magnificent location should not ignore the fact that it is more than just an art gallery. At base, it is a very successful business enterprise with wide scope, led by fervently market-oriented Zhang Jian Hua. Once he was a professional painter. Now his life is solely concerned with business, the bonus and beauty for him being that it also satisfies his artistic needs.

Wan Fung now has its own website, enjoying almost 100 hits a day, and publishes albums of popular works along with art books. It also runs a busy art consultancy for international companies, and uses the its prestigious gallery to host formal and informal meetings and other activities. No guest could fail to be impressed by, say, a dinner party in such a setting in the heart of Beijing. This is a gallery par excellence.