That China will become the next world superpower has been the argument of economists for decades, and few now doubt the accuracy of such predictions. But since the Cultural Revolution, it has been felt by many that the arts have taken a back seat to economic growth and have been hidebound by policies enacted by the ruling Communist Party.
So what is the current role of the arts in China and how does it compare with the situation before and during the People’s Revolution? Have China’s art markets grown in proportion to economic growth and what does the art scene look like following China’s economic reforms and a relaxing of Party laws that suppressed art not sanctioned by the Party? And are there still signs of such censorship and stifling Government control?
