Cultural Infrastructure: How it Supports the Development of Cities in China

The speed at which cultural infrastructure is developed in China is no new story. Though the lasting legacy of the pandemic on the scale and type of cultural infrastructure is still unknown, China has contributed a handful of new projects in 2020 to the growth of aggregate size of completed physical assets, according to a recent AEA report.

Cultural infrastructure is not only about famous landmarks, but about everyday experiences of arts and culture and giving access to people and community. With the country’s mission to become a museum power by 2035 and various local cultural development initiatives, we invite a panel of experts to discuss what the scale and the character of this concentration of development reveal to us in terms of social changes and audience engagement across China.

Speakers:

Julie Chun
Art Historian, Convenor of Art Focus, Royal Asiatic Society China

Julie Chun is an Art Historian and Critic based in Shanghai since 2011, where she has been carefully observing and documenting the growth of the art world in Shanghai. Beginning in 2013 to present, she serves as the Art Focus Convener of the Royal Asiatic Society China where she devotes her time to expanding the public’s understanding of artistic objects, past and present. Her art reviews and criticisms have been published in academic and art journals in China and abroad.

Dong Mei
Architect, Founder of BCKJ Architects, Winner of 2020 RA Dorfman Awards for Architecture

Dong Mei founded BCKJ Architects in 2004 and served as the presiding architect. Her concept of sustainability and architectural practice and speech were well recognised within the industry in China. She is a pioneer in the study of sustainable technology and practice in China. In December 2020, BCKJ Architects won Royal Academy Dorfman Award issued by Royal Academy of Arts. Norman Foster who chaired the jury, believes that as an architect, BCKJ Architects returns to the core values of architecture, pays attention to community, historical and cultural heritage, and respects nature.
 

Cao Dan
President of Modern Art, Modern Media Group

Senior art journalist, curator, documentary film director. From 1998 to 2012, she moved to Paris, France and engaged herself in the fields of art, design, and documentary. From 2012 to 2017, she acted as the publisher of two authoritative art publications, LEAP and The Art Newspaper China. At the beginning of 2018, she founded ARTEMISIA, committed to interdisciplinary collaborations between art, design, art crafts, and technology, with the aim of promoting the connection and interaction between the public, corporations, and art. From February 2019, she was appointed as President of Modern Art (Modern Media Group), Publisher of The Art Newspaper China & LEAP.