Caochangdi () was an urban village and renowned arts district located in the Chaoyang District of northeast

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

at the intersection of the

5th Ring Road Beijing's 5th Ring Road (, China Road Numbering: S50 (Beijing) is a ring road encircling the city about away from the city centre. It takes the form of an expressway and is in length. Being a ring road, it has no natural start or end point, ...

and Airport Expressway. Translated as "grasslands" in Mandarin, Caochangdi was home to a diverse group of residents, including migrant workers, farmers, students and artists, most notably, Ai Weiwei. Caochangdi developed into a thriving arts and cultural hub when artists began to move into the area around 2000, attracting international attention similar to the nearby 798 Art Zone.Chen, Aric
"A New Frontier for Chinese Art"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', April 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2009. Demolition of the village began in July 2018.

History

Caochangdi has changed dramatically over its history. Once unoccupied grazing land used as hunting grounds by the Imperial Court, it later became an imperial grave and garden site. During the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...

, the region became an Agricultural People's Commune and transitioned into a farming village. When the Chinese economy opened up to the global market under

Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping (22 August 1904 – 19 February 1997) was a Chinese revolutionary leader, military commander and statesman who served as the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China (PRC) from December 1978 to November 1989. After CC ...

, farmers became landlords and began leasing the land to private companies, artists and galleries. In 2009, the architects Mary-Ann Ray and Robert Mangurian published a book on the village, titled ''Caochangdi, Beijing Inside Out: Farmers, Floaters, Taxi Drivers, Artists, and the International Art Mob Challenge and Remake the City''. It is a study of the village's history and architecture, and includes interviews with Caochangdi residents. For many years Caochangdi was under threat of demolition. In May 2011, after petitions by its residents and businesses, Chinese authorities officially announced the village would be spared. However, in July 2018 evictions were announced in preparation for demolition And Ai Weiwei's studio was demolished shortly thereafter. As of February 2019, many of the buildings originally slated for demolition are still standing.

Events

"Caochangdi (CCD) – The Community" was launched on September 28, 2012, as a research-driven program that hosts a series of art, design and technology events throughout Caochangdi. Consisting of gallery exhibitions, public art installations, live events, educational programs, workshops and seminars, CCD – The Community seeks to cultivate the diversity of Caochangdi through long-term curatorial projects.

Spaces in Caochangdi

* Ai Weiwei 258 Fake Studio
studio O
323 studio O
artMIA

Beijing Architecture Studio Enterprise (B.A.S.E.)

C-Space
* Chambers Fine Art
Egg Art Gallery
* Galerie Urs Meile
Harks Gallery

INK studio

LI Space
*

Pékin Fine Arts Pékin Fine Arts (Chinese: 北京艺门), is a contemporary art gallery in Beijing established in 2005, with a Hong Kong branch gallery opened in 2012.

Platform China

Taikang Space
* Three Shadows Photography Art Centre *

ShanghART Gallery ShanghART Gallery is founded in 1996 by Swiss gallerist Lorenz Helbling as one of the first contemporary art galleries established in China. Initially operating out of a hotel, it has since expanded to four gallery spaces, two in Shanghai, and ...

X Gallery
* Forest Studio
Forest Studio

Notable people living in Caochangdi

* Ai Weiwei (艾未未) * Enrico Ancilli *

Effi Meridor Effi may refer to: * Efraim Effi Birnbaum (born 1954), Israeli basketball coach * Efraim Effi Eitam (born 1952), Israeli politician and retired brigadier-general * Efraim Effi Wizen (born 1956), Israeli computer animator and visual effects speciali ...

* Naihan Li * Matt Hope * Li Songsong (李松松) * He Yunchang * Zhao Zhao *

Diana Coca Diana most commonly refers to: * Diana (name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Diana (mythology), ancient Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals; later associated with the Moon * Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997) ...

(戴安娜古柯) * Sun Liangang (孙连刚)

Book references

* Mary-Ann Ray and Robert Mangurian (2009)
''Caochangdi, Beijing Inside Out: Farmers, Floaters, Taxi Drivers, Artists, and the International Art Mob Challenge and Remake the City''
Hong Kong: Timezone 8. .

History

Events

Spaces in Caochangdi

Notable people living in Caochangdi

See also

Book references

References

External links