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Arts & Communication 1980s: A turning point in the Chinese art market

2.3. Beginning of a new era (1978) and attracted customers through the exhibition scene,

The 1978 reformation led to lax government control over serving as a vibrant representation of the era.
the market, the adoption of the market economic system Cultural relic shops nationwide have engaged in
across various sectors, and the commoditization of culture extensive collaborations with foreign art institutions
and the arts. This has resulted in the rapid growth of the and launched a series of exhibition activities to promote
art market, with shop trading, market transactions, and Chinese art on a global scale, showcasing Chinese artists
auctions of Chinese artworks experiencing steady recovery and artworks to an international audience. Concurrently,
and thriving. cultural relics stores actively organized and studied cultural
The State Administration of Cultural Heritage launched relics and published books and pictures.
antique shops at the end of 1978 with permission from the During the late 1980s, folk art markets emerged in
Central Propaganda Department and the State Council. major towns, characterized by spontaneous antiquities
As a public organization directly under the purview of the dealing and covert smuggling activities. Price and category
Bureau of Cultural Heritage, antique shops have evolved controls, imposed by the mainland government, made
into the state’s business director and industry manager, it challenging for state-owned antique stores to acquire
providing high-quality foreign cultural relics to local expensive and widely distributed cultural artifacts. Large
antique shops, museums, and cultural relics institutions. repositories were subject to severe sales restrictions, and
Formally established as China Antique Shops in 1980, the central government has consolidated authority over
its primary duties are (i) organizing the general supply the inspection and management of cultural artifacts.
and distribution of cultural artifacts in domestic and Consequently, many antique shops faced deteriorating
international markets; (ii) researching and suggesting operating conditions, evidenced by poor sales, excessive
buying and selling prices for goods made from cultural inventory, and disrupted capital chains.
relics; (iii) coordinating the creation of imitations and
copies of native cultural artifacts; and (iv) facilitating the To compete with the folk antique merchants, the
exchange of management and operational expertise among antique store system underwent significant changes, such
antique stores to enhance quality and service provided. as the founding of the Hongguang Pavilion in Beijing in
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According to the Notice of the State Council Transferring 1987. Since 1960, Hongguang Pavilion has been China’s
to the State Administration for Cultural Relics, the sole full-category store, offering historical paintings
Request Report on Strengthening the Work of Cultural and calligraphers, steles, ceramics, jade carvings, study
Relics (1981) stated that the primary responsibility of chambers, tooth corners made of bamboo and wood,
antique stores is to gather and preserve cultural artifacts stone, and other cultural artifacts. The Hougang Pavilion
dispersed throughout society. By acknowledging the consists of five branches — Yue Ya Tang, Bo Gu Zhai,
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potential for profit in cultural artifacts and relics, the Zangbao Pavilion, Art Garden, and Qu Ya Zhai — each
official definition of Chinese antique shops emphasizes with unique characteristics. Furthermore, the Guangzhou
commercial objectives. Cultural Relics Headquarters has established sales outlets
in international hotels and tourism consultation centers,
3. The Chinese art market in the 1980s including the White Swan Hotel, Cultural Holiday Hotel,
Overseas Chinese Hotel, and Guangdong Folk Craft
3.1. Summary of the 1980s art market
Museum. The antique store system has abandoned the
During the early 1980s, cultural relic stores experienced fictitious national unified price in favor of market pricing,
a resurgence across the nation, regaining popularity which improved the competitiveness of antique stores.
among foreign visitors and restoring the inner cabinet However, due to limitations in scale, art categories, and
services. In response to the surge in tourism and distribution channels, not all antique stores can undergo
promising sales, the State Administration of Cultural such reforms.
Heritage issued the Regulations on the Work of
Cultural Relic Shops in 1981, requiring approval for The mechanism of state-owned cultural relic stores
the establishment of cultural relic shops or stations. results in their gradual marginalization in a more
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Cultural relic stores adopted new approaches, liberalized and market-oriented environment, in terms
reorganized sales networks, and organized several of information, prices, and transactions, in comparison
exhibitions to increase sales. These exhibition-type sales to the vast market composed of thousands of private
merchants.
were introduced in 1961 and were implemented until
1985. Amidst reformation, this mode facilitated the The emergence of the art market was a new outcome
export of Chinese artworks, promoted Chinese culture, of the reform period. On July 26, 1980, the People’s Daily

Volume 2 Issue 2 (2024) 4 doi: 10.36922/ac.2028