You may already know about the Songzhuang artist village or Dashanzi's 798. But the Shangyuan Artists Community is different - located in Changping County of Beijing, the community is made up of academic artists who are relatively older and have established their fame in China and abroad.

Unlike the Songzhuang artists (in Tongxian), who are famous for their contemporary and radical artworks, most artists living in Shangyuan are mainstream artists who are either professional painters or former art professors of well-known art colleges. This means many of them are economically better off than their counterparts in Songzhuang who can afford to live in fancier houses with large gardens. Because many of the Shangyuan artists are established artists, they also tend to be older than those in Songzhuang, with many well in their fifties and even sixties.

The village is not public space for everyday visitors. CCC arranges appointments with a handful of famous artists who will allow you into their farmer's home style studios (nice villas and gardens even with peacocks) and discuss modern Chinese art with you.

The artists CCC selected engage in a variety of art forms, from modern oil painting, sculpture (wood, clay and bronze) to other modern styles.

It will be 40-50 minutes' drive from Beijing.

Other contemporary Artists Villages Tours CCC arranges include: 



Caochangdi Contemporary Artists Home/Studios Visit



Located outside the East 5th Ring Road of Beijing, 20 minutes drive from CCC. More established contemporary artists with nice houses/studios settle down here)

Note: all the three artist villages are not completely open to public, although some young artists are willing to receive strangers. CCC has partnerships with the prestigious artists and is able to bring visitors to their homes/studios.



Songzhuang Contemporary Artists Village Tour  

Located in the rural area east of Beijing, about one hour's drive from downtown Beijing. Younger contemporary Artists' homes and studios Visits, some are well-kown and rich and some are still unkown and manage to survive.



Shangyuan Established Artists Village Tour

Located near the mountain area north of Beijing, about one hour's drive. More academic older contemporary artists, art professors and teachers from China's Art Academies or Collages live in these area. Many have their own beautiful houses/studios and nice gardens.



Qiao Zi Contemporary Artists Community Home Studios Visit

Located in Huairou, suburb of Beijing, over one hour's drive from CCC. Many privately built huge modern studios and home buildings. The artists are quite well-established. 



Feijiacun Artist Community Home Studios Visit

Another artist community in the near suburb of Beijing, who seeks a quieter and affordable area for their homes and studios.



Luomahu (Rome Lake) Artists Community Home Studios Visit

Artist communitiy in Shunyi, east of Beijing



Beijing's Contemporary Artist Village Background

In 1995, when the Yuanmingyuan (Old Summer Palace) artist community was dismantled, a handful of the original artists moved to Songzhuang Village in Tongzhou County in pursuit of bigger studio space, cheaper rent cost and a quieter environment to continue their creative works.  Over the next five years, drawn by the village’s idyllic charm and beautiful scenery, more artists decided to move into the area, thus confirming Songzhuang’s position as the largest artist community in China.  Today, Songzhuang is home to roughly 2,000 artists, including painters, sculptors, poets, writers, art critics, and photographers. They are scattered in several villages of Songzhuang, such as Xiaopu Village, Renzhuang Village, etc. 

The artists are relatively young and famous for their contemporary and radical artworks. Most of them are freelancers and their artworks are shown in 798 galleries and galleries and museums in Europe and US.