MUMBAI, March 12, 2009 – There are three main factors in the rise of
the creative industries in China: the transition from ‘Made in China’,
which represented cheap imitations, to ‘Created in China’, where China
owned the intellectual property of its products; the importance of
Chinese art in developing China’s creative economies; and China’s use
of its soft power to navigate the world, says Philip Dodd, chairman of Made in China, an agency which develops cultural, educational and commercial projects between the UK and China.

At a lecture hosted by the Asia Society India Centre, National
Gallery of Modern Art, and the Mohile Parikh Center for the Visual
Arts, Dodd said that one of the most important developments in China in
the last 30 years was the emergence of a private life, as evidenced by
the rise of 798, a cultural hub of art galleries and restaurants that
had formerly been earmarked for demolition.

During the recent Beijing Olympics, 798 was the largest tourist
destination in China. It has become an important part of the image of
the new China and its independent cultural life, Dodd said. Other
cultural centers similar to 798 are also organically developing in
China, with the private sector in the forefront of cultural
development. This represents the beginnings of civil society in China.

Following Tiananmen, many Chinese artists left China for Paris and
New York, but several have since returned and have been crucial in
opening up the international angle for connections, and an
international market of buyers for Chinese art. Aside from Chinese art,
Chinese technology, fashion and merchandise are going global. The
strong Chinese values of savings and education have left global brands
struggling in China but local brands are thriving. The economic
downturn has also affected Chinese brands but China has a large
domestic market that it can tap into for at least five years.

The last 20 years have witnessed the world moving into China and the
next 20 years will witness China moving into the world. According to
Dodd, the challenge will be for China to reconcile tradition and
modernity and use their culture and traditions to export China to the
world rather than be at the receiving end of it like the country was
with popular Hollywood movies such as Kung Fu Panda.

Reported by Angeline Thangaperakasam, Asia Society India Centre

Audio Excerpt: Philip Dodd on how Chinese artists helped modernize China and helped develop its global presence. (2 min., 30 sec.) 

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