Justice

China Wants Its Urban Artists to Head for the Countryside

300 million rural Chinese are projected to move into cities by 2050. So why is the government pushing artists to celebrate its old ways?
A woman makes her way to the fields in Hunan Province, located in south-central ChinaFlickr/DaiLuo

Two billion people watched the opening ceremony of Beijing's 2008 Summer Olympics. As 15,000 performers drummed, danced, spun, twirled, and flipped through the 90-minute spectacle, the world witnessed a once-in-a-lifetime show. As the final act came to a close, it was evident: China, an emerging global power, had raised the bar of Olympic artistry to new heights. A state-owned newspaper would later call it "China's proudest night."

Six years later, however, Beijing seems far less satisfied with its art—and, consequently, its artists. A new official policy, made public earlier this week, seeks to acutely influence the direction of Chinese contemporary art. This comes at a time when certain cities, such as Beijing, have developed world-class art scenes.