Graffiti on walls at the 798 Art Zone. Chinese graffiti artists have embraced Western influences, although this trend could change in the future. Photo: Jonny Clement Brown/GT"It's the only graffiti store in Beijing," graffiti artist Chen Chuang, 26, proudly declares as he gestures toward the columns of spray paint cans behind the counter of his new shop 400ml in the 798 Art Zone.

The shop's opening, hosted by Beijing graffiti crew ABS late last month, was well attended by artists and city hipsters alike, and comes at a crucial juncture amid the ongoing development of graffiti culture in Beijing.Chen, whose tag - or spray-painted signature - "ANDC," is optimistic about the future of graffiti in the capital.

"Things will improve after 10 years. We still have a long way to go before we can make graffiti as popular as it is in the West. What we Chinese writers are doing now is what was perhaps happening in the West decades ago," he told Metro Beijing.

Graffiti artists, or "writers" as many prefer to be called, have a hard time in many international cities shaking their stigma of being more than vandals. Their situation in China is no different, although there is a greater level of tolerance, or perhaps ignorance, shown to them from authorities and the public.

Graffiti is largely discouraged on the surface, but underground there is growing support and camaraderie among the small scene of local artists made up of Chinese and foreigners, said Chen. "I just want to make [400ml] a place for graffiti writers in Beijing to get together, so that it's easier for them to buy spray paint," Chen said.For the ABS crew, the advent of 400ml could offer a positive influence on younger graffiti artists aspiring to literally make their mark on Beijing's graffiti scene.

Compared to other global cities famed for providing concrete canvases for internationally renowned and subversive graffiti artists, Beijing's nascent scene is in a constant state of flux. Not only are there few dedicated artists to the street art, there is also a general lack of interest among artists to deliver messages through their work."Graffiti has only been happening in Beijing since 2004, compared to the US where it has been active since the 1960s," said Lance Crayon, an American journalist and filmmaker who spent a year shooting his documentary Spray Paint Beijing in 2010."

[China's graffiti scene] may not have the history, but to say it's not as sophisticated, at least aesthetically speaking, would be doing Chinese writers a disservice. Nowadays, they have the Internet and videos on [video sharing website] Youku and file sharing. They are very much up to speed in terms of style and skill," he said.To the discerning eye, graffiti adorning walls at Beijing's 798 Art Zone is a heady mix of different styles.

Norbert Kirbach, a German writer living in Beijing who is also a graffiti historian and researcher, points out that Chinese graffiti artists are making themselves more "international" by using Roman, rather than Chinese, characters in their work."It's normal to see a lot of Western influences in Chinese graffiti, particularly from the US West Coast," Norbach told Metro Beijing.

"The use of old English and broken Gothic font are not only popular in China but all over Asia. Graffiti in China is growing in step with the confidence of local writers."Finding graffiti in Beijing with distinctly Chinese elements is harder than many might imagine.

Chen recalled that during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games there was a surge in graffiti with local characteristics, as reflected in works done by the Kwanyin crew that mirrored traditional Chinese water paintings. Today, however, such graffiti styling has largely been discontinued.

"To say that [Chinese graffiti artists] are not interested in their culture and history is probably closer to the truth than writers would care to admit. Almost all the guys that I interviewed were apolitical," said Crayon. "I wouldn't be surprised if in a decade or so we see a wave of traditionalist graffiti that questions why writers are mimicking the West. That would be amazing to see."