After 30 years of development, Songzhuang Town in Tongzhou District has become the world's largest art zone with the highest concentration of artists and art venues. Currently, Songzhuang is intensifying its research on collective industrial land utilization and investment promotion efforts. Sam's Club plans to open in 2027, which will radiate to the eastern part of Beijing and even regions like Langfang in Hebei Province.

The most densely populated art district for artists will "refresh" in the future

In 1994, pioneering artists such as Fang Lijun and Li Xianting came to Songzhuang, planting the seeds of free art. Currently centered around Xiaobao Artist Village, Songzhuang Art District has gathered around 7,000 artists. After 30 years of development, Songzhuang has become the world's largest art district with the highest concentration of artists and art venues.

On the map, art venues in Songzhuang are scattered everywhere. "There are currently 35 art galleries and art exhibition halls with an area of over 3,000 square meters, 78 gallery art institutions, 5,000 artist studios, and over 2,600 art-related enterprises," said Xiao Hailing, minister of Propaganda for Songzhuang Town. Renowned venues like Rongbaozhai Academy of Painting, Tree Art Museum, Sunshine International Museum, and Songzhuang Art Center are well-known both domestically and internationally. Beijing Xiang Sports Museum and Sound Art Museum have been listed as pilot units for cultivating municipal-level museums.

At Sunshine International Art Museum, the Chinese New National Tide Art Exhibition was full of vitality. When it opened last year, the exhibition was well-received. Now, it has been extended to this year to meet the demands of more visitors. Jin Qinqing, Secretary-General of Sunshine International Art Museum, said that the museum covers approximately 20,000 square meters and is a classic case of factory transformation, with a relatively high ceiling. Regular art galleries are unable to hold large-scale sculpture exhibitions due to height restrictions, but Sunshine International Art Museum has no such concerns. As a large comprehensive art museum, it has also hosted cross-disciplinary events such as concerts, fashion shows, and sports events.

In the future, Songzhuang will soon establish flagship art museums, Balin Stone Museums, and Yuanhengli Rosewood Museums, creating a well-structured and distinctive art venue system.

Preserving vanishing sounds in museums

Many art enthusiasts enjoy visiting exhibitions, but "listening to exhibitions" is not common.  The Sound Art Museum in Songzhuang Town is the first museum in the country dedicated to sound art, providing visitors with a unique experience beyond vision with over a thousand sound materials.

At the Sound Art Museum, visitors can not only hear the whistling of pigeons in the sky and the cries of itinerant vendors' instruments, but also see physical objects such as pigeon whistles and sugar gongs that produce sound. "What is exhibited here is the most complete collection of Beijing pigeon whistles customized by Mr. Zhang Baotong, the inheritor of pigeon whistle craftsmanship, and his apprentices for the museum," said Liu Mingfei, the museum's relevant person in charge, pointing to the display case. With urban changes, sounds such as itinerant vendor instruments are disappearing, but these sounds can be preserved forever in the museum."

Glacier crevasses, penguin calls... In the "Natural Soundscapes" exhibition area, visitors feel as if they are in the unique natural sound field of Antarctica. "Natural Soundscapes" also periodically showcases soundscapes from the other six continents. The "Language" exhibition area tells the stories behind languages interactively, with the inaugural exploration focusing on ancient languages of Xinjiang. In the "Music" exhibition unit, visitors can immerse themselves in six "suspended" sound pods and listen to different music forms and styles from important oases along the Silk Road history—starting from Hetian.

Liu Mingfei said that the museum opened in May last year, and besides ordinary visitors, there are also groups of visually impaired people and students from colleges such as the Communication University of China and the Beijing Film Academy. It is hoped that the exhibition can enhance everyone's ability to perceive sound. "Artistic creation requires an atmosphere, and needs to be immersed in this kind of environment. Songzhuang has artistic genes and is crowded with artists. By opening the Sound Art Museum here, we can inspire novel ideas and generate more creativity through collaboration."

Sam's Club will radiate regions including Langfang in Hebei

Currently, industrial projects, ecological environment construction, and improvement of living environment in Songzhuang Town are all speeding up comprehensively. "Art Training sees in Songzhuang" enjoys a high reputation domestically. 31 well-known art training institutions such as Huaqing Art Studio and Shuimuyuan Art Education provide art examination training services for over 20,000 candidates each year. Songzhuang is building a comprehensive and all-encompassing art trading platform. The China Songzhuang Art Market had approximately 600,000 visitors last year, generating revenues of about 22 million yuan, filling the gap in low- and medium-end art transactions. In terms of artistic culture and tourism, characteristic areas such as Xiaobao Cultural Plaza, Xiaobao South Street Pedestrian Street, and National Defense Art District have matured, with about 400 art restaurants, high-quality homestays, art bookstores, and popular cafes blossoming everywhere.

Songzhuang Town is intensifying its research on collective industrial land utilization and investment promotion efforts, with 9 projects currently in progress.

The Youth Art Workshop, Global Music Education League, Songzhuang Auto Art Creative Port, and Xiaobao Art District's collective rental housing project are proposed to be located in the central area of Xiaobao Art District, with a total planned construction area of nearly 465,000 square meters. Among them, the Xiaobao Art District's collective rental housing project will provide more comfortable and convenient living environments for artists.

Translator: NIU Lihua

Reviewer: JIANG Wenyi