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Creativity sparks big turnaround
August 29, 2011, Monday
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AS one of the pillars of Hangzhou's economy, creative industries are breathing new life into many of the city's deserted buildings, turning old factories into bastions of creativity and innovation.
The revamped buildings, offering both a nostalgic glimpse of the past and a vanguard taste of future, have boosted the city's art scene.
The banks of the Grand Canal have been home to factories and warehouses from ancient times through the modern industrialization. Thus, it was no surprise when Hangzhou's first creative park, LOFT 49, was formed near the canal in 2003.
Today, the scene is still thriving. With low rents and a sense of history, old factory buildings have been popular among artists and entrepreneurs across Hangzhou.
Once a chemical plant, LOFT 49 is now home to a group of creative firms in crafts, design, advertising, architecture, fashion and animation. Just across the river is the newly launched LOFT 555 Creative Park. Though the park is still under construction, it has already housed a couple of photography and interior design firms.
The most famous and popular creative park in the area is IDEAL 166, which was once the renowned Hangzhou Silk Printing and Dying United Factory. It was the first silk factory to use machines for mass production after the founding of the People's Republic of China.
It would be difficult to find a better place to start a creative firm. The factory, built in the 1950s, was designed by former Soviet Union experts and construction was supervised by German architects. With its unique wave-shaped roof, the building was ahead of its time. It was designated a municipal historical building under protection last year.
IDEAL 166 attracts a large number of visitors for both its appearance and the shops on offer. All the offices within the creative park are carefully decorated with distinctive styles. And some firms have also opened their own shops, selling crafts and clothing. Various boutique shops filled with original products at fair prices are just minutes from each other.
IDEAL 166 also gained fame for giving birth to the artistic cafe chain Metoo Cafe. The flagship store, opened in 2008, used to be a gathering place for managers of firms within the creative park to exchange ideas and business experience. It soon turned into an artistic attraction in itself.
Similar to IDEAL 166, LOFT 177, a creative park in the city center, has also become a famous exchange space for its artists. Code Space, hidden in No. 5 Building of the old Xinhua Print Factory, is one of the most popular spaces in the city to host exhibitions, second-hand markets and, most importantly, concerts by indie bands.
The factory buildings, discovered by three business people in fashion industry, were turned into LOFT 177 in 2009. Although the seven buildings are not as artistic as IDEAL 166, the location attracted some 40 firms in less than five months.
LOFT 177 owners, however, have leased the spaces at low rents and, in some cases, even for free.
"Instead of just thinking about making money, we want to build a stage for excellent designers and artists to cooperate with each other," says Qian Feng, a business owner at LOFT 177.
This cluster effect has attracted the Zhejiang International Art Exchange Center to locate at LOFT 177. With art exhibitions ongoing throughout the year, the center has added an "academic presence"to the space.
Adjacent to the China Academy of Art is the city's most academically assisted creative park, the Phoenix Creative. Different from most creative parks which are started by private firms, the Phoenix Creative is a joint initiative by the China Academy of Art and the municipal government in 2008 to boost the city's creative industries.
It is home to young artists and entrepreneurs. "Compared with other creative parks in Hangzhou, Phoenix Creative is more academic and less commercialized. It allows us to experiment a bit and be ahead of our time," says Enki Li, director of ECUBE Contemporary Art Space, which is based in Phoenix Creative.
Originally a cement factory surrounded by hills on the banks of the Qiantang River, buildings in Phoenix Creative enjoy a unique architecture style as well as an inspiring view. With its high-end target, Phoenix Creative has attracted some big names to start studios and host lectures.
Tsai Chi-chung, a famous cartoon artist from Taiwan, Meng Jinhui, popular drama director, and Wang Weizhong, award-winning TV program producer have all started working at Phoenix Creative.
The revamped buildings, offering both a nostalgic glimpse of the past and a vanguard taste of future, have boosted the city's art scene.
The banks of the Grand Canal have been home to factories and warehouses from ancient times through the modern industrialization. Thus, it was no surprise when Hangzhou's first creative park, LOFT 49, was formed near the canal in 2003.
Today, the scene is still thriving. With low rents and a sense of history, old factory buildings have been popular among artists and entrepreneurs across Hangzhou.
Once a chemical plant, LOFT 49 is now home to a group of creative firms in crafts, design, advertising, architecture, fashion and animation. Just across the river is the newly launched LOFT 555 Creative Park. Though the park is still under construction, it has already housed a couple of photography and interior design firms.
The most famous and popular creative park in the area is IDEAL 166, which was once the renowned Hangzhou Silk Printing and Dying United Factory. It was the first silk factory to use machines for mass production after the founding of the People's Republic of China.
It would be difficult to find a better place to start a creative firm. The factory, built in the 1950s, was designed by former Soviet Union experts and construction was supervised by German architects. With its unique wave-shaped roof, the building was ahead of its time. It was designated a municipal historical building under protection last year.
IDEAL 166 attracts a large number of visitors for both its appearance and the shops on offer. All the offices within the creative park are carefully decorated with distinctive styles. And some firms have also opened their own shops, selling crafts and clothing. Various boutique shops filled with original products at fair prices are just minutes from each other.
IDEAL 166 also gained fame for giving birth to the artistic cafe chain Metoo Cafe. The flagship store, opened in 2008, used to be a gathering place for managers of firms within the creative park to exchange ideas and business experience. It soon turned into an artistic attraction in itself.
Similar to IDEAL 166, LOFT 177, a creative park in the city center, has also become a famous exchange space for its artists. Code Space, hidden in No. 5 Building of the old Xinhua Print Factory, is one of the most popular spaces in the city to host exhibitions, second-hand markets and, most importantly, concerts by indie bands.
The factory buildings, discovered by three business people in fashion industry, were turned into LOFT 177 in 2009. Although the seven buildings are not as artistic as IDEAL 166, the location attracted some 40 firms in less than five months.
LOFT 177 owners, however, have leased the spaces at low rents and, in some cases, even for free.
"Instead of just thinking about making money, we want to build a stage for excellent designers and artists to cooperate with each other," says Qian Feng, a business owner at LOFT 177.
This cluster effect has attracted the Zhejiang International Art Exchange Center to locate at LOFT 177. With art exhibitions ongoing throughout the year, the center has added an "academic presence"to the space.
Adjacent to the China Academy of Art is the city's most academically assisted creative park, the Phoenix Creative. Different from most creative parks which are started by private firms, the Phoenix Creative is a joint initiative by the China Academy of Art and the municipal government in 2008 to boost the city's creative industries.
It is home to young artists and entrepreneurs. "Compared with other creative parks in Hangzhou, Phoenix Creative is more academic and less commercialized. It allows us to experiment a bit and be ahead of our time," says Enki Li, director of ECUBE Contemporary Art Space, which is based in Phoenix Creative.
Originally a cement factory surrounded by hills on the banks of the Qiantang River, buildings in Phoenix Creative enjoy a unique architecture style as well as an inspiring view. With its high-end target, Phoenix Creative has attracted some big names to start studios and host lectures.
Tsai Chi-chung, a famous cartoon artist from Taiwan, Meng Jinhui, popular drama director, and Wang Weizhong, award-winning TV program producer have all started working at Phoenix Creative.
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