Money

New zones paint bright picture for arts industry

By Qin Zhongwei (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-03-31 07:52

The city is pushing the development of its creative and cultural industry by developing two new zones, where artistic companies can flourish, bringing the number of such areas in the capital to 23, Beijing Daily reported on Tuesday.

The two new areas will be called Olympic Park Cultural Creative Zone in Chaoyang district and the China Game and Animation City in Shijingshan district.

Olympic Park, which was at the center of the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, will be transformed into a multi-functional area geared toward tourism, conventions, exhibitions, sports, games and cultural activities.

The second new area, China Game and Animation City, will be located on the site in Shijingshan formerly occupied by the Capital Iron and Steel Group. The zone will be used by companies involved in animation, online games and other creative and cultural industries. The Capital Iron and Steel Group, which was said to be a heavy polluter, was edged out of Beijing at the end of last year.

Beijing set up 21 creative and cultural zones between 2006 and 2008.

Creative and cultural industry is seen as one sector with little pollution and high added value and has become an important part of the capital's economy, contributing 12.6 per cent of its GDP last year.

By the end of 2009, the 21 zones had attracted nearly 10,000 enterprises and an investment of more than 10 billion yuan, according to government statistics.

Bird's Nest Stadium, now part of the cultural sector and which is located in Olympic Park, has hosted big events, including major concerts, an indoor ski dome, an auto racing competition and more. The stadium was said to have made nearly 300 million yuan by the end of August 2009.

Supporters of the animation city in Shijingshan hope it will transform the district's image as a heavily industrialized and polluted area.

The city is likely to approve additional creative cultural hubs and there could be as many as 30 by the end of this year, according to Beijing Daily.