Thirteen years ago we were in Beijing for the first time. Just before the first McDonalds had been opened there. Out of curiosity we of course had to bring a visit. It was interesting to see that the young and trendy Chinese in that time, who had a bit more money to spend than his average fellowman, saw a meal here as something really exiting.
Today we brought a visit to the same region of town but it could have been in another city on another planet. The only resemblance was that there were a lot of people looking Chinese. The view in Wangfujing Dajie, THE shopping street in Beijing, wasn’t different from other expensive and modern shopping places elsewhere in the world (see photo). It’s really unbelievable what has happened here in about 10 years. Reading about it is not enough, you just have to see it with your own eyes! On a big Olympic billboard ‘impossible is nothing’ could be read (see photo). Well, in this text nothing could be found that was not true in these surroundings! This presumably was even more true to the big groups of Chinese tourists from rural areas. They were recognisable by their white, yellow or white caps (photo) and the fact that they often walked behind a person with a small flag.

I found it striking to see a lot of billboards with only Western models (photo). But fortunately there was still this young innocent Chinese guard at the beginning of the mall as a token of decorum and consequence of the system. If you just would think the people away inside the malls(photo) you would know that you were in a very luxury surrounding, but where? That would be the question! But luckily there are those Chinese in the streets, sitting around, talking and eating. And don’t forget the bikes that are still there and the rather primitive cars of the people that keep the streets clean (see the different photos). Also the inevitable tramp had found his place (photo), but for how long? The Olympics are coming.

Today the opening at 3pm! And this morning at 5am the rain could be heard loud and clear on the roof and didn’t stop for hours. This doesn’t ease the nerves because rain usually isn’t much beneficial to a successful opening. But we had some luck, about one o’clock the sky became a bit clearer, the rain stopped and even the preparations for the barbecue in the garden of the gallery could start. So it became a lively happening with a lot of visitors. Among them also a number of foreigners, even some Dutchmen, and of course several curious Chinese artists. Let the pictures speak for themselves!

So many things are happening these days that it’s better just to pick out one or two items to write about. Otherwise all these stories would become much too long.
Today it will be just one item, Brian Wallace. Who the hell is Brian Wallace you’ll ask because the name is not really a Chinese one. Well, that’s right, he’s from Australia. But he is an icon in the booming Chinese art world and also the owner of one of the most beautiful art galleries in town. This of course means that there is a story to tell.

In 1984 Brian arrived in China as a backpacker. In that time there was no modern art scene in the country. Only the traditional Chinese art was promoted and modern artists had difficult times. When Brian came back in 1986 he opened a gallery in Beijing to give modern Chinese art a podium because he thought he could be of some help for the artists. How he managed to organise one of the best spaces I don’t know yet but when I see him again I intend to ask him about that. Till now I met him twice, the first time at an exhibition Friday last week, the second time today in his own red Gate Gallery during an opening (have a look at the first picture) and I don’t mind if there will be a third time. He really is a nice man, knows of course a lot about the intriguing, booming Chinese art world of today and may be he would like to tell me more about that. It’s probably not exaggerated when I say that nearly all those world known modern Chinese artists started in his Red Gate Gallery.

The gallery can indeed been found in the Red Gate. Of the walls of the old city only a few rebuilded parts have remained together with a couple of the huge, now also renovated entry towers in this wall. Two floors in one of those towers take in Brian’s gallery (see one of the photos).
The exhibition itself, of a certain Lu Peng, was also wonderful. This guy, completely unknown to me, showed a tremendous skill in especially his work on paper. Not only was it modern, it was also really China. Very impressive!

The banners were going to be hanged! How would this lool like? Would the image in my head fit to reality? Would it all be in
proportion in this 7 meters high space? Well, let the pictures tell the story!