‘Arts and technologies in China: Connecting futures’ maps the landscape of arts and technologies in Mainland China, examining how practitioners are creating at the intersection of creative practice and technological innovation.
As China emerges as a global technological powerhouse, new conditions for artistic practice are reshaping the boundaries between art, technology and commerce, creating significant opportunities for international collaboration and cultural exchange.
The research by Gary Zhexi Zhang draws on comprehensive fieldwork including interviews and roundtables with 48 practitioners, educators, curators, technologists and institutional leaders, alongside field visits to five major cities: Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, Shenzhen and Hefei. It explores who is creating at this intersection, what themes and trends are emerging from their work, and where opportunities exist to support stronger relations between UK and Chinese arts and technologies ecosystems.
Key findings
- Arts and technologies are in demand: Digital art is increasingly integrated into China’s public and commercial spaces, supported by cultural policy and accessible technology – but independent artistic projects often face funding constraints.
- AI tools are ubiquitous: AI tools such as LLMs and generative image creation have been widely adopted into creative contexts, from artistic projects to ubiquitous marketing content.
- Scientific institutions are open to collaboration: Art–science collaborations in state scientific research institutions are emerging with openness and goodwill on both sides.
- Digital cultural heritage is flourishing: From games companies to contemporary arts to location-based VR experiences, the use of new technologies to create artistic experiences responding to heritage sites and activating museum collections is a popular strategy for technological cultural experiences.
Recommendations for collaboration
- Prioritise learning and reciprocity: Emphasise reciprocity and learning to address knowledge asymmetries and leverage diaspora networks as cultural mediators.
- Form an advisory network: Establish formal structures to systematically connect across cultural divides, provide ongoing guidance, and maintain institutional memory beyond individual relationships.
- Build joint production teams: Develop collaborative creative partnerships targeting China’s robust audience demand while leveraging UK creative expertise with Chinese production infrastructure and technical capabilities.
- Incubate emerging practitioners: Create targeted programmes for young graduates transitioning to professional practice in an evolving landscape where traditional career paths are less viable.
- Explore scientific collaborations: Leverage China’s openness to art-science initiatives and the field’s relative freedom from political constraints; build on natural cross-cultural spaces in scientific infrastructure.
- Establish sustainable partnerships: Focus on institutional capacity-building and shared resources rather than one-off events, addressing the ecosystem’s relationship-driven nature and need for patient development.
Citation
Zhexi Zhang, G (2025). Arts and Technologies in China: The future as a common ground, British Council. https://doi.org/10.57884/EDN6-NJ77. Arts and technologies in China: Connecting futures © 2025 by the British Council is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.