Since Beijing has specified its strategic positioning, Beijing Government has been accelerating its pace at developing itself into the national cultural center, highlighting its important role in the global cultural and art field. In order to fully expand the international influence of Beijing's artworks trading, reinforce Beijing’s globally leading role in the trading of Chinese art treasures, explore new commercial models for the public, and meet the people’s desire for a better life, Beijing Association of Auctioneers and Beijing International Center for Cultural Trade Services under BCI reached a strategic cooperation with each other to conduct multi-level artwork trading and supporting businesses and build the Beijing International Platform for Artworks Trade by fully utilizing resources of both sides after nearly two years’ negotiation and research.
On the afternoon of July 24, 2018, Yao Guangfeng, Secretary General of Beijing Association of Auctioneers, and Chen Gang, Director of Beijing International Center for Cultural Trade Services, signed a strategic cooperation agreement at Beijing Cultural Relics Trading Forum for Enterprises jointly held by Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage and Beijing Association of Auctioneers.
The Signing Ceremony
As an important investment and financing platform for the cultural and creative industries in Beijing, BCI has been focusing on development of the national cultural center, serving the big picture of the development of the cultural and creative industries, and making constant breakthroughs in easing Beijing's core functions, promoting coordinated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, and driving investments from private capital, making great contribution to regional economic, social and cultural development. BCI is China's first cultural investment company that has obtained AAA rating by CCXI. In 2017, it won the award of the 9th National Top 30 Cultural Enterprise. As of December 31, 2017, BCI’s assets had totaled over RMB40 billion.
Beijing International Center for Cultural Trade Services, also known as the National Base for International Cultural Trade (Beijing Tianzhu Free Trade Zone Culture Free Port, “the Base”) is located within Beijing Tianzhu Free Trade Zone, with a floor surface of 235 Mu (157,000 square meters) and a total building area of about 500,000 square meters. It is the first cultural bonded area in China and has been officially licensed by the Ministry of Culture as the National Base for International Cultural Trade. Based in Beijing and serving the whole country, the Base aims to develop itself into a comprehensive cultural trade service platform and a product market and factor market of the international port type. It is strategically positioned as the demonstration zone of the functional area of Beijing's cultural and creative industries, an innovative experimental base of the national system for international cultural trade, the exclusive port for national cultural trade and the base for cultivating the capability of Chinese culture's going global. The Base is composed of three functional areas: the Gathering Center for International Cultural Trade Enterprises, the Exhibition, Warehousing and Logistics Center for International Cultural Products, and the Trading Service Center for International Cultural commodities. Complementing each other and by effectively using policies of bonded areas, the three functional areas provide services covering the whole industry chain to cultural and creative enterprises, including innovative production, warehousing & logistics, authentication & check, and exhibition & trading.
Ha Jun, Head of the Market Division of Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage, is giving a speech.
At the signing ceremony, Gan Xuejun, Chairman of Beijing Association of Auctioneers, noted that Beijing was the leader in auctioning and trading of Chinese cultural treasures with an annual trading amount closed at over RMB30 billion, accounting for over two-thirds of the whole country's trading amount. The building of the Beijing International Platform for Artworks Trade by the Association and BCI in the principles of mutual trust and benefits is to follow the arrangement of Beijing Government, integrate good resources of the industry, promote healthy and effective development of the cultural and creative industries, actively bear the mission of the leading cultural industry and enterprise, keep playing the role of the cultural industries, and make a good example for the development of the national cultural center and Beijing's cultural and creative industries; it is also to promote industrial regulations and development, improve Beijing's international position in trading of cultural artworks, and a beneficial trial for transforming the auction industry and innovating business models. The Beijing International Platform for Artworks Trade will be a one-stop platform providing such services as authentication, valuation, venues, warehousing, financing, insurance and customs declaration with the support of the authorities in charge of culture, art treasures, commerce, customs and market supervision, and will be further equipped with an art supporting service center, such as an art hotel and an exhibition venue.
Ha Jun (Head of the Market Division of Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage), Wang Hui (Vice Chairman of Beijing Association of Auctioneers and Vice President of China Guardian Auctions Co., Ltd.), and representatives of Poly International Auction Co., Ltd., Pacific Ocean International Auction Co., Ltd., ePaiLive.com, Dianpai Technology, Hanqin (Beijing) and Mingdaohui attended the signing ceremony.