The Shanghai Free Trade Zone signed an agreement with the China National Academy of Painting on Jan 30, to build a platform for Chinese art to go global.

Pudong will develop art zones located in the Waigaoqiao District and Binjiang of Xuhui District. These places will be vital for purposes such as art preservation, as they will function as agencies for recording art history. The art clusters will also facilitate a trade in art.

Both members of the collaboration plan on working together in establishing an academic platform, protecting patents and enhancing the image of some major art programs.

Additionally, The China National Academy of Painting will work with the Shanghai FTZ to build teams of experts to guide a series of programs in academic research, art creation and art evaluation.

The two sides will also build a storage, logistics and exhibition center so that more exhibitions can be held for public to enjoy, such as the One Belt, One Road Art Exhibition, which is now in its planning process.

After the signing ceremony, Wen Zuliang, member of the standing committee in Shanghai, also investigated the National Base for International Cultural Trade and had a discussion with 21 enterprises specialized in cultural innovation.

Wen said that that the culture industry has played an important part in the development of the city and it also plays a key role in enriching the cultural life of the public. He added that in the future, Pudong should redouble its efforts to boost cultural development.

The Shanghai FTZ chose to collaborate with the China National Academy of Painting as it is China's leading academic institute for studying and promoting Chinese art. Since its opening in 1981, it has been working to collect material on stories of leading artists and add more artwork to its collections.

The Shanghai FTZ is also an ideal place for art development, as the International Artwork Trade Center situated in the area, has been an important platform in boosting Shanghai's cultural industry. Since 2015, it has been collaborating with the academy through exhibitions, efforts in studying art and art creation.

To ensure a long-term partnership, the two organizations will also try to regulate the art industry by managing the copyright of artworks, authorization and safeguarding legal rights.

The signing ceremony. [Photo/ sohu.com]