Huangjueping and the area
Huangjueping is uncomfortably polluted. A power station looms close to the studio and apartment. This area is remarkably similar to the areas where the students reside in Manchester. There is rubbish and food particles and body liquids sprayed all over the street. The area is catered for the local residents with hairdressers, clothes shops, bars, restaurants, mobile phone shops, supermarkets, street markets, bakers, household shops, framers, art shops, internet, banks, a post office, buses and taxis.
Yangjiaping is a short bus ride away and costs 1 yuan. The bus skirts along the Yangzi river. Yangjiaping is an extremely modern part of town complete with Startbucks, Pizza Hut, KFC, Carrefour, expensive clothes shops and shopping centres resembling Selfridges. The well off enjoy‘hanging out' with friends and fashioning off their laptops.
6 Years ago there was only one Mcdonalds in the whole of China situated in Beijing and hardly anyone spoke english. Today, all children are taught english in school, access to the west is open, buildings are erected in a couple of months and classes are extremely divided.
1 pound = 1 Yuan and falling
Art Education
There are 6,000 art students living in Huangjiaping. It costs about 200,000 yuan for the students to train in art before applying to do a BA at the Sichuan School of Art of which 5-10 % find a place for BA. The BA is 4 years and costs 15,000 Yuan per year. A Masters is 3 years and costs 13,000 per year. The students learn English, Chinese poetry and literature, politics, as well as art history, painting, drawing, design etc. At the final year of BA the students can practice on their own and there is 2 years solo practice at Masters. There is an exam at the end of the BA that tests the imagination and skills of the student. For the lucky few there are scholarships. However, for almost all art students education is afforded by rich parents and the benefits are; ample opportunity to exhibit and make money.
