The Beijing Gallery Report 2021 reviews the experiences, expansions, and trends of the gallery industry in Beijing in 2021. Compared to the 2020 report, the content this year is more comprehensive, focusing on both galleries and collectors and the connections and exchanges between the gallery industry and the art world. In addition, the overall format becomes more systematic and relevant to China's national conditions, enhancing the public's understanding of the Chinese gallery industry. 

The main characteristics of Beijing art galleries in 2021 in terms of their operating direction, product perspective, and development prospect:

First of all, galleries are operating more efficiently while a new wave of young collectors is entering the game. As galleries take on a more feasible operation model, it gathers a new and more diverse group of collectors. More and more people realize that art exists more than just an asset or product; it also educates and elevates one's spirituality. 

According to the report, the primary price range of works sold by 72% of galleries in Beijing in 2021 was around CNY 100,000-500,000. When galleries promote new artists, their secondary market tends to do better if the pricing of their works builds on a concrete foundation. On the other hand, "top-ranking" artists born in the 70s have already reached the 10 million price point in auction for a single work. I, however, wish this process could take a step back and allow the market to settle. 

Secondly, Beijing galleries have repositioned their mission and responsibility to respond to the redistribution of resources in our time. The gallery's function is to discover new artists, explore potential collectors, and help nurture the ever-growing market. Today, Beijing galleries mainly represent artists aged 40 and below, most born in the 70s and 80s and the rest from the 90s. Galleries in Beijing represent a younger generation of artists, which provides more resources for the secondary market. This trend conforms to the responsibility of galleries and the art market's development. 

By exploring new resources, buyers, and markets, this report reveals that galleries in Beijing are approaching the grander scheme of things by actively participating in the art world through resource integration. The art gallery industry in the United States has also gone through a similar era, during which galleries became more involved in the art world by integrating their resources. 

Thirdly, Galleries in Beijing are utilizing scene marketing in their operating model and advertisement strategy, combining both online and offline platforms to create a more effective exhibition experience. 

From the marketing perspective, 54% of Beijing galleries utilize social media platforms such as Xiaohongshu and Weibo, while 30% of galleries went for short video platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishou, which reveals the need for an immersive experience in the gallery business. The traditional "PDF" mode of sending files with texts and artwork reproductions is no longer sufficient. The current milieu begs for a mode that merges traditional and novel promotion methods.

The synergy between Beijing galleries forms the industry's future, while internationalization at home seems inevitable.

Judging from the current situation, the pandemic has forced Beijing galleries to reflect and transform. With the uncertainty of the external environment intensifying, the pressing objective is to achieve internalization at home, which is to introduce global resources and transform Beijing into an internationalized art market. This is a crucial development trend for the industry. If galleries play a key role in this trend, it will help promote the function and value of the gallery industry.

Externally, the competition in the Beijing gallery industry is not from Shanghai or elsewhere in China but mainly from Seoul, Tokyo, India, and Singapore, our neighboring art markets. Therefore, how to form multi-level development and cooperation among galleries is especially important.

Internally, it is desirable that the city of Beijing expenses its support for cultural competitiveness and that the Art Gallery Association Beijing understands, utilizes, and takes advantage of relevant national and Beijing policies. The art gallery industry should also call for more implementing measures that support, solidify and speed up the implementation of those policies.