THE REGULATION OF THE ART MARKET IN CHINA

The art market in China has grown exponentially in the past 20 years. However, the circulation of cultural objects in the art market has long been secondary to heritage protection. As a result, there are few rules directly dealing with the regulation of the art market, and they are far from satisfactory to clean up abuses of the art market and protect consumers' rights. As the Chinese government has put forth its proposal to encourage the circulation of cultural objects, it is necessary to establish an orderly and healthy business environment in the art market. This article is the first to present a holistic account of the regulation of the art market in China. It aims to gauge if China is on the right track in terms of regulation to allow the art market to thrive and also to explore the possibility for further improvement at the legislative level.