Until recently still a blank spot on the world map of art, China today occupies one of the top positions in the rankings of the global art market and has moved into the center of the speculations and the covetousness of its protagonists. But what is really happening on the spot, beyond the ethnocentric distortions of the Western viewpoint? What social representations and uses of art can be identified? A research team from the University of St. Gallen has taken up such questions in an ethnographical field research project which enables the actors in this emergent and nonetheless already market-dominated art field to have their say.

Franz Schultheis, working for many years along with Pierre Bourdieu, is senior professor at Zeppelin Universität Friedrichshafen. His research focuses on sociology of art and creative work. He is a member of the Swiss Science Council, president of the 'Pierre Bourdieu Foundation' and a member of the editorial board of 'Actes de la Recherche en Sciences Sociales'. Erwin Single studied sociology, communication sciences and journalism and works as a freelance journalist in Berlin. Raphaela Köfeler studied International Affairs at the University of St. Gallen. Thomas Mazzurana studied Business informatics and Sociology. He is a research associate at the Institute of Sociology at the University of St. Gallen.