Multiple art market reports released in Shanghai Shanghai expands cross-border trade of cultural relics and artworks

China News Service, Shanghai, November 13 (Reporter Li Shuzheng) The 11th "Shanghai Dialogue" was held on the 13th at the Shanghai Oriental Hub International Business Cooperation Zone. A number of art market reports and indices were released at the event. Representatives from auction houses, art institutions, art fairs and cultural institutions at home and abroad exchanged views on global art market trends and provided suggestions for Shanghai to build an international cultural relics and art trading center with global influence.

The 11th "Shanghai Dialogue" was held on the 13th at the Shanghai Oriental Hub International Business Cooperation Zone. Photo courtesy of Shanghai Free Trade Zone International Cultural Investment and Development Co., Ltd.

On the same day, the China Auction Industry Association released the core data of the "2025 China Cultural Relics and Art Auction Market Statistical Annual Report". Among them, the hammer price of cultural relics and art auctions in Shanghai in 2025 was 3.723 billion yuan, accounting for 19.66% of the mainland China market, an increase of 6.97 percentage points from the previous year.

The cross-border circulation of cultural relics and artworks is an important link for Shanghai to connect the domestic and overseas art markets. According to information provided by the event organizer, the import and export value of cultural relics and artworks in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone will reach 6.019 billion yuan in 2025. Relying on the ten major cultural trade facilitation measures in the Free Trade Zone, Shanghai Free Trade Zone International Cultural Investment Development Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Shanghai Free Trade Cultural Investment") supports the bonded cultural relics and art works for multiple out-of-zone tours and cross-city rotations, and has successively provided services such as overseas collection collection and outbound exhibitions for Shenzhen Museum of Contemporary Art and Urban Planning and Shanghai University.

In conjunction with cross-border circulation, Shanghai is also improving cultural relics and art trading services. The Shanghai International Cultural Relics and Artworks Trading Service Center operated by Shanghai Free Trade Cultural Investment has attracted a total of 16 member units and will serve 5 auction transactions in 2025, with a total transaction volume of 930 million yuan.

The China International Import Expo (hereinafter referred to as the CIIE) provides a trading scenario for overseas cultural relics and artworks to enter the Chinese market. According to the organizer, relying on the "5-item tax exemption" policy and the full-chain service system, this year's CIIE cultural relics and art area attracted 9 participating institutions, with 30 exhibits sold and a transaction value of 135 million yuan.

While trading services are constantly improving, the way of participation in the art market is also changing. This year's "Shanghai Dialogue" forum focused on "the new auction market ecology driven by Generation Z collectors", and the guests discussed this topic. Fifteen industry companies, including China Guardian, Beijing Poly, Yongle, Huayi, Duoyunxuan, and Xiling Yinshe, shared their 2026 innovation practice cases on site.

In addition to the annual report of the China Auctions Association, the "Artprice Contemporary Art Market Report 2026" and "Artron Index: Art Market Report for the First Half of 2026" were also released at the event. The "2026 Shanghai Free Trade Zone Cultural Industry Blue Book" focuses on demonstrating the Shanghai Free Trade Zone's innovative practices in the field of cultural artworks.

The event was held in the Shanghai Oriental Hub International Business Cooperation Zone, which focused on serving international business exchanges. On the basis of the comprehensive bonded area, customs supervision area and port limited area management system, it superimposed policies and business service functions to facilitate the cross-border movement of people in specific closed areas, which became one of the topics of concern to the participants.

This "Shanghai Dialogue" is hosted by Shanghai Waigaoqiao Group Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Free Trade Cultural Investment Co., Ltd., and is co-sponsored by the China Auction Industry Association and the Shanghai Foreign Cultural Exchange Association.