An art center in 798 Art District, which was booked to hold the opening ceremony of the annual European Film Festival, was closed twice last week due to a rent dispute with the property management company.
Xu Yong, a photographer known for his Hutong Series photos and manager of 798 Space, said Sunday that it was again closed by Beijing Sevenstar Electronics Co Ltd, the property management company for the 798 Art District.
Sevenstar had allowed 798 Space to open temporarily Saturday night to host the opening banquet of the 5th European Union Film Festival, said Xu.
"But they didn't open the door Saturday until I promised to give them all the proceeds from the banquet," said Xu. He said this would be 70,000 yuan ($11,207) paid by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China for the venue.
Xu said that Sevenstar had raised his rent by 2.5 times, and he now cannot afford it.
"The Space has contributed much to promoting arts and culture in the 798 Art District and has not earned much money," said Xu.
A Sina microblogger named lam Datong, posted Saturday that due to the financial crisis in 2008, Sevenstar only charged Xu four months' rent in 2008 and 2009. In 2010 and 2011, Xu still only paid four months' rent. However, he earned millions of yuan by renting the Space to others. It was not possible to verify the microblogger's identity.
Landmark building should respect the public's feeling
Feedback
RSS
