The title, ‘The Real Thing’, can be taken straight, as an indication that the exhibition is a true reflection of contemporary art in China today. These predominantly young contemporary artists, largely based around Beijing and Shanghai, have chosen to remain in China, unlike many of the generation before them, and are moving towards a self-confidence and maturity that stems from an understanding of the contemporary world, China’s place within it, as well as the contemplation of their own individual positions within a society at a time of rapid, and profound cultural change. ‘The Real Thing’ can also be taken ironically – humour and irony characterise much of the art currently made in China. The sheer scale, range and ambition of many of the works, demonstrate the vivacity, energy, skill, and imagination of these artists. The exhibition does not therefore seek to be exhaustive, but instead focuses either on those works made since 2000 that are of special interest, or those artists at the forefront of the contemporary scene, either through their continuing relevance and influence, if older, or the power and interest of their ideas and work, if younger. The year 2000 was chosen as the cut-off point for various reasons: the turn of the millennium was a watershed economically and socially in China - China was admitted to the World Trade Organisation in 2001 and won the right to stage the 2008 Olympic Games in 2003. Ease of movement with increasing international contacts and freedom of information with the opening of the first internet cafes in 2003, had a huge impact upon the kind of art being produced, as did the increasing availability and affordability of new technologies. It would seem that now is a good time to be an artist from China: with the extraordinary international interest in China's contemporary art, and with ready access to labour and materials, perhaps at no other time, and from no other country, does an artist have the opportunity to make works of such ambition.He An is a young artist, his art represents: “It is my aim to arrive at a manner of expression that can reflect both myself as a young Chinese and the contemporary environment of China.”The impetus behind He An’s work for The Real Thing was the death of his father in July 2006. He An had originally intended to explore the different side of China’s recent high speedy economic growth,. Removing it from a purely subjective and personal experience, he has focused on a typical family from his neighbourhood, and their interaction with a local fortune-teller. By looking at two typical stories He An believes, “it is possible to say something about the fundamental essence of this society.”He An，Thirty Minutes,Video installation,2007Ai Weiwei, the most important artist working today in China, he has designed the spectacular structure floating in the Albert Dock ,also developed innovative design and architectural projects for buildings and public spaces - including the Beijing Olympic Stadium.Ai Weiwei, Working Progress (Fountain of Light),2007,Mixed media light installationDesigned especially for Liverpool, Working Progress (Fountain of Light) takes the form of a spectacular chandelier. In referencing Tatlin’s Monument to the Third International 1919, Ai Weiwei reminds us of the Constructivists’ Utopian ambitions for a brave new world, embodied in physical structures and amazing feats of architecture that would match the new age. The work can be seen as a symbol of the radical change currently taking place in China, as much as of the cultural and utopian ambitions that are transforming the city of Liverpool.Ai Weiwei, Working Progress (Fountain of Light),2007,Mixed media light installationZhuang Hui has always been motivated by humanist as well as aesthetic concerns. While his body of work spans a diverse range of materials and approaches, almost all engage with real events and places. Central to his work is firsthand experience of the political ideals that underpin the New China era, and which are slowly unravelling in the face of modernity.Zhuang Hui，Factory Floor Installation1， 2007Factory Floor is an astonishingly realistic reproduction of the machinery from ‘The East is Red Tractor Factory’ where the artist once worked. Hui uses this real interior “to speak about the new reality of the social climate today for the people it affects most.” Workers from the factory created the individual components of this work, which are constructed from Polystyrene. “I love the idea of the final parts not being that which on the surface they appeared to be.” (Editor:Xie Mu)Zhuang Hui,Factory Floor,Installation 3,2007