It may be hot up there in the seven-figure world of contemporary Chinese art, but the reality is that most artists are left out in the cold in a "dangerous world." A Canadian philanthropist is helping with a free Website that connects artists and collectors, writes Yao Minji.It's become a cliche to say Chinese contemporary art is hot. But just how hot was demonstrated last Wednesday at Sotheby's in New York. A disturbingly surreal family portrait by Zhang Xiaogang fetched US$4,969,000. A "cynical realism" bald man by Fang Lijun fetched US$4,073,000.The sales set records for both artists and contributed to the biggest auction in Sotheby's 263-year history.Meanwhile, in Shanghai, 35 new galleries opened in the art hub Wujiaochang 800 over the weekend.That's just a fraction of the new galleries in the city. Walking along Maoming Road, one encounters a gallery almost every 10 steps.And art entrepreneur, collector and philanthropist Louise T. Blouin MacBain is part of the trend - but she wants to help struggling artists. The French-Canadian visited Shanghai this week to launch the Chinese platform, myartinfo.com, an online community for artists and collectors. The Website was launched in English on November 2.The free international Website will offer assistance to Chinese artists, most of whom are still out in the cold. They can sign up, upload and sell their art through the Website - with no charges or commission.Every day, hundreds of young artists and art students who haven't made it drop out of Shanghai's art circle, silently.Eric Lu is typical. After struggling for nearly four years, the 26-year-old painter is searching for a job, with only 20 yuan (US$2.70) in his pocket and 200 yuan in the bank.At one time, Lu made 160,000 yuan from selling his installations and paintings. He even had a studio at the art hub, 50 Moganshan Road, but he turned it over to friends two months ago. He has spent all his money on "the increasing rent at Moganshan Road, making connections in the art circle, going to exhibitions in Beijing, etc."Lu says he suddenly found himself without money even for paint, without even noticing. So he finally has decided to quit the "attractive and dangerous world" of art to "start a much more stable life.""It doesn't make sense to those outside the circle. People always asks me, 'Why are you quitting?' They think there are so many exhibitions and the scene is so hot," notes Lu.Yes, there are many exhibitions but there are even more artists trying to make it. "Either you need to have resources in the circle or you need to have money to hang on and explore the resources. Otherwise, you'll just fall away silently, like me."Lu says many of his classmates and friends became professional artists proudly after graduation. "But they all quit, some in one month and others lasted for like a year or two."Out of 20 art students, he says, only one or two would go into the art world. Others go into design, advertising or education, which are related to their specialities and yet allow some free time for creative work."But they are usually too tired to paint," says Jason Liang, a 24-year-old artist who hasn't painted since he got a job as a computer programmer in June. The reason: lack of steady income and pressure from his parents.Liang says that many of the new galleries that open every day are "just stores to sell paintings, with only 50 square meters in total to house decorative paintings."And for the few good galleries, "it is extremely difficult for young people like me to enter. They have their contracted artists whose works can sell after they struggled for five, 10 years or even more. Why would they want to take risks on unknown painters like me?"Meanwhile, many established artists and gallery owners have reservations about young artists, especially those born in the 1980s. Having struggled and persisted in their own youth, many of them consider young artists today too commercialized and not patient enough.In any case, for young struggling artists who can't find a place to present their works, myartinfo.com might be a good place to start."Artists need help. Myartinfo.com is like a combination of Facebook and YouTube, where artists from all over the world can upload their works for free," explains London-based art entrepreneur MacBain. She is also president and CEO of the LTB Group, a global media business producing 50 magazines and 130 titles each year, including Art + Auction, Modern Painters and Culture and Travel.The free site in English already contains more than 6,000 works uploaded from artists around the world. Signing up and uploading photos is free. There's no sales commission or fee. The Chinese site is also totally free."If someone sees the works and likes them, he can contact the artist directly, without going through galleries," says MacBain, adding that the Website charges nothing for the trading."It is also good for the culture of the country because the art is being exposed to other countries," she says.Having visited numerous museums and galleries in Shanghai, MacBain urges young artists to "preserve Chinese culture" rather than "erasing it" and imitating the West.Like many others entering the Chinese art market, the art patroness' next plan here is to "bring Chinese artists to the West for exhibition," which will be confirmed next week. She also plans to increase coverage of Chinese art news in her art magazines, and she brought some of her art editors along to Shanghai.