Artists in China compensated after daring protest

A group of artists who held a daring protest in Beijing over the razing of their studio district have received one million dollars in compensation from developers, their spokeswoman said Tuesday.

The group, from the "008" art district in eastern Beijing, had stood up to companies that want to demolish the area to make way for a property development and who had earlier refused to provide compensation.

The case is a rare victory for those subject to forced evictions and land seizures, which are rife in China -- often involving corrupt officials cashing in on a property market boom -- and have sparked sometimes violent protests.

Another group of artists in the Zhengyang district have also been compensated, although the amount was yet to be confirmed, said the spokeswoman, Xiao Ge, the curator of a project supporting the artists.

For three months, the artists have taken turns standing guard in the two districts to prevent developers swooping in to destroy their studios, where water and electricity had already been cut off, she said.

Local authorities and land developers had said the artists must move out to make way for redevelopment. It was not immediately clear whether the government also was involved in providing the compensation.

Early on February 22, around 200 people and five demolition trucks turned up at the Zhengyang district to try to force the artists to leave, beating some of them up, Xiao said.

Artists have said they suspect developers hired the thugs.

Some artists were forced to seek hospital treatment for wounds suffered in the clash, she added.

A group of 008 district artists who had arrived to join the fight then took to Chang'An Avenue, Beijing's main thoroughfare that passes by Tiananmen Square, to protest.

Prominent artist Ai Weiwei also joined the protest, although he had not been threatened with eviction.

Although public protests have become common throughout China, they remain extremely rare in Beijing, the nation's capital and heart of political power.

"This is the first time that Chinese artists have united to protect their rights. It's a small victory," Xiao said.

Chinese police have already detained 18 people on suspicion of assaulting the artists, state media reported last month.