By Katherine Sima

　　Deke Erh, probably Shanghai's most well known photographer, publisher, and all-round cultural mogul, doesn't really use his 'other' house in Wei Jiajiao any more, in Shanghai's Qingpu county, is so rarely used it's now more commonly known as the Erh Folk Art Museum.
　　"My neighbors are all peasants," says Erh. He bought the property outside the city in 1988 as a respite from his busy life as a freelance photographer and publisher of architectural books, under the banner of the Old China Hand Press. When fellow artists came and saw his countryseat, they complimented him on his choice and talked about doing the same, but when it came down to "forking out the dough," Erh says, "they all ended up buying the same public housing as everyone else."
　　The 'folk museum' theme stemmed from Erh's travels to Europe, where he noticed the folk art museums that were present in almost every small town he visited. The objects were typically very simple, ordinary tools used by the town's forefathers, and felt that there was a gap in Chinese collecting habits which he sought to fill.
　　Erh began collecting what he calls "very simple things showing normal people's lives"-Ming and Qing Dynasty bowls, chairs, and other vintage knickknacks. "You can see the Jiangnan people (living to the south of the Yangtze River) used to have very beautiful things a hundred years ago."
　　But many of his 'exhibits' are being left to gather dust, as he moves on to work on other projects that catch his attention. "I've always been a freelance artist," explains Erh, "so I'm always looking for 'cultural work'. Before, I did the publishing house. Then, I noticed that artists needed a place, a large place, to exhibit their works. "
　　And so came his next project-the Deke Erh Art Center, which opened its doors on Arts and Crafts Street, Taikang Lu, in early April. The intention is to provide artists with a large space - 330 square meters, to be exact-where they can exhibit their works. "Shanghai's economy has developed quickly," says Erh, "But developments in the arts have been slower."
　　He also plans to hold a series of concerts in the space in May, and use the center for educational purposes, training middle and high school teachers in the art of printmaking. "Making prints is a good way to get people interested in art," Erh says. "It's also good for kid's mechanical skill, and doing the etching is kind of like playing." Eventually,the idea if for him to cooperate with a printing company to organize a series of seminars this summer. With a bit of luck, over time, the students of teachers participating in the seminars will hold an exhibition of their own in the space.
　　Artists are free to come and go to the Taikang Lu center, and can work as long as they like providing they are making etchings or prints. 　　His old house in the country gets a look in too - artists are to live in part of the Folk Museum in Qingpu, bringing a sense of it's original purpose back.

City Weekend 2001.4.26-5.9