Hive Center for Contemporary Art | Shanghai

Hive Center for Contemporary Art was founded in Beijing in 2013 by director Xia Jifeng. The name ‘Hive’ is a metaphor for the existence of human aggregation and the multiplicity of their minds, particularly corresponding to the current state of social structure and contemporary art. Hive Center for Contemporary Art is committed to contributing to the local cultivation and construction of contemporary Chinese art while promoting and sharing contemporary Chinese art and introducing outstanding global artists and art projects.

Hive Shanghai is located in the First Trust Co. Building at 270 Beijing East Road, once considered as the financial street of the Chinese capital, neighbouring famous historical buildings such as the former Yien Yieh Commercial Bank Building, Ningpo Commercial & Savings Bank, Ld., Land Bank Building and Shanghai Trust Co. Building. Originally built in 1924, the First Trust Co. Building was designed by the then renowned British firm Atkinson & Dallas Architects and Civil Engineers Ltd. Combining neoclassical and modernist styles, it once served as the headquarters of the First Trust Company, which conducted trust, banking, depository, and insurance business, and witnessed the century-long history of the rise and fall of China’s modern national capital and finance. In 2005, it was designated among the fourth group of heritage architecture in Shanghai and has twice undergone conservation and restoration to recover its original features.