Not an artistic proZhong Ming surprisingly doesn't care much about selling his paintings, though it is the first time that he has taken part in the Shanghai Art Fair.

"Believe it or not, I am not willing to face such a commercial art market," says Zhong. "Then why I am here? I was too shy to turn down a friend's request to participate. I am sure that some would call me stupid or hypocritical, but I don't care."

Zhong says he hates to be categorized as a professional artist.

"Once painting is treated as an occupation for surviving, it inevitably leads to increased quantity," he explains. "Today we are too 'hungry' for everything around. But in fact, aesthetic beauty, material desire or cash flow can't be fulfilled by any transitory act."

Perhaps living in London for 10 years changed Zhong, although he reached his early fame in the 1980s. He withdrew from the limelight when he returned in the early 1990s, spending more time with his books and paintings.

That might explain the soothing and relaxed feeling in his artworks featuring European landscapes. He doesn't strictly stick to the academic rules. On the contrary, his brushstrokes are free and wild, infused with a little bourgeois influence.

"I like to add a storyline to my paintings," he says. "And some of those are directly from my own experience."

Viewers need to use their imagination: A red rose plus a half cup of coffee on the tea-table outside a cafeteria; an empty chair before the balcony facing the River Seine; or a vast cloud shadow over a country road - these fragments from Europe recall his memories and emotions, whether sweet or melancholy.

"Yet do not think that I am only able to paint these," he says hesitantly. "I am preparing for a big show next year in France. The artworks are completely different from these."

He says it will feature portraits of some great names among Chinese and French artists, intellectuals, including Cezanne and even Jacques Chiraq.

Then why not show them at this art fair?

"These are the people that I admire," he replies. "Of course I am not against an art fair. I just hope that the fever of buying art merely as a means of investment could be cooled a bit.

A powerful gallerist

If you don't know Lorenz Helbling, you are out of the Chinese contemporary art loop. He runs ShanghART, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

A strong supporter, Helbling has attended the Shanghai Art Fair every year since 1996, though he has many reasons to be absent. His annual calendar is crowded, including art fairs such as Basel in Switzerland, the Miami Art Fair in the United States, FIAC in France and Frieze in the United Kingdom. Compared with the Shanghai Art Fair, they draw more elite clients.

"We want to appear personally at the local art scene," he says, "because we are part of it."

Although Helbling prefers to keep a low profile, he could hardly mask his exultation at being listed among 2006 Art Review's Power 100. "It's like an unexpected birthday gift to our gallery," Helbling replies.

A panel of respected writers, critics and curators spread across the globe has compiled this year's Art Review Power 100. The annual list of the 100 most powerful in the contemporary art scene features collectors, museum directors, artists and dealers.

Before Helbling, not a single gallery owner in China has ever been included in the prestigious list that has been published for five years. Helbling's appearance on the list reflects the worldwide craze for Chinese contemporary art.

Born in Switzerland, Helbling studied history, Chinese and art history at Zurich University, and then at Fudan University in the 1980s. After working in a gallery in Hong Kong in the early 1990s, he relocated to Shanghai where he established ShanghART, the first independent gallery for contemporary art in the city.

"We have gone through all the difficulties in the past decade," he says. "I believe that Chinese art will continue to receive international attention."

A small collector

Three years ago, Peng Shubiao visited the Shanghai Art Fair with his friends. At that time, he was more interested in traditional ink-wash painting than canvas because he inherited such collections and he wanted to enrich the family's rice paper.

"There are too many faked traditional ink-wash paintings on the market, which are difficult to tell from an authentic piece," Peng says. "So I turned to oil."

And Peng entered the market at just the right time.

His collection ranges from Chinese contemporary oil to traditional oil, including Zhang Xiaogang, Wang Guangyi and Mao Yan. Even he didn't expect that one of Zhang's canvases today would sell for US$1 million at auction.

"True, the value of all my paintings have risen sharply," he reveals. "But frankly speaking, I never treat my collection as an investment but a kind of personal hobby."

Peng says that he doesn't want to see the price of Chinese oils rising higher.

"Otherwise there are too many bubbles, and the whole market will be out of control," he explains. "It's better for artists, collectors and gallery owners to keep a sane attitude about their jobs."

A former engineering major, Peng calls himself "a small collector."

"I am not a big rich crocodile who likes show off," he says. "I really do a lots of 'homework' when purchasing art."

Half of his collection is contemporary oil and the other half is traditional oil, adds Peng. "The more I buy, the more I get fascinated," he says, adding that he buys at least one oil painting every year at the Shanghai Art Fair. "But I do hope to see more good galleries here, and there are a few top galleries from Beijing at this fair."

Shanghai Art Fair

Date: through November 20
Address: ShanghaiMart, 99 Xingyi Rd
Admission: 30 yuan
Tel: 6236-6888