Gulistan is a painter who teaches art at Capital Normal University. Her Songzhuang studio is a tall, white space with multiple level lofts, a slick condo which she designed herself. Paintings hanging throughout provide a timeline to her career, from her studies of Rembrandt to her recently completed series which all somehow look uncompleted.

"I'm not so very social," she said coyly, before adding, "I don't like to come to Songzhuang because there are too many artists."

By Beijing standards, the 70,000 yuan annual rent for such a space is completely reasonable, though it's clear that many Songzhuang artists don't dare dream of having such a studio of their own.

Thousands of others reside in traditional single story homes, where the chill sneaks in through the windows and doors.

Yu Fu is a 50-year-old painter who has been living in one of these Songzhuang homes for longer than most. "I've been in Songzhuang for six years so I'm an old hand around here!" he smiled. His bedraggled beard and mop of hair place him somewhere between artsy and low income.

We recommend:
Those Xiaorenshu we read in childhood	Trip planner: four-day trip to S China	Wonderful snapshots of flying buzzards
Forever Shangri-la: China's heaven on earth	Top 10 ever-victorious generals in history	Dreamy log cabins among woods
Top 10 best airports in China 2012	Mysterious Zhongnanhai in Beijing	Top 10 Chinese 'Kung Fu Kings' in Minguo period