Bloodline: The Big Family, his series of large, haunting depictions of families inspired by portraits from the 1950s and 1960s. Next week, Pace Beijing opens Beijing Voice: Zhang Xiaogang, a retrospective of the artist's work and career. pacegallery.com/beijing

Yue Minjun One of China's most recognisable and bestselling artists thanks to his iconic laughing self-portraits. His piece "Execution" broke all records for Chinese contemporary art when it sold for £2.9m in 2007 at Sotheby's in London. The first European exhibition dedicated to the artist is currently showing at the Fondation Cartier, Paris. Until March 17; fondation.cartier.com

Pearl Lam Gallerist with four spaces in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Lam set up the US-based China Arts Foundation and entertains a roster of high-rolling guests at her Savile Row apartment in London. She says China is at a crucial stage. "We're trying to find our contemporary culture. Who are we today? We have experienced over 150 years of cultural collapse and western domination, and now, finally, we can stand up and have a voice." chinaartsfoundation.org

THE ACTING A-list

Fan Bingbing Chinese megastar Bingbing is a fixture on the red carpet, appearing at Cannes and on the front row at fashion shows alongside her friend, Marc Jacobs.

Ni Ni Ni starred opposite Christian Bale in Zhang Yimou's 2011 movie, Flowers Of War, China's most expensive film ever.

Yu Nan A star in China since the '90s, Nan recently filmed big-budget sequel The Expendables 2 with Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger.