"Young designers need an opportunity to show their works. These stalls are possible solutions to resolve the financial barrier and sell their products. In this way they can think more about their works rather than business," said Sun. Now, 70 percent of box owners can make ends meet by turning over 2,000-3,000 yuan ($292-438) per month, according to Sun.

But money is not everything to youngsters. "A gathering of creative people and to be recognized by people who like our products make it easier," said Meng when asked about her monthly income. "The stalls create an atmosphere conducive to marketing. In most cases, we are selling ideas. Despite its simplicity, it is symbolic," she added.

Works of designers in the Fengguo Box are also appealing to white-collar customers looking for fun and light-hearted items. In less than 18 months, almost 200 box-shaped stalls opened with more than a hundred artists settling in. "This is a group that hasn't succumbed to life's pressures-a group of idealists," Wang was quoted by the Economic Observer, a newspaper based in Beijing. "We feel that the term ‘free spirit' best describes these artists," he said.

Portal for creative market

Online exhibition, offline chain stores plus regular i-Marts, it seems that Wang has found a new way to help boost artistic creativity and shape youth culture in the risk-taking cultural industry.

Meanwhile Fengguo Box's rapid success has its detractors. "A place where some youngsters gather to sell craft bags and crocheted dolls are not actually idea-Mart in my mind, " said Hong Huang, a renowned publisher in Beijing. Also, some stall holders appear to feel jaded. A designer named Anne left messages online, saying that her fresh feelings are declining.

Nevertheless, it seems that the concept is catching on. "It doesn't cost much to set up such a box store, perhaps more than 100,000 yuan ($14,600) is enough," said Sun. Due to low costs and a simple business mode, box stores are spreading across Beijing. The Jiong Box recently opened in the CBD area of east Beijing is such an example. The owner of it is a former box renter of the Fengguo Box. Handcrafted jewelry, cloth dolls or handmade stationery, things you can't find in the chrome and glass malls in the CBD are what attracts the growing consumer base.

"China's creative culture is a fledging industry and the prosperity of it is obvious, though it is still confined by capital and talent limitations," said Wang. By 2007, China's per-capita spending on culture- or entertainment-related products, such as clothes and home decorations, had exceeded 1,700 yuan ($248.2), and the annual disposal income for urban population was 13,786 yuan (some $2,000), according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Although a huge market potential exists, how the creative cultural industry will develop in the future remains uncertain. But anyway, initiatives like the Fengguo Box are providing an entry into this market.