1995-March 1996 whilst the centre was one of the hosts of the British Art Show 4 and during their lunar new year activities. During the British Art Show, the Centre displayed works by British artist Mat Collishaw. The hosts of the show had no say in the artists selected for their venues, but the acting director of the centre at the time, Kwong Lee, later stated that the increased exposure and the chance for the centre to have a temporary place at the centre of the art world justified programming an exhibition which did not feature the work of an artist of Chinese heritage. Around this time, the CVAA discovered that their 1996-1997 grant from their core funder, the North West Arts Board (NWAB), was to be almost halved. It was agreed that the centre could no longer operate in its current form, and the Board of the CVAA began to look for a new venue and strategic lead for the centre. In June 1996, Sarah Champion became the centre's Arts Development Coordinator. Champion later stated that she was given 6 months to make the centre a success or close it down. The centre's new mission and objectives were finalised and five key development areas were established: education; artists development; the Chinese community; arts promotion; and advocacy and lobbying. A national agency for Chinese arts (1997-2003) Champion became the director of the centre when it moved to new premises on Edge Street in Manchester's Northern Quarter in 1997. This was period of great change in the centre's functions and focus. More opportunities became available due to both the policies of the new Labour government, who placed greater emphasis on the importance of culture, and the increased interest in Chinese culture due to the upcoming Handover of Hong Kong. By moving away from Chinatown, the centre also became less focused on the local Chinese community; instead focusing more on contemporary art. It was also Champion's aim that the centre would work towards becoming the UK agency for Chinese arts and culture. The centre would operate as an agency from 1999 and the charity was renamed the Chinese Arts Centre Ltd in September 2000. UK-based artists remained the main focus of the centre's exhibition programme during this period. Initially, the centre's programme largely featured solo shows of existing works by artists such as Adam Hongshan Wei and Anthony Key, or touring exhibitions,