The Bund scenery authorities Monday said artists would be discouraged from drawing portraits of visitors on the Bund, as the practice usually attracted crowds of onlookers and obstructed pedestrian flow.

Portrait painters often touted at the passageway entrance at the corner of Nanjing Road E. and Zhongshan No. 1 Road E.

The young people usually claimed to be art college students, but their painting skills were "just passable," many customers said.

A sketch, which costs between 30 yuan (US$4) and 50 yuan, usually takes up to 30 minutes. Curious passersby often gather around to watch.

"Unlike big squares, the Bund, which always had many visitors and passersby, is not an ideal place for painters to do business," said a spokesman for Bund Scenery Administrative Office under the Huangpu District Government.

"The painters' existence causes trouble for pedestrians, affects the whole Bund view, and increases the chance of theft for the onlookers.

"Therefore, we don't encourage painters to carry out such business there."