The 798 Art Zone is China's answer to Greenwich Village and SoHo. Its a place where grungy buildings house art and has become the playground of all that is experimental. 798 is the place to come if you get a kick out of interacting with sculptures and installations – if you yearn to meet the Middle Kingdom's equivalents of Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and Banksy. This is the arty-farty nerve centre of Beijing.
The city’s 798 Art Zone is located in the Dashanzi area of the Chaoyang District. The area offers a great day of entertainment and inspiration. Here, you can soak up the capital's past, present and future. It's not the easiest part of town to head out to as there is no nearby subway stop, and those not conversant with the bus routes may end up on the road to nowhere, anywhere and everywhere, so I recommend hopping in a cab. A taxi from Sanlitun to the area should cost around 20 yuan.
However, if you are keen to tackle public transport, take the subway to Dongzhimen station, hop on bus 909 and within 30 minutes you should reach your stop Dashanzi Lukounan. 798 Art Zone is a buzzing artist community that has sprung up in the midst of an old factory area. The 50-year-old decommissioned military factory buildings are of interest in themselves, being of unique architectural style. Factory #798 is just one of many buildings within the site that was formerly referred to as Joint Factory 718.
The site actually began as an extension of co-operation between the Soviet Union and the newly-formed People's Republic of China. By 1951, more than 150 "joint factory" projects had been set up, and before the decade was out East Germany had also teamed up with China. For the factories, the East Germans favoured a Bauhaus-influenced design over the more ornamental Soviet style. Large indoor spaces and an abundance of natural light were the signature design of the East German workplace.
Expensive galleries were set up alongside alternative design companies and publishing houses. The place became so popular that people were signing up to a waiting list to get in. Big name companies also started to get involved with events at 798 Art Zone. Among them have been the likes of Sony, Omega, Christian Dior, Royal Dutch Shell and Toyota. Even supermodel Cindy Crawford made an appearance at an event in Dashanzi. As a result, the old factory site turned into what some now call Beijing's "BoBo" (bourgeois-bohemian) community.
With gentrification happening, the rents here have rocketed and luxury cars on the streets of Dashanzi are a common sight. Some artists have criticized the area's shift away from art and towards showing off materialism, wealth and success. But there have been more daunting threats to the future of the area -- fear that the factories may eventually be demolished to make way for luxury apartments or office blocks.
There are endless spaces to explore here, and it's easy to get lost or overwhelmed, and it certainly makes sense not to try and conquer 798 Art Zone in one day. It is an area that you can return to time and time again and discover something new, or find you have a new perspective on that silver statue of Christ that is overlooked by a naked sumo-like character. Five galleries recommended to me (and I didn't find them all) included Galleria Continua, Long March Space, The Iberia Centre, XYZ Gallery, UCCA and Happy Sheep Gallery, but you are bound to find favorites of your own, and maybe if you are of a particular artistic bent you may want to become a part of the action.
Address： 798 Art Zone, No.4 Jiuxianqiao Rd., Chaoyang District, Beijing
Transportation
By Car:
Enter the Airport Expressway via the Sanyuan Bridge or Siyuan Bridge, and leave the expressway at the Jiuxianqiao Road Exit.
By Subway:
Take Subway Line 10 and alight at Sanyuanqiao Station. Leave from Exit C and find the Sanyuanqiao Bus Stop. Get on Bus 401 and off at Dashanzi Lukou Nan (Dashanzi Road Crossing South) Station.
By Bus:
Take Bus No. 401, 402, 405, 445, 909, 955, 973, 988, or 991 to Dashanzi Road Crossing South or Wangyefen Stop.
