Page 32 - (DK Eyewitness) Top 10 Travel Guide - Beijing

30 ❯❯ Top 10 Beijing Highlights

798 Art District EXP RES S WAY JIU XIAN QIAO BEI LU
AI RPO R T
Since the first artists set up in Da Shan Zi’s newly vacated 798 7 0 7 S T 7 0 6 S T
factory in 2001, the East German-built industrial compound has 7 9 7 R O A D
become a world-famous center of contemporary Chinese art. 7 1 8 S T ST 798 WEST 1ST ST 798 MIDDLE 2ND ST 798 MIDDLE S T 798 E AST
Alongside the studios and galleries, there are also chic cafés, bars, J I U X I A N Q IAO LU
and restaurants, not to mention a growing number of designer 7 9 8 R O A D
shops and showrooms. These days the area is popular with
tourists, who arrive by the coachload. Q I X I N G R D
Maoist graffiti
1
When many of
the abandoned factory
spaces were being
converted for use as
galleries, the artists
instructed the decorators
to leave untouched the
giant Maoist slogans
that had been lettered
on the walls by the
former workers at the
798 factory.

Vibrant graffiti art in the 798 Art District
798 Photo
Galleria
3 5
Gallery
Continua
In addition to regularly Beijing’s outpost of this
changing exhibitions Italian gallery, in a former
of work by both munitions factory, aims
Chinese and foreign to stimulate cultural
photographers, the exchanges. It hosts
gallery also has a couple shows by renowned
of mezzanine levels inter national artists such
where a selection of as Chen Zhen, Antony
Caochangdi
2 photographic prints for Gormley, Daniel Buren,
While 798 looks
and Anish Kapoor.
sale are displayed.
like a retail outlet,
Caochangdi, located Timezone 8 4
farther out of the city, For post-gallery
has emerged as a truly dining, Timezone 8 (right)
cutting-edge art district serves sandwiches and
(above). It is the home of burgers, plus more than
Ai Weiwei, the influential 20 exotic bottled brews.
Bird’s Nest architect The adjacent sushi bar
(see p44), plus Pekin by Hatsune genius Alan
Fine Arts, Egg Gallery, Wong offers the most
and Platform China. creative rolls around.
Eyewitness Travel – Top 10 series LAYERS PRINTED:
Three-column, 8.25pt grid “UK” LAYER
(SourceReport v1.5)
030-031_Top_10_Beijing.indd 30 27/06/2017 14:32
Date 12th May 2015
Size 100mm x 191mm