798 Art District

Named after the 798 factory which was built in 1950s, the 798 Art District is located in the northeast corner of Beijing. It is also called the Dashanzi Art District (DAD) as it sits in Dashanzi zone. 798 Art District covers an area of 148 acres (60 hectares), with Jiuxianqiao Road to its west, Beijing-Baotou railway to its east, Jiangtai Road to its south and Jiuxianqiao Road North to its north. Characterized by modern art, it has become the exhibition center of Chinese culture and art, and also the world-famous cultural and creative industries centralized area.
 

The area occupied by the art zone was once the place for North China Wireless Joint Equipment Factory. Afterwards, the corporation moved out of the Dashanzi District and leased those plants (798 factory being one of them). The architectural style, featuring simple design and varied composition, follows the Bauhaus way. Attracted by ordered design, convenient traffic, unique style of Bauhaus architecture, many art organizations and artists came to rent the vacant plants and transformed them. Gradually there formed a district gathering galleries, art studios, cultural companies, fashion shops etc. As the area where the early art organizations and artists moved in was located in the original area of the 798 plant, this place was named 798 Art District.

Beijing 798 Art District

Map of 798 Art District (Click to enlarge)

Now the 798 Art Zone has attracted a great deal of attention from the media at home and abroad; and it also has become the new regional mark of the city. Galleries, design studios, art exhibition spaces, artists' studios, fashionable shops, restaurants, bars etc. now assemble here. By January 2008, over 400 cultural organizations, coming from France, Italy, Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and other countries and regions, have settled down in the zone.

Graffiti on the wall in 798

Nowadays, it frequently holds important international art exhibitions and art activities as well as fashion shows. In order to expand the reputation and influence of the art zone and to promote the development of modern art, the zone has held the 798 Art Festival (from the end of April to the end of May) every year since 2006. Another festival is the 798 Creative Art Festival (from the end of September to the end of October). The two festivals focus on exhibition and communication of culture and art.

Many worldwide political figures, movie stars, and social celebrities have not been able to resist the art zone's attraction and have come to pay a visit. Since 2004, Prime Ministers from Sweden, Switzerland, and Austria, ex-Prime Minister from German (Schroeder), the President of European Union (Barroso), the Princess of Belgium's Prime Minister, President of the IOC Rogge, and the Belgium Crown Prince all have come here.
 

Dashanzi Art District (798 Art District)

 798 Photo Gallery

Most of the photos are developed by the owner Chen Guangjun himself. Photos exhibited here are hard to see at other places.

 798 Space

It mainly provides venues for press conferences, fashion shows and other activities. One thing that must be mentioned here is that since the buildings of 798 Space follow the Bauhaus style, the roofs of the buildings are curved serrated, which is even rare to see in Germany.

 Lord of Salt

This restaurant is known for its authentic Sichuan dishes. The chef comes from a little place in Sichuan Province, and his cuisine has an authentic Sichuan flavor. Spiced chicken with a wonderful taste is his specialty.

 AT CAFÉ

Italian coffee is featured at this café. The owner Huang Rui believes that his coffee is much better than Starbucks'. Pizza and sandwiches are also good choices.

 Long March Cultural Communication Ce ntre

The owner is Lu Jie, a famous contemporary artist. In this centre, you can see the record of one of his early events in which he led a group of artists following the Long March route and communicating with the local artists. Folk art exhibitions here will also arouse your interest. Paper cuts done by Gao Fenglian, an old folk artist, cover all the walls.

 VINCENT CAFÉ (French)

Statue on the street in 798

It is the best little family-style restaurant here. The French owner Vincent, who started to learn cooking and management at the age of fifteen in France, used to be the chief manager in a famous French restaurant in the city. He is good at making sweet and savory pancakes. You can choose meat and vegetable filling or ice cream and fruit filling. SHOOTER (three different alcoholic drinks mix in a small cup) is also his spectacular creation.

Many other interesting places are awaiting  you, and the great charm of it only can be felt when you wander here.
 

It will take more than twenty minutes to walk around the Art Zone. You can buy a map at galleries or bars, or just wander.
You can either take a taxi or bus to here. However, taxis are not allowed to drive into the zone.
When night falls, the zone is poorly lit.
The art zone provides guide service.  During the art festival, there are also volunteers to be your travel guides.
 

 By Subway:
Take Subway Line 14 and get off at Gaojiayuan Station, then walk along Jiuxianqiao Road to find the gate.

 By Bus:
1. Take bus 403, 418, 593, 851 or 854 to Dashanzi Lukou Dong Station, walk eastward to find the north gate.
2. Take bus 401, 405, 418, 445, 988 or 991 to Wangyefen, walk northward along Jiuxianqiao Rd. to find the gate.
Beijing Bus / Subway Search

 Further Reading: 
Top 10 Cool Things to Do in Beijing for Youngsters
12 Free Things to Do in Beijing

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Further Reading

China Railway Museum

China National Film Museum

Top 10 Places to Visit in Beijing

10 Non Touristy Things to Do in Beijing