798 Art District – New Landmark of Beijing Urban Culture

798 Art District is a new landmark and a gathering place in Beijing for young people who love art and culture. This area is known as 798 but actually, it is an innovative park renovated from the old state-owned electronics industry factories called 718 Joint Factory and Factory 798 is one of them.

Since 2001, artists from around and outside Beijing have been gathering in Factory 798. Their unique artistic vision has found the advantages of this place for artistic work. They rent and make full use of the German Bauhaus-style original factory buildings. With a little furnishing and decoration, they successfully turn these decommissioned factories into a special space for art exhibition and creation. 798 Art District is now home to nearly 200 galleries, exhibitions, art centers, and independent artists. You can find many creatively designed architectures, stylish boutiques, cafes and restaurants here.

798 Art District is a place full of art renovations, graffiti walls, exhibitions, and galleries. You can feel the artistic aura all over the zone. The places listed below are just some typical ones of them. A more attractive and artistic 798 is waiting for you to explore.

798 Art Factory / Space (798艺术工厂/时态空间)

Opening hours: 11:00am – 21:00pm

Address: Ceramic 3rd Street

798 Art Factory was founded by Huang Rui in 2003, with an area of more than 1200 square meters. It was originally an industrial factory designed by East Germany and built by the Soviet Union in the 1950s. This old Bauhaus building is the most typical one with time characteristics in 798 Art Zone. 798 Art Factory retains its original appearance and basic features to the greatest extent. You can still see the red communist slogans on the wall. The huge cast-in-place structure is simple but practical. Now it is divided into several areas including the Exhibition Space, Lounge, Old Factory Bar & Restaurant, etc. Forward-looking and contemporary art exhibitions and activities are held here every now and then.

BTAP (Beijing Tokyo Art Projects 东京画廊)

Opening hours: 10:00am – 18:00pm, Tuesday ~ Sunday

Address: E02 Floor, Ceramic 3rd Street

BTAP was established in October 2002 by Yukihito Tabata with the intention of seeking young and promising artists from China, Japan, Korea, and other Asian countries. In recent years, BATP has introduced some Chinese artists to exhibit at major international art fairs such as ARCO, and Art Cologne. BATP itself has organized more than 13 exhibitions themed in architecture, sculpture, oil painting, and performance art. BTAP's short-term goal, which has been achieved, is to work with young international art critics, planners, and artists. Now BTAP and Mr. Yukihito Tabata are committed to the long-term plan, hoping to keep promoting exchanges among Asian cities, including Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, etc.

Opening hours: 10:00am – 19:00pm, Tuesday to Sunday

Address: No. 4 Jiuxianqiao Road (酒仙桥路4号)

UCCA was founded by Belgian collectors Guy and Myriam Ullens in 2007. It covers an area of 8,000 square meters, including a large 1800㎡ exhibition hall and several other exhibition halls of different sizes, a lecture hall accommodating 150 people with film projection and simultaneous interpretation equipment, UCCASTORE, Story Café, UCCA Education—Creative Studio, and other public space for gatherings, meetings, and various brand activities. In 2018, UCCA upgraded its building space in an all-round way. It created a new exhibition hall to display young artists' works and an open exhibition space for semi-permanent exhibits. Every week, there will be some activities such as playing art films.

Meet You Museum (遇见博物馆)

Opening hours: 10:00am – 18:00pm, Tuesday ~ Saturday

Address: E02-1 Floor, Ceramic 1st Street

Meet You Museum Beijing covers an area of 5,500 sqaure meters. It's dedicated to practice its mission "embrace culture, share beauty". Meet You Museum has organized an array of global culture and art exhibitions, including masterpiece exhibitions of Raphael, oner of the Three Renaissance Masters, Picasso, Chagall, Murchagall Monet, Japanese Ukiyo-e, etc., Ancient Egyptian mummies exhibition, Pop Art exhibitions of Keith Haring, Andy Warhol and other artists, as well as Dunhuang optic artistry exhibition. It doesn't confine itself into one art form. Instead, from ancient civilization to modern art, from masterpieces to digital technology, it focuses on bringing the worldwide museums to your side and presenting excellent culture in the world.

Murals, Graffiti, and Sculptures Scattered around 798 Art District

798 Art District gets its reputation as a paradise for artists not only because of the diverse galleries. The murals, graffiti, and sculptures that you can come across around the zone bring people closer to art, and they are open to the public all day. Just wandering about, you will see the encaged dinosaurs, giant human-shaped sculptures in different postures and colors, and many other forms of street art. We may not know the authors, but we can capture their distinctive personalities from all these creative designs and bold ideas that impress our eyes and minds.

At Café gains its reputation from itself as much as from its owner, Huang Rui, a well-known contemporary Chinese artist. He is one of the founders of the “Stars” in 1979, which is regarded as the beginning of Chinese contemporary art and the symbol of the independence of Chinese contemporary artists. He usually uses age-specific symbols like Maoist slogans in his works to show the illusory side of today's society. And his restaurant follows the style, too. The slogans and old magazine covers on the wall can easily bring people back to China in the last century. However, it doesn’t serve traditional Chinese dishes but is a place to have coffee, pizza, and other international meals like tuna sandwiches and Hungarian rice with beef.

Shenji Restaurant (沈记菜馆)

Unlike the previous two, Shenji Restaurant is more like a traditional Chinese restaurant run by Mr. Shen who grew up in 798. He witnessed the changes in this area in the past few decades. So many people would chat with him to know more about 798. Mr. Shen is a people person, which makes the guests feel at ease when eating here. Shenji Restaurant is also famous for its red-cooked pork, which is made from the best part of the pork and by family recipe. Many guests come all the way just to try this dish. If you happen to be in Shenji Restaurant, do not miss that.

798 Art District, covering an area of over 600,000㎡, is located in No. 2 Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing (北京市朝阳区酒仙桥路2号), around Dashanzi area. So it is also called Dashanzi Art District (DAD). Transformed from old factories, 798 Art District is a little far from downtown Beijing. However, the relatively remote location provides a quiet environment and enough space for the artists.

From Tian'anmen Square (Beijing Center): about 20km, 1 hour’s drive

From the Forbidden City: about 16km, 50 minutes’ drive

From the Temple of Heaven: about 20km, 1 hour’s drive

From the Summer Palace: about 25km, 1 hour’s drive

From Lama Temple: about 10km, 35 minutes’ drive

From Beijing South Railway Station: about 25km, 1 hour’s drive

From Beijing Capital International Airport: about 18km, 40 minutes’ drive

From Beijing Daxing International Airport: about 63km, 80 minutes’ drive

As many shops and galleries at 798 Art District usually open after 10:00 am, you can have a good rest in the morning or visit some attractions downtown such as the Tian’anmen Square and the Forbidden City before going to 798. Then spend about 2 hours exploring this artistic place and taking some creative pictures. To enrich your Beijing tour, you can add another day to the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven. You should not miss Great Wall - the must-go place in Beijing, and explore more hidden attractions in Beijing city.

If you have any other questions or ideas, please feel free to contact us. We are specialized in customized tours according to your own interests, budgets, and traveling time. Our professional travel consultants are always ready to help!

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