Explore Beijing and around
As you head east from Tian’anmen Square, you enter the upmarket, commercial eastern side of the city. Here you’ll find Wangfujing, the oldest shopping street in the city, and still one of the best, though these days the international zone of Jianguomen, further east, is rather more glamorous. It’s not all mindless materialism; the China Art Gallery, at the north end of Wangfujing, and the Ancient Observatory on Jianguomen are welcoming oases of culture. Further north, Sanlitun remains a raucous nightlife zone, though it has some civilized parts. It’s a long way northeast from here towards the airport, but the 798 Art District, an abandoned factory complex now full of art galleries, is an intriguing new must-see.
Read More-
The Ancient Observatory
The Ancient Observatory
An unexpected survivor marooned amid the high-rises, the Ancient Observatory (古观象台, gŭguānxiàngtái) is a charming surprise, tucked in the southwest corner of the Jianguomen intersection, beside the Jianguomen subway stop. The first observatory on this site was founded under the orders of Kublai Khan, the astronomers’ commission being to reform the then faulty calendar. Later it was staffed by Muslim scientists, as medieval Islamic science enjoyed pre-eminence, but, bizarrely, in the early seventeenth century it was placed in the hands of Jesuit Christian missionaries. The Jesuits, a small group led by one Matteo Ricci, arrived in Beijing in 1601 and astonished citizens and the emperor with a series of precise astronomical forecasts. They re-equipped the observatory and remained in charge through to the 1830s. Today, the building is essentially a shell, and the best features of the complex are the garden, a placid retreat, and the eight Ming-dynasty astronomical instruments sitting on the roof, stunningly sculptural armillary spheres, theodolites and the like. The small attached museum, displaying early astronomy-influenced pottery and navigational equipment, is an added bonus.
-
798 Art District
798 Art District
Although it’s out on the way to the airport, the 798 Art District (798艺术区, qī jiŭ bā yì shù qū), a collection of art galleries, boutiques and cafés, is the latest hotspot for the arty crowd. Originally, it was an electronics factory; when that closed down in the 1990s artists moved in and converted the airy, light and, above all, cheap spaces into studios. As the Chinese art market blossomed, galleries followed, then shops and cafés. There are exhibition openings every week, and every art form is well represented – though with such a lot of it about, it varies in quality. Many galleries close on a Monday. Note that unlike all other Beijing sites, it’s actually better on a weekend, when there’s a buzz about the place; it can feel dead on a weekday. The most interesting galleries are Galeria Continua, the huge Long March Space, Beijing Commune, Marcella Gallery, the huge Beijing Tokyo Art Projects and White Space; but make sure to pop into the impressive new Ullens Centre for Contemporary Art too.
