China Guide
Beijing
798 Art District
Address: Way out, on the way to the airport; take bus #915, #918 or #934 from Dongzhimen Station
The 798 Art District, 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. The most established galleries are Beijing Commune, Marcella Gallery, the huge Beijing Tokyo Art Projects and White Space. There's a good English-language art bookstore, Timezone 8, and plenty of places for food.