The top ten must go places in Beijing - 798 art galleries

798 art galleries---Beijing Culture

798 art galleries are the most important art area in Beijing, and the biggest too. This whole area was transformed from abandoned electronic factories. And that’s the reason why this area is called 798  (798 is the name of a factory, in revolutionary times factories was named by numbers). At first the abandoned factories was rent out to freelance painters because of its cheap rent and open space. Then more freelance painters started to build up their own studio here, most of them are the so-called “Beijing Floaters”(Bei Piao), later the area had become the largest gathering place for artists. 798 was not only attractive to domestic artists, it is also stepping to the international stage. As the fame grows big, more and more international artist from Japan and Europe started their Chinese art gallery in 798.



Most of 798 galleries are open to the public free. In the area there are cafés, bookstores, galleries from different artists. So even if you are not a professional artist, it is still a wonderful place to go at weekends.

Some writers call 798 as the “ belly button of Beijing culture”, it is true that 798 demonstrate the more essence part of Beijing than Sanlitun and Houhai. Chinese artists flourish in such an old industrial area, it provides them not only with the large abandoned space, but the atmosphere of freedom to create.

The interesting thing about 798 is that this is somewhere Chinese revolutionary culture, tradition artwork and western art join. Walking on the main road of 798, you can see the fading quotations on the wall saying “Long Live Chairman Mao”, few remaining factories are still operating in a way passed down from the cultural revolutionary times, abandoned machines marking the steps of the old time massive production, Chinese tradition art, western style paintings and sculptures. It is somewhere all the voices are calling out and expressing.




When Beijing is becoming more and more westernized in the wave of globalization, 798 is preserving this city in his own way. There are too many traces of the good old times here. If not for all these 798 artists, all these factories would have been torn down since they were making too little profit right now.




Chinese artists are trying to make their own space and expressing their thoughts in 798. As the prestige and size of 798 grows, the surrounding real estate is going upward too. Real estate developers have put their focus on this area and making development projects in the neighborhood.



After 20 years of rapid economic development, Chinese are shifting their focus. More Chinese people begin to improve their living by enjoying arts. 798, the cultural icon of Beijing, is getting more visitors from art-loving citizens. The cultural awareness of Chinese people is growing. The art galleries in 798 open speeches and receptions to spread art among general public.




798 is attracting more global attention. The Ullens Center for the Art, invested by Baron Guy Ullens, a successful art collector and entrepreneur, is opening in autumn, 2007. The art center located in the heart of 798, will be the first art center in China invested by foreign capital.

Related link:
http://www.artwalkbeijing.com