Wild and unconquered attitudes waft inside 798’s free and rambling atmosphere and I am excited about what I have stumbled upon, hidden amongst Beijing’s towering buildings.
The area oozes “Soho-esque” international character from a mesh of contemporary art, architecture, and culture with a historically interesting location and an urban lifestyle.
Originally known as Factory 798, the 798 Art Zone in Beijing was renamed after artists and cultural organizations began to divide, rent out, and re-make the factory spaces, turning them into galleries, art centers, artists’ studios, design companies, restaurants, and bars.
Symbolizing the country’s cutting edge art movement led by the Chinese vanguard, 798 stands for much more than a three digit number. In Beijing these numbers represent unchained artistic personalities with alternative life goals.
Located in the Dashanzi area, to the northeast of central Beijing, 798 Art Zone replicates a similarity to that which is discovered and sensed along the Left Bank in Paris or around Greenwich Village in NYC.
I cannot help but walk away with a small purchase from one of the many shops mixed between the galleries. If it was not for my Chinatours.com guide, I wonder if I would have ever found such a gem.
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