798 Beijing

The best kept secret of the city

We went to Beijing, we did all things that you are supposed to do in Beijing, we saw the Great Wall, we visited hutongs, we even went to the Temple of Heaven, but one thing we did that most don't is visit 798, the best kept secret in Beijing. 798 is an old factory district in Beijing that has become a blossoming art community filled with galleries and lofts. The idea that here in China's capital one could find modern art when the city carries a stigma of rigid structuralism is amazing. I'm am no art guru, I don't know anything about any artists other than Rene Magritte(my favorite) but I do know that there was some truly spectacular work on display here. When you get to the district you wonder through small streets meandering in and out of galleries admiring the work and determination in front of your eyes. There was one gallery called Childhood Memories that used iconic toys and images of my generation to make rather interesting art including but not limited to GI Joe abstinence adds and Transformers last supper pictures. While the galleries were great, the best and probably most unappreciated part of the district was the street art. It is important that I don't call this graffiti because that, to most, implies a mess of colors that shouldn't be there in the first place. This street are was stunning, everything from pieces of fruit dressed as gangsters to a panda wearing what looks to be a uniform. The best place to see this art was on a two story building that surrounded what might be the coolest street soccer court I have ever seen, watching fifty year old men play while smoking their cigarettes was awesome. District 798 is a place anyone interested in art should visit, it is a needle in the haystack that is Beijing.