798 Art Zone — Attraction in Beijing

Covering an area of 0.6 square kilometer, the 798 Art District or Dashanzi Art District, is located in the northeast corner of Beijing. It is an art zone built based on a factory of 50’s last century, which named 798. Some artists from Beijing began to gather at 798 Factory since 2001, they found this place has unique advantages in the arts based on their unique artists’ vision. They made full use of the original factory, with a little bit decoration and furnishing, which turned it into a display of distinctive art and creativity. During the last decade, 798 Art District has attracted the attention home and abroad, and became a new landmark in Beijing.

History

The 798 Factory complexes began as an extension of the “Socialist Unification Plan” of military-industrial cooperation between the Soviet Union and the newly formed People’s Republic of China. By 1951, 156 “joint factory” projects had been realized under that agreement, part of the Chinese government’s first Five-Year Plan. However the People’s Liberation Army still had a need of modern electronic components, which were produced in only two of the joint factories. The Russians were unwilling to undertake an additional project at that time, and suggested China turn to East Germany from which much of the Soviet Union’s electronics equipment was imported. So at the request of then-Premier Zhou Enlai, scientists and engineers joined the first Chinese trade delegation to East Germany in 1951, visiting a dozen of factories. The project was approved in early 1952 and a Chinese preparatory group was sent to East Berlin to prepare design plans. The area occupied by Beijing 798 Art District was once the place for Beijing North China wireless joint equipment factory (namely, 718 Joint Factory), which was designed and built by the experts of former G.D.R in the 1950s. The Joint Factory was designed to be built in 1952, constructed from 1954 and put into use in 1957.

In April 1964, the supervisor units canceled the organizational system of 718, established 706,707,718,797,798 and 751. The former six factories of 700, 706, 707, 718, 797, and 798 were re-organized and incorporated into Beijing Seven Star Science and Technology Co., LTD in December 2000. In order to co-operate the reforming plan of Dashanzi Area, the Seven Group rented out these plants for short term. Attracted by ordered design, convenient transportation, unique style of Bauhaus architecture and more importantly, low rent, many art organizations and artists came to rent the vacant plants and transformed them. Gradually they formed a district of gathered galleries, art studios, cultural companies, fashion shops etc. Because the earliest area where the art organizations and artists moved in located in the original area of 798 Factory, this place was named as 798...

If you've ever been to Williamsburg in Brooklyn, it's basically that if you injected it into a late 19th century factory district that's been re-zoned for the specific purpose of attracting artsy people who do artsy things... but with less partying.

Wall to wall art galleries and cafes interspersed with artisan jewelry and sunglass stores, unique and delicious restaurants, and lots of random stores that specialize in things like leather goods and Andy Warhol replicas galore will keep you strolling all afternoon!

If you'd like a break from Beijing without leaving Beijing, go to 798. The only downsides:

Insufficient nightlife. I've been during the day and been at night, and despite it being the PERFECT place for nightclubs, on a Thursday night there were none to be found. Even the restaurants and cafes were all closed by 2200 (10pm) and we could only find one place that was open for cocktails.

It's off the beaten path. By that, I mean if you take the subway you're going to find yourself making a hefty walk, or needing to flag down a cab or call a DiDi to make it the rest of the way. Getting to it can be a pain. But it's worth the journey all in all.

By the way, if you like cocktails, order a Lycee Martini (AKA Dragon's eye Martini) and you're in for a smooth ride into tipsy town you've ever...

I would give Zero star if I can. I was threatened by a soap shop owner inside 798 Art zone. The owner wasn’t happy that HK people went inside her shop, then she call her husband and brother to come. I had been put under home arrested. When her brother arrived, he chokehold me. I was scared and couldn’t breathed then I bite his arm and he said, “she hurts me now, call police.” When the police arrived, I request to go hospital and have assessment because of chokehold, but police refused and said, “they report you hurt them, perpetrator can’t request anything.” When I arrived police station, I was asked to pay USD$900 by a China police sergeant. I was shocked of the corruption between the shop and police and I refused to pay any money. Luckily, some of friends were lawyers and reporters in Beijing. I called them secretly for help. The police kept me for 1 night 2 days detention and threatened me “no pay no release”. Finally, the police didn’t charge me any crime and released me. It’s terrible experience in...