798
The 798 - undoubtedly one of the most fascinating places in Beijing.
The most fascinating, I daresay.
Once a thriving military factory, today a Mecca for lovers of both contemporary art and handicrafts. The complex of factories no. 718 (which included the Factory 798 – hence the name) began production in 1957 and during almost 40 years of its existence became one of the most modern of its kind in China. According to the idealistic communist plans, not only was it a place of work, but also of entertainment for the employees; there were flats and a well-equipped hospital. Unfortunately (or not so) the entire complex no. 718 yielded to the pressure of „opening to the West” and finally ended its activity at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s.
Meanwhile, the Beijing Bohemia was looking for a new home. In 1995, they were officially expelled from Yuanmingyuan - the ruins of the Summer Palace. The same year, Central Institute of Fine Arts rented one of the factory rooms – first temporarily, then permanently. From this moment on, artists of all formats and crafts – painters, sculptors, tailors – have been coming to the premises of the former factory.
The Art District is the place where the East meets the West. Want to see traditional Chinese painting – rocks, water, trees, clouds, birds and butterflies? Here you are. Want to see contemporary art – colour patches, geometric forms, three-dimensionality, textures and shapelessness? You’re in the right place, my friend. Want to see more? They’ve got it all: Chinese socialist realism – overly happy workers, cheering for party establishment alongside strictly Western peinture de genre – Venetian streets, Argentinean tango and Spanish banquet.
Clothing is just as diverse. Take dozens variations on qipao - traditional women’s costumes, simple dresses with short sleeves and long side slits, usually richly embroidered. One of the pavilions offers its customary version, a contemporary version, a western ball creation with eastern embroideries, a collection of qipao-like coats and even a hand-decorated wedding dress and a children’s collection. Porcelain (of course) and ceramics abound, too. Fascinating sculptures, hidden in every book and crevasse, stores with handicrafts, plethora of handicrafts, some of them outrageously expensive, ranging from handmade bookmarks to Audrey Hepburn’s portrait, from kitschy pink ceramic kittens to coasters saying HFC – Hitler Fried Citizens (sic).
And there are cafes, too. Perhaps the largest concentration of cafes per square meter in the entire Beijing. Coffee, juices and very sweet tea with milk. Variety astounds: modern cafes, avant-garde cafes, industrial cafes, traditional Alternative art and industrial neighborhoods create an amazing, slightly psychedelic atmosphere of this place. Once a year, it hosts a queer film festival – an event unprecedented in communist China.
798 is a paradise for all those who want to get lost in the winding streets, look at milion different faces of Chinese art, and feel the atmosphere of Middle Kingdom’s Rodolfos and Mimis.
