BEIJING: 798 ART ZONE

Already been to the Forbidden Palace and the Great Wall and wondering what to do in beijing?

This was my second time visiting Beijing and I was there for a couple of days before travelling to North Korea. I didn’t want to queue again for the Forbidden Palace or travel again to the Great wall of China so I have decided to explore other areas of the city. The first time I went to beijing I absolutely HATED IT but I wanted to give it a second chance.

I did a bit of research and I stumbled across this art district so I decided to give it a go...and to my surprise this was fantastic place with all sort of arts, small galleries, independent coffe shops, sculptures of caged dinosaurus in the streets...and some great pieces of street art too! It is a great place for photography and to have a break from the main Beijing sighsteeings.

The area used to be an industrial complex full of factories. The abandoned factories have been then converted to art galleries and art studios but still preserving that industrial feel with nice concrete textures and steel beams.. There are many places to visit so allow at least half day there to explore the different studios, see different type of art or just sit in one of the many coffee shops.

There are signs in English in the whole area so walking around is very easy.
I didnt take a taxi to get there and I have used a mix of walking and underground trains.
I took a train to the underground station Jiangtai and then I walked north along Jiuxianqiao Road. It is a 15-20 minutes walk (I guess you could take a bus but I prefer walking to see different neighborhoods)

798 Art Zone is at this location on the map:

 

I also met this little guy there:

798 art zone beijing