Beijing area guide: 798 Art District

Beijing's famous art district has world-class galleries as well as restaurants, museums and shopping

The abandoned military factories that house 798, Beijing's most famous art district, pretty much invented industrial chic in the capital. The sprawling complex of re-purposed warehouses is packed full of galleries, and, nowadays, plenty of shops and restaurants too. 

Although the area is often derided for becoming a tourist trap, it's still the place to see some of the biggest names in Chinese and international contemporary art, so head over for a day of guaranteed cultural stimulation.

GALLERIES

Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA)

Founded in 2007, the UCCA quickly became the beating heart of modern-day 798. The massive non-profit centre exhibits far-reaching, exhaustive exhibitions and educational programs and also programmes a strong set of supplementary lectures, workshops, and more.

Faurschou Foundation

For ten years now, the Faurschou Foundation Beijing has been putting on exhibitions in our city, a milestone they’re marking with the ongoing Virtual Reality Art (on until Feb 3). The institution has had an interesting history, having borne witness to massive changes in the ever-exciting art scenes in Beijing and around the country, and hosting some of the world’s best contemporary artists, from Robert Rauschenberg to Yoko Ono to Ai Weiwei to Louise Bourgeois.

M Woods

The independent, non-profit museum was founded in 2014 by collectors Lin Han and Wanwan Lei, and co-founded by Michael Xufu Huang. Housed in a former munitions factory, M Woods espouses the belief that art should be 'FAT': free, alchemical and timeless. Besides exhibitions, the museum also hosts regular talks, events, film screenings and art activities.

Pace Gallery

This contemporary and modern art gallery is a branch of PaceWildenstein, a leading Manhattan gallery first founded in Boston in 1960. Known for bringing huge-name international exhibitions to Beijing, Pace has also exhibited work from noted Chinese artists Zhang Xiaogang and Zhang Huan.

FOOD

Buddha's Bite

798 Art District is not known for its restaurants, many of which are little more than tourist watering holes or bland cafés. However, Buddha’s Bite, a diner that delivers sumptuous Chinese vegetarian cuisine in pleasingly elegant surroundings, is one of the few exceptions. Tucked away at the south end of 798, Buddha’s Bite is decked out in chic Chinese furniture, lending the spot a timeless feel. The restaurant’s speciality is fake meat and yangshengcai, loosely translated as 'health food'. It lives up to this title: the dishes here contain no ingredients derived from animals, making it an ideal spot for vegetarians.

Yi House

This contemporary restaurant located at the artistically luxurious Grace Hotel offers Mediterranean-Asian fusion cuisine. With a strong emphasis on seafood, Yi House is well-known for its lobster, crab and oyster platter, as well as its five-course weekend brunch.

SHOPPING

Fei Space

Fei Space, an open and airy 798 venue that used to be founder and creative director Lin Jing’s own home, is one of the most original and eclectic shops in town, with clothes, furniture and installations dotted around the space’s different areas. Chopshop, on the left as you go in, is home to stunning and unique items such as Antik Batik sandals and Senada Theory dresses, as well as select items by hard to find brands such as Bless, Stine Goya, Ato, 5Preview and Benoit Missolin, which aren’t available anywhere else on the Mainland.

ZaoZuo

798 is home to hip furniture label ZaoZuo's flagship store, a brand that quickly established a following after debuting at Beijing Design Week. The label offers simple, stylish Chinese-designed furniture and home goods at an affordable price point (a two-seater sofa starts from 2,999RMB).

Li-Pi Records

Impressive in both selection and size, Li-Pi Records’ 798 store has expanded bit by bit since its opening in 2008. Vinyls from virtually every genre – from classic rock to domestic indie releases to hip-hop and everything in between – start at 240RMB and line the spacious shop’s walls, which are made accessible by library ladders. Music plays loudly from a raised stage in the venue’s largest room, making for a great spot to stick around for a coffee (americanos are 35RMB) after browsing. Recently Li-Pi has ventured into manufacturing its own devices, with its first product a suitcase turntable called the Luntik (3,520RMB), which has bluetooth and wireless capabilities.

Plastered T-Shirts

From the heart of Beijing, Plastered T-Shirts is a graphic design t-shirt company that highlights iconic imagery and Chinese pop-culture. In collaboration with some of the country’s best artists, Plastered brings out local Beijing quirks and vintage designs on high quality shirt material. Often referred to as Beijing’s original street brand, it’s a great place for buying personal wear, gifts, and something authentically characteristic of Beijing.

Loft No.6

Loft No.6 is the third opening from experienced Taiwanese storeowner Samuel Hsin, owner of much-loved boutique Radiance Trunk. Like his first two efforts, Loft No.6 features heritage brands from America and Europe. This vintage American menswear store caters to a narrower niche, with most of the offerings stocked from authoritative Japanese cult favourite, The Real McCoy’s. There is a heavy focus on '40s and '50s motorcycle and military-inspired styles, mostly from the Buco and Real McCoy’s lines.

MUSEUMS

China National Film Museum

Located just east of Caochangdi, the China National Film Museum isn’t likely to attract a lot of casual visitors. But those who make the trek are rewarded by what purports to be the largest professional film museum in the world; a sprawling hunk of geometrical architecture that boasts 20 permanent exhibition halls. The first ten take you through the history of Chinese film, which is rendered mostly through hokey dioramas and panels of Chinese text (though each hall does open with an English summary). Of greater interest are halls 11-20, which get into the more technical aspects of filmmaking, featuring sets, antique cameras and a special effects area. At the end of your visit, treat yourself to a screening at one of the museum’s live cinemas.

China Railway Museum (Dongjiao branch)

Wandering among the 40-odd hulking steam engines at the China Railway Museum, one almost expects them to burst into life at any second. It’s like a graveyard for these huge, ever-impressive locomotives. Perhaps the most stunning specimen on display is the famous Mao Zedong train, the front of which bears his image on a large iron badge, like Tiananmen Gate on wheels. Pretend you’re a train conductor in the few locomotives that can be explored from the inside; it’s a photo-op no-brainer. Even better: go for a visit during the week and you’ll practically have the whole place to yourself. All aboard!

For more places to explore in 798, hit 'Read more'.

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