Beijing's contemporary art hub goes from strength to strength

Beijing's contemporary art hub goes from strength to strength
By Aurora VelezRobert Hackwill
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If you love cutting-edge art there's really only one place to go in the Chinese capital - the #798 Art Zone.

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Neighbourhood #798 in Beijing is a district like no other. It is here that lovers of culture can  take the pulse of modern art. Located in the north west of the Chinese capital)), the #798 Art Zone, with its 1950s Bauhaus-style architecture, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the city.

Vast hangars and factories, abandoned for a long time, were transformed 15 years ago into art galleries and exhibition spaces.

These once industrial buildings have become one of the first batch of cluster areas for cultural and creative industries. There are a hundred galleries, but also restaurants, museums and pubs. You come here not only to find art, but to seek your own voice.

"I think that the younger generation, for their lives, their emotions, their minds, want something new, not just to consume, they want to ask where and why. Where are they from? Why is this art so interesting?" says the co-founder of the Boers-Li gallery, Jia Wei.

798 defies indifference, with some 2000 exhibitions scheduled each year.

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