798 Art Zone 798艺术区Qījiǔbā Yìshùqū

Why go to 798 Art Zone

In the Dashanzi area of Chaoyang District, north-east of the centre, the 798 Art Zone has turned a 1950s state factory complex into a district of galleries, museums, studios and cafés. Wander the lanes between the old workshops, drop into whichever exhibitions catch your eye, and make time for UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, a non-profit museum that opened here in 2007.

The story

The complex began as Joint Factory 718, built from 1954 with the help of more than 100 East German experts, who chose a functional, Bauhaus-influenced design over the more ornate Soviet style. Its sawtooth roofs have north-facing windows, designed to let in as much natural light as possible while casting few shadows.

What to see at 798 Art Zone

• UCCA Center for Contemporary Art UCCA尤伦斯当代艺术中心: The non-profit museum that anchors the zone, housed in a large sawtooth-roofed hall and showing major exhibitions of Chinese and international art.
• Long March Space 长征空间: A long-running gallery, founded in 2002, that grew out of the Long March Project, an art project reinterpreting the historical Long March.
• Pace Beijing 佩斯北京: A branch of the New York-based gallery in a converted factory building, showing international contemporary artists.
• Beijing Tokyo Art Projects 北京东京艺术工程: The first international gallery to rent space in the zone, opened in 2002, and a small piece of its history.
• Factory lanes and sawtooth halls 厂房与街巷: The lanes between the old workshops, with their north-facing sawtooth roofs, chimneys and outdoor sculptures, are worth walking whichever galleries are open.

How to visit 798 Art Zone

Enter from Jiuxianqiao Road and pick two or three galleries rather than trying to see all of them, then wander the lanes between. A visit of two to three hours covers UCCA and a few spaces; a half day adds studios, shops and a café stop. Exhibitions change every few months, so check what is on before choosing.

How to get to 798 Art Zone

Take Metro Line 12 to Gaojiayuan, about 200 metres' walk from the art zone, or allow 30–45 minutes by taxi from central Beijing, depending on traffic.

Where to stay

Stay in Sanlitun or Chaoyang Park, a short taxi ride away, or near Gaojiayuan on Metro Line 12 for the shortest trip to the zone.

What to eat

• Instant-boiled mutton 涮羊肉: Thin slices of mutton cooked in a copper hotpot and dipped in sesame sauce, a Beijing winter staple.
• Beijing roast duck 北京烤鸭: Crisp duck carved at the table with pancakes, available at restaurants around Chaoyang.

Tips for visiting 798 Art Zone

• UCCA opens Tuesday to Sunday and other venues set their own hours, with some closed on Mondays, so check before you go.
• Look up inside the old halls: in some galleries, red factory-era slogans are still visible on the ceiling arches, kept at the artists' request when the spaces were renovated.

Nearby

• Lama Temple 雍和宫 under 10 km
  Incense-filled courtyards and an 18-metre sandalwood Buddha in a working monastery
• Temple of Confucius and Imperial Academy 孔庙和国子监 under 10 km
  Courtyards of stone steles naming imperial exam graduates, beside the old Imperial Academy
• Bird's Nest and Olympic Green 奥林匹克公园 under 10 km
  The Bird's Nest and Water Cube, venues of the 2008 and 2022 Olympics, lit up after dark
• Drum and Bell Towers 钟鼓楼 under 10 km
  Beijing's old timekeeping towers, with drum performances and views over the hutong roofs
• Shichahai 什刹海 10 km
  Three linked lakes ringed by hutongs and lakeside bars, with open-air skating in winter
• Prince Gong's Mansion 恭王府 10 km
  A Qing courtyard mansion and rock garden, home first to a corrupt minister, then a prince

Also within 30 km: Chaoyang Park 朝阳公园 (under 10 km), Temple of Earth 地坛 (under 10 km), Bailin Temple 柏林寺 (under 10 km), Beijing Dongyue Temple 东岳庙 (under 10 km), Yuan Dadu City Wall Ruins Park 元大都城垣遗址公园 (under 10 km), China Red Sandalwood Museum 中国紫檀博物馆 (under 10 km).

On the map

Open 798 Art Zone on the illustrated map to see the terrain around it, what else is close, and to add it to a trip and plan the days.

Learn more

• Wikipedia
• Wikipedia (Chinese)