798 Art District in Beijing

Factory 798 is an old electronics factory complex, originally designed by East Germans in the 1950s. This stern, forbidding factory area of about 2 million square feet is now an art complex, full of galleries, restaurants, and bars.  I head over in the afternoon and enter the calm, tree-lined streets at the edge of the complex.

 Quiet streets

 Factory buildings

I immediately run into sculpture scattered around the streets, sidewalks, and buildings.

 Sculpture everywhere

A few of the studios are open and I wander in.

 

Wandering through the studios

Heading back outside, I pop in a store for a Diet Coke and continue to stroll through the complex, admiring more great sculptures.

 Much more sculpture

I truly enjoy my afternoon walking through all the studios and outside art displays.  The 798 Art District is a massive artist community and well worth a trip over from wherever you are in Beijing.

Map of the 798 Art District