ART!!! (6/3)

Art and nature reclaiming the 798 factory

M I K E ,   O U R   S T A T E - A P P O I N T E D   tour guide, ended up saving the best for last. Our week in Beijing had come to a close, leaving only half a day before our flight back to Korea, to begin the next leg of the studying part of our time abroad. We spent that half a day in the incredible 798 Art District, a converted 50s factory turned art space, and boy did I love it! I'd never seen such a place in my life-- so much art of so many kinds over such a large area-- it was like a dream come true!

Mike explained briefly that the 798 factory district was built in the 50s in cooperation with German engineers. At one point, he claimed, most electrical appliances in the country were produced there. The factories were secretly converted to weapons production later in their history before being put out of business in the 90s like much of the rest of Beijing's heavy industry. The government had wanted to convert the space into housing, but a community of artists slowly began to take root and blossom, setting the foundation for what the district is today-- a haven for modern Chinese art, filled with galleries, studios, and venues of all sorts.

798 is better described through pictures than words. I have enough images I want to share that my typical layout simply won't do, so I've embedded a gallery of my favorites below. You can also click through them at your own pace on  Google+ here.



A F T E R   7 9 8 ,   W E   were off to the airport, onto a plane, and out of Beijing! Most of us made it through customs just fine, for which I was very thankful-- I'd picked up a few strange souvenirs at 798 that I was thankful not to have to try to explain to anyone in airport security. Our plane was delayed by the famous Beijing smog that had been absent at our arrival, but otherwise it was nothing but smooth skies back to Korea! Our destination was Daegu, where we'd be staying and studying at Yeungnam University for the next two weeks.