THE GUIDE - The Rough Guide to Beijing - page 150

Next door to the National Stadium, the National Aquatics Center quickly became known as
the Water Cube , thanks to its bubble-like exterior membrane. Part of it is now occupied by
the Beijing Watercube Waterpark , which - though expensive - is a lot of fun, pulling in
visitors with wave machines, water slides and the occasional inflatable jellyfish.
< Back to The far north
798 Art District
798 艺术区 , qījiǔbā yìshùqū • Daily 24hr, though many galleries close on Mon • Free • 798district.com • Bus
#915, #918 or #934 from Dongzhimen subway (lines 2 & 13), or ￥ 35-50 by taxi
Though it's way out on the way to the airport (take a cab, it's so much easier), the 798 Art
District - a collection of more than a hundred art galleries plus boutiques and cafés - is a
hotspot for the arty crowd, and one of Beijing's most interesting attractions. The area is par-
ticularly lively during the 798 Art Festival - though the size of the festival, its dates, and,
indeed, whether it happens at all, are dependent on the precarious political climate. It should
be scheduled for the autumn.
Originally this huge complex of Bauhaus-style buildings was an electronics factory, built by
East Germans; when that closed down in the 1990s, artists moved in and converted the airy,
light and, above all, cheap spaces into studios. As the Chinese art market blossomed, galleries
followed, then boutiques and cafés - a gentrification that would take fifty years in the West
happened here in about five. Though the city government - terrified of unhindered expres-
sion - initially wanted to shut the area down, the future of the place finally looks secure. It
has grown rather commercial of late, though most of the shops, cafés and restaurants at least
suit the vibe of the place.
Today, 798 has the feel of a campus, with a grid of pedestrianized, tree-lined streets dotted
with wacky sculptures - a caged dinosaur, a forlorn gorilla - and the gnarliness of the indus-
trial buildings (those in “Power Square” are particularly brutal) softened by artsy graffiti. It's
surprisingly large, but there are maps throughout. Exhibitions open every week, and every art
form is well represented - though with such a lot of it about, it varies in quality. Note that un-
like all other Beijing sites, it's actually better on the weekend, when there's a real buzz about
the place; on weekdays it can feel a little dead - particularly on Mondays when almost all
the galleries are closed.