Factory 798 Finds New Role as Trendy Art Area

Built by the Russians in the early 1950s as part of a war-reparations deal with Germany, the large-scale state-owned plant in Beijing churned out electronic items by the million. Architecturally, the sprawling pile -then officially named Factory 798 -was, and remains, pure Bauhaus, after the style of German designer Walter Gropius.

But its significance as a state-owned entity waned in the 1990s due to falling orders and other factors, the resultbeing that thousands of workers were laid off.The conversion of 798 into a number of individual workshops became the only road to its continuance as a viable property.

At that time, those who ran 798 -located near Beijing Capital Airport -had no control over who rented the workshops. Then came artists, who appreciated the units' low rental rates, generous spaces and convenient transportation. Soon the trickle became a gush as more artists from various fields, foreigners as well as Chinese, were attracted. Local painters Xu Yong and Huang Rui recall their enchantment at 798's simple architectural style, its massive ducts and windows that let in plenty of light.
The duo quickly took root in what they describe as a "magical place", and set about turning the old factory into an arts venue -an artistic colony that they believe will be a revolutionary cauldron of creativity that will attract a constant stream of more artists and, just as important, art lovers ever on the lookout for something new.

Leftovers from 798's factory days are a constant source of inspiration to those now based there, be it the streaming sunlight, exposed forests of pipes or the bright red slogans such as "Long Live Chairman Mao" Following months of redesign and renovation, what is now called the 798 Art Area is today best described as Soho-esque in an ambience encapsulating both its international flavor and the trend of loft-living by some of the artists. In its way, the former home of electronic widgets is now a unique slice of Chinese history and culture.

Artists Xu and Huang constantly encourage even more artists to move in and to further pursue their creative dreams. But not all the newcomers are wielders of a brush. Along with artists, the building's tenants now include commercial exhibitors, performers, entrepreneurs from Beijing's service sector, and people involved with luxury furniture, high-end fashion, food and beverages. Xu and Huang, however, would like to merge the old-fashioned workshops with elements of modern art, their belief being that the good memories of the past, melded with current flourishing and advanced art forms, can co-exist in harmony.

Also to be found at the 798 Art Area are galleries, operatic studios, design companies, restaurants and bars, which are all part of the city's fast-evolving modern urban lifestyle. These days, multi-culturism is a growing trend, with artists in particular devoting more and more energy in the direction of urban culture and lifestyles.

At a press conference for the new art area, it was announced that particular aims included the "liberation of people's minds, and the fulfillment of hope that more and more people will enjoy the excitement and passion behind contemporary and advanced art forms that are brought to them".

The 798 Art Area also plans an experimental art concept. Many art organizations, it was pointed out, combine the functions of galleries, studios and salons. Said a spokesman: "We will try to establish an experimental place for the better co-existence of art and life. We also want to ride the tide [in favor] of low pollution, low capital, and high-knowledge trends in urban life. We advocate the new cultural consumption concept, and are experimenting with the current changes in people's lifestyles."

Staff at the area said they will "re-make" the building in pursuing the co-existence of avant-garde consciousness and traditional sentiment; combine experimentation and social responsibility; achieve a double-victory in spiritual fulfillment and economic planning; and encourage interaction between the elite and the masses.

At the new-look area, popular Cultural Revolution slogans on the wall and roof remain evident. Under the roof, art students in doctors' gowns prepared to show the media some so-called "action art". The backdrops included a group of statues of monks, a dripping tap, noisy TV sets and sculptured gunmen. The idea was to give visitors a flashback taste of the harmony between less buoyant days among people and modern art.

The remaking of 798 has aroused people's interest in contemporary and advanced art, and triggered much discussion about the development of a model new cultural zone taking the place of the old industrial one. Bringing together contemporary art, architecture, and culture, and a historically interesting urban location is influencing, to the good, people's concepts of urban culture and living space.

The art area's studios, galleries and company showrooms are often spectacular. Among the more eye-catching is the Now Design Club, whose entrance leads visitors into a dimly-lit corridor. The art area's studios, galleries and company showrooms are often spectacular. Among the more eye-catching is the Now Design Club, whose entrance leads visitors into a dimly-lit corridor with a partially open door with equally poor lighting. Decidedly down-market, you may think, but beyond the door is a huge surprise -shelf upon shelf of luxury French wines, a superb display of photographs and a stage stacked with instruments, presumably awaiting musicians to turn up.

This club's two levels are separated by glass, providing a view of exposed original pipe-works. During the day, the premises are used for exhibitions, business meetings, photo shoots and pretty much anything else that requires some elbow room. Nightfall brings drinks and hot music.

A walk through the 798 Photo Gallery is a mini-odyssey through Old Beijing. On the first floor is Xu Yong's Fangjia hutong exhibition, pictures mirroring the doomed alleys before their demolition and recording the lifestyles of residents -most of them destined to lose the homes where they have spent their lifetimes and facing life in an apartment building. Xu's photos are very moving, especially the facial expressions he has caught and the pathos of the people holding cards bearing their identity and age.
The gallery's upper area has an exhibition of black and white photos taken around a century ago, the days of rickshaws (huangbaoche), rich ladies answering a telephone (a great novelty of the time), a young man smoking opium, and Beijing's old streets lined with European buildings. Staff at the gallery claimed their black-and-white processing darkroom is currently the only one of its kind in China, and thus very popular among expert photographers interested in nostalgia. If you're into b&w photography, this is the place to have it processed. The gallery also deals in historic photographs.

The 798 Art Area also boasts Beijing Tokyo Art Projects, an offshoot of Japan's famous Tokyo Gallery; a French restaurant; a qipao outlet; and various other attractions. Not to forget, of course, the rapidly advancing Yan Club, one of the first tenants of the new-look 798 (see Beijing This Month, February 2003, for a profile of the Yan Club)