798 Art Zone
798 Art Zone is located in the Chanyang District of Beijing City. It is originally a military factory at the founding years of People’Republic of China and transformed into a thriving artistic community at the turn of 21st century. Nowadays, it harbours numerous art galleries and design companies. Attracted by its unique style of architecture, artistic atmosphere and convenient traffic, artists from China and abroad have established their own workshops there. Besides, the art zone is open to visitors, especially young groups. People are able to appreciate regular exhibitions, performances, film and picture shows for free. As Beijing thrives as a cultural center and diversity becomes a trend there, 798 Art Zone exerts much more influences on the international arena. It is often compared with Greenwich Village in New York City, which plays an indispensable role in American art field now and in history.
Original Construction of 798 Factory
The construction of 798 military factory could be traced back to 1952 when young People’s Republic of China launched its first Five-year Plan. At the very beginning, the architectural plans were decided by Soviet Union experts due to the bilateral military and industrial cooperation agreements. However, the designing task of Joint Factory was in the charge of a group of designers from East Germany later because the Soviet Union experts had extra plans. As a result, the architecture area displays Germany characteristics which emphasize the practical demands and functions. The architectural pattern leaves much larger indoor space so as to let maximum amount of natural light in. Interestingly, most of the buildings face towards north due to the fact that the light from that direction casts fewer shadows.
The Birth of Art Zone
The situations began to change after the adoption of reform and opening-up policies. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, many factories in that area were undergoing decling production and profits. Many workers were laid off. At that time, the art industry in Beijing was on the rise, and lots of contemporary artists were looking for new suitable and comparatively permanent places. More and more galleries and art studio gather in the area against such a background.
Notable Art Studios
Some art studios located in 798 Art Zone are profoundly influential in China and abroad. For example, Sui Jianguo, who is the dean of the Department of Sculpture, has established his own workshop in the district since 2000. These sculpture workshops are open to the public without charging any fees. Robert Bernell is the first foreigner who starts business in 798 Art Zone. He runs Timezone 8, which is a bookstore specializing in gathering artistic materials. Another influential workshop is Beijing Tokyo Art Projects(BTAP), which is owned by a Japanese artist, Tabata Yukihito.
798 Art Zone is attractive to young people and foreign visitors who are interested in Chinese comtemporary art. The art zone offers chances for ordinary people to get a glimpse of the world of art and design, which used to be considered the privilege of a small number of people.