798- Factory Chic in Beijing
Upon the advice of a friend, I visited the large 798 art complex on my first full day in Beijing. Located in the northeast of the city, 798 was formerly an industrial neighborhood full of factories and gray silos that has since been converted into art galleries, cafes, and quirky little bookshops that would not look out of place in Berkeley, California.
Our guide for the day was Ting Ting, a Kunming native who works as an assistant curator at an exhibit called The Long March Project. The exhibit's name refers to the massive year-long retreat undertaken by Communist leaders during the 1930s, culminating in the coronation of Mao Zedong as the Party's supreme leader. The exhibition, by contrast, merely aims to introduce performance art to parts of rural China that lack access to the cultural life in China's cities. Of particular interest to me was a display of paper cutting art, all hand-made by peasants living near Yan'an in central China's Shaanxi Province. These farmers- all of whom were illiterate- have passed down paper cutting skills through the generations and the result is a remarkable collection of intricate and complex designs depicting scenes of rural life.
Ting Ting then led us to an interesting Italian-funded exhibition of an Indian artist who specializes in large, avant-garde sculpture pieces. On the gallery's ground floor we walked into a dark tunnel that curved around before dead-ending at a back wall, a somewhat claustrophobic and frightening experience. Other galleries showed photos of a Chinese prostitute posing nude with groups of men and amazing photographs of Beijing street life by a French photographer. The breadth of the art available on display at 798 matched that at any of the world's leading museums, and I found myself continually amazed at how ingenuously former factory space was converted into hip art spaces.
In one gallery we visited, Maoist slogans were still visible on the wall, serving as a haunting reminder of China's totalitarian past. Judging by how vibrant 798 appeared it was difficult to remember that less than forty years ago the entire of China was completely devoid of any artistic life whatsoever. It seems quite appropriate that in the "new China" Maoist trappings have become artistic kitsch.
I asked Ting Ting whether 798 had endured any political pressure. She responded that it had, but its rapidly gentrifying residential spaces have made it far too valuable to be torn down. The Chinese government, ever pragmatic, would like to convert 798 into glitzy new apartment complexes but for now, the art complex will apparently survive.
China's burgeoning arts scene is an overlooked aspect of the country's growth, as journalists (and government officials) prefer to emphasize more tangible changes such as fancy cars and shopping malls. A visit to 798 though offers travelers and residents alike an opportunity to see a more bohemian side of a country often dismissed as grim and utilitarian.
UPDATE:
I see James Fallows noticed something very similar during his recent trip to Shenzhen- go have a look. My favorite has to be his last photograph, that of a smiling George and Laura Bush juxtaposed to more grim images of Mao, Deng, Hu, Ho Chi Minh, and Stalin.
December 21st, 2007 - 06:56
Judging by how vibrant 798 appeared it was difficult to remember that less than forty years ago the entire of China was completely devoid of any artistic life whatsoever.
Actually there was artistic life in China 40 years ago, but it was heavily politicised like everything else during the Cultural Revolution.
Read some history of the Cultural Revolution and you’ll see how much of the whole mess was reviews of art (plays, poems, books, etc.) that became surrogates for political attacks.