discovering yet another layer to this mysterious city.
(Saturday, 07 Sept 2013) I swear: just when you think you might have a minor, mental grasp on the urban breadth and cultural vastness of Beijing, it nudges at your chin, turning your head around just a fraction of a degree and BAM...it unveils an unplayed scene before your eyes. Maria, Josie, and I always remark how when we emerge from the underground world via a new subway stop, it's like entering a new city. The height of the buildings change. The scales of the streets and sidewalks change. The diversity of the traffic changes, whether it be more bicycles and scooters and less automobiles or solely a mass of pedestrians shuffling around you.
Today was no exception in the 798 Art District.
Located in the Chaoyang District, it's like another country, which isn't surprising once you find out that the entire area was built in the 1950's by the Germans as an industrial complex. Basically, it's a bunch of kinda creepy-looking warehouses that have been converted into these massive art galleries. Architecturally interesting. Awe-inspiring.
Today, it was Josie, Wil (history teacher at the school), and I wandering around the streets, drifting in and out of smaller galleries and art shops...many of which sold overpriced trinkets and oddities. At first, the crowd was a bit sparse. The area was quiet for the most part. But it was early in the day.
We decided to take a break from walking when we discovered a three-story cafe. I braved the rickety metal stairs attached to the outside of the old building to see where they led. To our surprise, after ducking under low glass ceilings and continuing a climb upwards, we found ourselves on a beautifully landscaped rooftop cafe. We ordered various coffee drinks and chatted for a few hours about...life.
Buzzing from our caffeine highs, we descended back down the stairs to find that the crowd on the streets had picked up. A few blocks later, we stumbled upon an outdoor art fair with music, art booths, and industrial warehouses surrounding us. Cool stuff. Cool vibes. Very unstructured. Very free-thinking. Very un-Bejing-like. A break from the norm.
As we continued our way across the crowded courtyard, we entered an amazing 798 original brick warehouse, where Don Ed Hardy himself was casually walking around an exhibit in his honor, depicting his designs on motorcycles and human bodies.
Upstairs, a line of people gazed at various tattoo artists as they injected customers' skin with ink to create amazing works of art on their bodies.
I simply snapped photos, taking it all in. Enjoy the pics.
.
No comments:
Post a Comment