798 Art District

798 Art District

The 798 Art District is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

The 798 Art District is located in Dashanzi, Jiuxianqiao Subdistrict, Chaoyang District, Beijing, hence it is also known as the Dashanzi Art District (abbreviated as DAD – Dashanzi Art District). It was originally the site of old state-owned electronics industrial plants such as Factory 798. The area stretches from Jiuxianqiao Road in the west to the Beijing-Baotou Railway in the east, from Jiuxianqiao North Road in the north to Jiangtai Road in the south, covering an area of over 600,000 square meters.

In addition to referring to the number, "798" generally denotes the Beijing 798 Art District, also called the Dashanzi Art District or the 798 Factory Art District, among other names. The name of the art district originates from the former state-owned electronics industrial plant. At the same time, 798 also represents a cultural concept derived from this art zone, as well as the trendy loft-style living and working environment.

Introduction

In the northeastern corner of Beijing lies an art district named after factories built in the 1950s — this is the 798 Art District. It is located in Dashanzi, Jiuxianqiao Subdistrict, Chaoyang District, Beijing, hence also known as the Dashanzi Art District (abbreviated as DAD – Dashanzi Art District). It was originally the site of old state-owned electronics industrial plants such as Factory 798. The area stretches from Jiuxianqiao Road in the west to the Beijing-Baotou Railway in the east, from Jiuxianqiao North Road in the north to Jiangtai Road in the south, covering an area of over 600,000 square meters. The current 798 Art District is situated on the former sites of six factories affiliated with the former Ministry of Electronics Industry: 706, 707, 718, 751, 797, and 798. From the late 1950s to 1964, this area was known as the "718 Joint Factory," officially named the State-Owned Beijing Huabei Wireless Components Joint Factory. The aforementioned six factories were branches of the joint factory. In 1964, these six factories began operating independently, transforming from a single joint factory into six separate entities, a structure that remained until 2001. In 2001, five of the factories (excluding 751) along with Huarong Asset Management Company (as the controlling shareholder) and Factory 751 jointly formed the Seven Star Huadian Group to manage the area collectively.

Starting in 2001, artists from Beijing and beyond began gathering at Factory 798. With their unique artistic vision, they recognized the distinctive advantages this place offered for artistic endeavors. They made full use of the original factory architecture (in the German Bauhaus style), with only minor renovations and decorations, transforming the spaces into distinctive venues for artistic display and creation. Today, 798 has drawn widespread attention from domestic and international media and the public, becoming a new urban cultural landmark in Beijing.

Cultural Concept

After artists and cultural institutions moved in, they began renting and renovating vacant factory spaces on a large scale, gradually developing a cluster of spaces including galleries, art centers, artist studios, design firms, restaurants, and bars. This gave rise to an internationally flavored "SOHO-style art community" and "LOFT lifestyle," attracting considerable attention. Through the organic integration of contemporary art, architectural space, cultural industries, historical context, and the urban living environment, 798 has evolved into a cultural concept that strongly appeals to professionals and the general public alike, exerting notable influence on perceptions of urban culture and living spaces. The architectural style of Factory 798 and the surrounding plants is simple and functional, emphasizing utility. The massive cast-in-place structures and bright skylights are rare among other buildings. These structures were key industrial projects constructed in the early 1950s with Soviet assistance and designed and built by East Germany. Over the decades, they have weathered countless changes. With the advent of reform and opening-up, the repositioning of Beijing’s urban culture, shifts in lifestyle, and the arrival of globalization, enterprises like Factory 798 also faced the task of redefining and redeveloping themselves. As Beijing's urbanization and city expansion progressed, the formerly suburban Dashanzi area became part of the urban core. As older industries relocated, new, non-polluting, low-energy, high-tech industries better aligned with the city’s direction and trends inevitably emerged on these sites. The influx of numerous artists and cultural figures is a reflection of this historical trend.

Among the newcomers are cultural industries such as design, publishing, exhibitions, performances, and artist studios, as well as service sectors such as premium home furnishings, fashion, bars, restaurants, and bakeries. While preserving the legacy of the original historical and cultural elements, they redefined, redesigned, and transformed the former industrial plants, introducing creative interpretations of architecture and lifestyle. These repurposed factory spaces themselves became new architectural works, sparking vivid dialogues between historical context and development paradigms, utility and aesthetics, and the area’s existing structures. For instance, ebeecake, a creative cake brand that moved into 798 in 2009, showcases exquisitely designed treats with emotionally resonant names reflecting life journeys — a perfect embodiment of the fusion of deliciousness, art, and culture, enriching the cultural fabric of 798. The occasional appearance of ebeecake mascots also adds a touch of fun to the stylish 798 Art District.

The lifestyle of these newcomers is itself a product of economic reform, demonstrating new relationships between individual ideals and socio-economic structures — situated between utopia and reality, memory and the future. 798 is a vessel for the maturation of youth culture in the new era, shaped by accumulated experiences. The culture formed here represents the internationalization of local resources and the socialization of personal aspirations. The new 798 embodies a coexistence of avant-garde consciousness and traditional charm, a balance of experimental spirit and social responsibility, a win-win of spiritual pursuit and economic planning, and an interaction between elite and mainstream. This phenomenon in 798 touches on broad aspects such as urban development, production, and consumption patterns.

Suggested Duration

Half a day

Transportation

Bus: Take bus routes 401, 402, 405, 445, 909, 946, 955, 973, 988, or 991 and get off at Dashanzi Intersection South Station. Subway: Transfer to bus routes 402, 405, or 909 at Exit C of Liangmaqiao Station on Line 10; transfer to routes 402 or 405 at Sihui Station on Line 1; transfer to route 445 at Wangjing Station on Line 15.

Self-driving: Enter Jiuxianqiao Road via the Dashanzi Roundabout on the Fourth Ring Road, then access 798 through Entrance 2 or Entrance 4 on Jiuxianqiao Road. Parking is available within the complex.

Admission

Free; some individual exhibition halls may charge separately

Opening Hours

The park is open all day. Most exhibitions are open from 10:00 to 18:00, and most galleries are closed on Mondays.

Location

798 Art District, No. 4 Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing

Jiuxianqiao Subdistrict: Jiuxianqiao Subdistrict is a neighborhood office in the northeastern part of Chaoyang District, Beijing. It lies within the drainage basins of Liangma River and Jiuxianqiao River. It is an area developed alongside the growth of the electronics industry in Beijing’s northeast. It stretches from the Fourth Ring Road in the east, borders Chongwen District in the west, faces Tonghui River in the north, and extends to Jinsong Street in the south.

Located in an urban-rural fringe area, it neighbors the Jiangtai area to the east, west, northwest, and southwest, the Dongfeng area to the south, and the Nangao area to the north. It covers an area of 5.3 square kilometers, with a permanent population of 70,000 and a floating population of 65,000.

Dashanzi Community…… More details about Jiuxianqiao Subdistrict++