Factory 798 at Da Shanzi was set up for the production of top secret electrical components. It was built by the East Germans as an example of harmonious collaboration between socialist countries with funds originally allocated for the Russians after World War II. Its Bauhaus-inspired ergonomics were intended to reflect Mao’s ‘Great Leap Forward’ ideology of China as an advanced socialist nation founded on heavy industry, and communism. Arched ceiling supports curve upwards and fall diagonally along high slanted windows, to let in the maximum amount of natural light. Its design would contribute to the 20,000 workers enjoying some of the best conditions in China.
Government cutbacks of the 1980s, lead to many factories being abandoned and in the early 1990s the sculpture department at Beijing’s Central Academy of Fine Arts seized the opportunity for a cheap space. The independent artists soon followed. Low cost spaces were converted into studios and live-in lofts, and over the past decade Factory 798 has mushroomed into a network of galleries, studios and cafes like nowhere else in China. Fading slogans from a dying communist era adorn the walls, of red brick factory buildings scattered among narrow tree-lined streets. Da Shanzi has become a sanctuary from the encroaching Beijing bustle and China’s premier hub for contemporary art. Famous names such as Yue Minjun, Cao Fei, and Weng Fen have all exhibited here.
Sky rocketing land values have intensified the threat from circling developers with intentions to build more profitable high density housing, but for now the commercial success of 798 Art Zone seems to be guaranteeing its survival, though at a cost. Much of the original grass roots talent is being sidelined by corporate brands and it has become a center for Beijing’s ‘BoBo’s’ (bourgeois-bohemians). Whatever the future holds the fact remains that China’s foremost art district continues to house the most important galleries in the nation and in doing so attracts some of the most significant exhibitions.