798 Art Zone, Beijing

What is the 798 Art Zone?

798 (798艺术区), also called the Dashanzi Art District, is a former factory complex in Chaoyang District, about 12 km north-east of Tiananmen Square. Its workshops and warehouses now hold museums, commercial galleries, artists’ studios, bookshops, design stores and cafés. There are no ticket gates: you just walk in.

The plant was built in the 1950s under a deal with East Germany. The German engineers chose a functional, Bauhaus-influenced design — tall halls, sawtooth roofs and north-facing windows for even daylight. Officially it was Joint Factory 718: work began in 1954 and production started in 1957. It was later split into sub-factories numbered 706, 707, 751, 761, 797 and 798, which lent the district its name.

By the 1990s production had largely stopped, and artists and the Central Academy of Fine Arts began renting the empty halls. In 2002 Huang Rui and Xu Yong opened 798 Space in a hall whose concrete arches still carry red Mao-era slogans; UCCA followed in 2007. Today it’s the centre of Beijing’s contemporary art scene.

798 Art Zone tickets and opening hours

The district itself is open around the clock and free. Museums and galleries keep daytime hours, typically 10:00–18:00 or 11:00–19:00, and most close on Mondays. After dark the galleries are shut and many lanes are poorly lit, so come in the morning or early afternoon.

UCCA charges admission, and the price depends on what’s on; the museum doesn’t publish it online. Unofficial guides quote around ¥100–180 for a major show. Children under 1.2 m go free with an adult, and students, seniors and disabled visitors get discounts. Tickets are sold through UCCA’s official WeChat account and at the front desk, which takes cash and credit cards; the website doesn’t sell tickets to international buyers.

M WOODS opens Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00–19:00, last entry 18:00; it doesn’t list prices online. Commercial galleries such as Galleria Continua are usually free. Elsewhere, pay with Alipay or WeChat Pay — both accept foreign Visa and Mastercard once linked to your passport — and keep some small yuan notes as a backup.

What to see in 798

• UCCA Center for Contemporary Art — the district’s anchor, over 10,000 m² of former factory space with shows by Chinese and international artists that change several times a year. Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–19:00.
• 798 Space (时态空间) — the vaulted concrete hall with slogans on the arches, the classic 798 photo. You can see the arches even between exhibitions.
• M WOODS — a private contemporary art museum in building D-06, Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00–19:00.
• International galleries — Italy’s Galleria Continua, Pace and others; commercial galleries are usually free to enter.
• The lanes between the halls — pipes, old rail tracks, sawtooth roofs, murals and big outdoor sculptures. It’s the free part of 798 and easily fills an hour.
• Enjoy Art Museum (B06, 797 Road) — a small private museum, 10:00–18:00, closed Mondays.
• Bookshops, design stores and cafés — they stay open later than the galleries and make a good break between shows.

Is the 798 Art District worth visiting?

Yes, if you like contemporary art, industrial architecture or simply want a different Beijing — no palaces, no ticket queues. The district is free, and even without the museums there’s plenty to look at: workshops, chimneys, murals and sculpture. Allow 2.5–3 hours for a walk and two or three galleries, half a day with UCCA and lunch.

To be honest, if you only have two days in Beijing, 798 comes after the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and the Great Wall. It’s a long way from the old centre — about an hour each way — and if contemporary art isn’t your thing, what’s left is mostly cafés and souvenir shops.

The best time is a weekday morning, Tuesday to Friday. Weekends are noticeably busier. During the spring and autumn festivals more halls are open and there are free events.

798, the hutongs or Houhai?

The hutongs and Houhai sit side by side in the old centre and fit into one evening. 798 is a separate trip to the north-east — pair it with the Lama Temple, which is on Line 5.

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How to do it right

• Start at the south gate on Jiuxianqiao Road: the visitor centre there usually has free paper maps.
• See the galleries first — many close at 18:00 — and leave UCCA for late afternoon: it stays open until 19:00.
• The classic shot is the slogan-painted arches in 798 Space, visible even between exhibitions.
• No food, drinks or animals inside UCCA.
• The cafés and bookshops stay open after the galleries — good for a break.
• Coming from the old centre? Pair 798 with the Lama Temple: Line 5 runs from there to the Line 12 interchange.
• After dark the galleries are closed and many lanes are poorly lit — come in daylight for photos.

Questions