Dashanzi Arts District, Beijing, China

Located in the Chaoyang District, northeast of the city center, Beijing's Dashanzi Arts District is both colorful and haunting. As a haven for contemporary artists with varying degrees of shock value, it is above all, trendy. Shameless graffiti and grand, culturally ironic statues line the streets and alleyways that once comprised the 798 Factory. Originally constructed in 1954 as a 'joint factory' between East Germany and The People's Republic of China, the roughly 650,000 square meter compound was an appendage of the "Socialist Unification Plan." German architects utilized the Bauhaus style (think "form follows function") which is evident in the arched ceilings and modern angles of the largest buildings. The grand indoor spaces are now somewhat sparsely decorated with modern art while the outside walls harbor spray paint and thick ivy. Don't be fooled-- this is no museum. Allthough pricy boutiques and fancy cafes cast a shadow of gentrification across Dashanzi's counter culture vibe, one can still wander to the edges of the compound and peek into the dirty, paint stained studios where the artists of New China are creatively engauged with their relationship to the past.

We visited on a sweltering July afternoon armed with our frozen water bottles and a camera.