Capital Design Revolution

By Kyle Patrick Long

Is Beijing ready for it’s own international level design showcase? Event organizers, hoping to propel the country’s reputation beyond ‘Made in China’ to ‘Designed in China’ think so. With the first ever Beijing Design Week held in late September, I decided to give the city’s massive 798 Art District a much-deserved second look to decide for myself.

Beijing’s art scene has arguably far exceeded the scope and sheer output of Shanghai’s. Just a cursory stroll through Moganshan Lu, Shanghai’s closest equivalent to 798, seems to easily reaffirm this. Whereas Moganshan’s galleries can be perused in an afternoon, 798 warrants a day. Or three.

Originally built as a sophisticated factory complex on the outskirts of Beijing, the East German designed project was a secret, immense undertaking when it broke ground in 1954. Similar projects existed in Moscow and East Berlin, but this was the complex to shame all other Communist complexes, costing RMB 140,000 at the time (now roughly the equivalent of US$20 million).

Today, the district covers nearly 640,000 square metres. The warehouses and factories that once manufactured munitions, military supplies and sophisticated electronics for the nation’s development and defence, now serve as inspirational space for workshops and galleries of the country’s creative minds.

The area attracts a range of sightseers and art experts, flocking to experience a range of gallery offerings and outdoor installations that change constantly, even overnight during my stay. I arrived to an impressive three storey red, metal fused structure in the shape of a giant Transformer standing guard outside my hotel. In the morning it was completely dismantled on lorries ready for it’s next destination, presumably to protect the planet from imminent destruction at the hands of Autobots. Sadly, the disappointed couples would have to find a new background to pose for their wedding photo shoot extravaganzas.

But faux-tographers and art fiends don’t just come to 798 to gawk at the outdoor installations and pop culture nods. For just RMB 30, contemporary art lovers can browse the impressive collection at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art. One of the few places to charge admission, the fee is worth it just to check out the gift shop full of cutting edge, inspired MOMA-esque items. Pin Gallery, a recent addition to the contemporary art scene at 798, is in a unique a-frame type space that showcases art and installations mostly from China, Korea, India and Japan.

The area also plays host to special events and parties in some odd and unabashedly hipster spaces. What better place to hold a corporate event than in a giant, metal tank that used to hold chemicals? Recently, the unique structures have played host to new car showcases, fashion shows and brand launch parties.

For now, don’t expect to see ‘Made & Designed in China’ on the box of your iPhone 5, but the possibility of that day might come sooner than we’ve all imagined. A stroll around 798 is a great rebuttal to anyone who offhandedly argues there is no such thing as innovative Chinese design.