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798

designed in Bauhaus style in early of the 50 architects in the former GDR, for over thirty years, and Jiuxianqiao 'was one of the first areas for the production of electronic equipment in China. Fallen into disuse in the late 80s, like many other industrial areas of the Maoist era, was destined for demolition, but for emotional reasons or a lack of investor interest in the abandoned factories were spared.

Soon, the area became a place of pilgrimage for artists looking for space and freedom 'in the metropolis.

The first step that led to the CREATION of what is now Area dates back to when some 798 artists of the Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing decided to take on rent the space inside to use as a sculpture workshops. These areas were leased out of use within the complex 798.

In the '50s, factories engaged in the production, were numbered in military style: in addition to 798, the numbers were 718, 706, 707, 751, all were then subsequently grouped under the name "Union 798 factories."

The art workshop was to launch the final pero 'in 2000, when Robert, an American fan of Chinese culture, opened an art library, taking advantage of the space of a former canteen worker. Two years later, with the presence of the artist Huang Rui and Xu Yong, 798 began to turn into a real art center. More and more 'artists moved there to live and work under the influence of Robert, Huang Rui and Xu Yong.

In early 2002, all the main buildings of the complex, some over 1000 square feet, were leased to individual artists oaa groups. So many to realize the potential of the area after the first major art exhibition was organized within: the area began 'to attract not only artists, but also entrepreneurs in the service sector, of luxury and clothing that rented a floor to floor in an all spaces in the area.

present the complex 798 is made up of about 20 000 square meters, completely dedicated to art, with studies that serve as arenas for performances and workshops of various kinds. The "settlers" of the talking about the 798 compare to the district of Soho in New York where the factories are kept in their original state without being altered.

May 2004 was a particularly intense month of activity 'to the center that houses' the first festival devoted entirely to art, and thirty activities' various cultural: visionary art exhibitions and concerts, accompanied by sound, dance, theater, performance art, architecture and design exhibitions. 4 were also organized film festival and 8 exhibitions with over 200 artists.

It was in that year that the Chinese art began to be known to an audience increasingly internazionale.Parallelamente to his artistic development, the area has also seen growing its economic value, so 'what was originally derelict land in the shadow of the bulldozer is now estimated figures in the billions RMB. This dramatic increase in the value of the area caused an increase in rents, but the problems are not over 798 'cause you more and more' concrete the intention of the Government of the City 'to create a new industrial zone for the production of components electronic.

That the intention to build an industrial zone is real or a project in the drawer of some bureaucrat at the time of little interest to the inhabitants of the area, what more 'worries are the increases in affitti.I first artists who moved to' Internal area miss the atmosphere of intimacy 'and quiet' you breathe when 798 was still a stage, but only a small village of art workshops.
always been against opening the area to the public, their only intention was to contribute to the survival of the factory itself, with a place to create in freedom '. Huang Rui, who recently returned from Japan and ' one component of the "team of artists," the authors photo album titled "798 in Beijing." Each artist draws of the 798 involved in this photographic collection that aims to preserve the heritage represented by 798. The same Robert 'was involved with the function of mediator between the artists and owners of fabbriche.La owns a boutique in the area and' sure the area is not verra'smantellata. "The Beijing Olympics are coming and should have their own spaces to show the best contemporary art in which 'rich! Anyone trying to demolish this area will 'certainly be remembered as a criminal! "He adds," ... the people who live and work a798 feels compelled to do something to preserve the area! "

In an area of \u200b\u200b100 square meters to 10 meters above the couple lives and works of artists Sun Yuan and Peng Yu ", were among the first to rent space in 798. For these as with other local artists, 798 and 'now in the true sense of the word home, a place to live for art. Almost every day, journalists and curious knock on their door asking to look around. Peng Yu says: "I just can not understand what they expect to find or because 'they consider that our life in the public domain."

asks Sun what you think of the possibility 'that the area is dismantled respond in a pragmatic way of defining a passing pilgrim, and that after a place or the other. Not long ago they were in fact initiated the work of dismantling, suddenly suspended indefinitely. "I will not let 'my lab until the bulldozers will not arrive in front of the door!" A comment by an artist who best sums up the feelings of most of the artists.

2007


Links:

The Republic on "798"

Jet Log on "798 "

Wikipedia (in English)

Luxflus of 798