Discovering Beijing’s industrial-strength beauty

Because of these changes I thought finding a former factory site still in existence and walkable would be impossible. That was until friends asked if I had been out to Dashanzi on the eastern edge of the city, toward the airport.

Even today, no subway line directly connects Dashanzi with downtown. Initially I would take a taxi, and later my preferred mode of transport was public bus 403. Starting from Beijing Railway Station, it crosses the former walls at Jianguomen, heading towards Yonganli and Guomao. Running alongside the Airport Express, it eventually reaches Dashanzi. Signs indicate 798 Art Zone, for that is what much of the area is today. With its mixture of galleries, designer stores, coffee shops within the framework of 1950s industrial buildings, it has become a must-visit section of Beijing for tourists.

The complex occupies a vast area which took me several visits before I really started to comprehend its scale. Even today I still wander in awe while looking at the many buildings and workshops. Much is connected by a network of overhead pipes, some carrying steam but also gases from now disused storage tanks and gasometers.