Explore China {Beijing 798 Art Zone}

In our quest to find new places to explore we often ask Chinese locals and expats. A frequent recommendation from several expats was to explore the Beijing 798 Art Zone.

We probably didn’t time our visit the best. After a long day of traveling and some appointments, we made our way to the 798 district. We ended up unknowingly taking the extra long route, so the kids were a bit done for the day before we even got there.

We tried to make the most of it and look around for as long as we could before little ones started falling apart.

Most of the streets were lined in murals and graffiti art. There were a couple murals I was hoping to see, but we didn’t find them. The district was a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be. In hindsight, I would have mapped out the exact locations of the murals and sculptures I wanted to see. You win some, you lose some.

They were troopers. Despite being tired, they knew I wanted to look around, so they did their best to have good attitudes. I appreciated their extra effort…ice cream for everyone. Thank you kids.

Overall, it was a really cool district. I think I would value time wandering its’ streets if I was a resident of Beijing. There were so many tourists and western style shops/cafes. I can see how it would feel like a little retreat for those that want a bit of a taste of home while living far away. Since our time in China is limited (we only have 5 more weeks!), we want to wander the streets where we see few to zero tourists. However, it is fun to show the kids the diversity of a large city and the incredible variety of the districts.

And we got delicious ice cream.

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The SnapShop + Mpix giveaway winner has been contacted. I am not announcing the name – in case she wants to use it towards a Father’s Day gift! Reading about the fathers you are celebrating was so encouraging. There are a lot of inspiring men in your lives!