Dashanzi - arts, culture, eating, drinking by mke1963
Dashanzi is a well-kept secret. Few taxi drivers even know of the place, yet it is less than a kilometre from the touruist hub of the Lido area.Dashanzi is an old factory and power station area, which has become a focus for many new galleries, clubs, bars and restaurants.
It is centred around a former Bauhaus-style radio factory. An art gallery has been constructed in the shell, and a photo gallery (Beijing's best) in an annexe. In the collection of old brick buildings, huts and grimy industrial buildings a new arts complex is developing, unplanned, unstructured and unashamed.
So far, there are maybe 20 tenants, all at the cutting edge of the Beijing scene.
Getting there is very difficult unless you already have a good map.
From the Lido, complex turn right, then left at the lights bringing you to the Dashanzi roundabout, take the left turn onto Jiuxian Qiaolu (but not the road that takes you under the expressway to Wang Jing for those who know Wang Jing!), heading north. Immediately before the second pedestrian overbridge, turn down the lane to the right past some security guards (The lane is immediately before the tall Hong Yuan appartment complex) and head to the end of the road...maybe 300 metres.
Taxi drivers will know Jiuxian Qiaolu but it is a long road.