Chinezii o stiu simplu drept 798, 七九八, adica “ci cio pa” dupa cum am inteles ca se citeste. Este un centru cultural imens dedicat artelor plastice, amenajat intr-un fost parc industrial. Daca nu ar fi oamenii si inscriptiile, ai crede ca te afli undeva in Europa pentru ca halele de caramida au fost construite de arhitecti germani (Germania socialista) in anii 50, in stilul Bauhaus. Ceea ce pana acum zece ani era o muribunda zona a capitalei chineze, pulseaza acum de culoare, tineret, viata si creativitate. Am petrecut acolo poate cea mai frumoasa zi din calatoria recenta in China. Asta si datorita lui Dan Tomozei, jurnalist angajat de aproape 3 ani al sectiei romane a Radio China International si colegei sale de la sectia vietnameza care vorbea foarte bine chineza. Pozele in care apar eu sunt facute de Dan, restul imi apartin. (Mihai Constantin) 798 are evident site de internet, www.798art.org

The area occupied by Beijing 798 Art Zone was once the place for Beijing North China wireless joint equipment factory (namely, 718 Joint Factory), which was designed and built by the experts of former G.D.R in the 1950s. The Joint Factory was designed to be built in 1952 , constructed from 1954,put into production in October 1957.
The designing task of the 718 Joint Factory was in the charge of a German architectural institution in Dessau, which lied in the same city with Bauhaus school at that time and they two shared the same architectural spirits whose main characteristics are meeting the practical demands; bringing the technical and aesthetic property of new materials and new structure into effect; designing simply and composing pictures vividly with flexibility. That is the genre what later called Bauhaus.
On The April ,1964, the supervisor units canceled the organizational system of 718, established 706,707,718,797,798 and 751. The former six factories of 700, 706, 707, 718, 797, and 798 were reorganized and incorporated into Beijing Sevenstar Science and Technology Co., LTD in December, 2000. To cooperate the reforming plan of Dashanzi Area ,the Seven Group rented out these plants for short term. Attracted by ordered designing, convenient traffic, unique style of Bauhaus architecture, many art organizations and artists came to rent the vacant plants and transformed them, gradually formed a district gathered galleries, art studios, cultural companies, fashion shops etc. As the earliest area where the art organizations and artists moved in located in the original area of 798 factory, this place was named as Beijing 798 Art Zone. Pace, una dintre cele mai mari galerii din lume, nu-si permite sa lipseasca din 798. O harta nu strica. Spatiul este vast si obiectivele nenumarate. Cred ca in aproximativ sapte ore petrecute acolo, la capatul carora talpile ardeau si muschii erau in prag de revolta, am apucat sa calc cu piciorul cel mult jumatate din ce are 798 de oferit. Un loc bun pentru fotografiile de nunta. Chinezii – ca si noi de altfel – pun mare pret pe portofoliul lor nuptial. O binevenita pauza la una din terase. Pe motocicleta asta poti vedea 798 asa cum ai citit si tu articolul: stand pe loc. Dar chiar daca nu m-a ajutat la deplasare, a fost o tentanta oportunitate de foto si joaca. Acesta este abia un prim tur al “ci cio pa”. Voi reveni cu alte fotoreportaje dedicate diverselor expozitii gasite acolo.