1-Day Beijing Theme: 798 Contemporary Art and the Panda House

798 is the clearest place in China to see what happened when state industry and contemporary art were given the same buildings. The halls went up in the 1950s with East German engineering help, as part of the electronics complex numbered 718, and when the factories emptied in the 1990s artists took the studios because the light was good and the rent was nothing. The result is a district of Bauhaus sawtooth roofs holding galleries, project spaces and the odd commercial showroom, and the morning is spent in the galleries that are actually showing rather than the ones with the biggest doors. The afternoon shifts register entirely, to Beijing Zoo, founded in 1906, and its panda house, which remains the reason most visitors come and the best place in the city to watch a giant panda behave like a bear rather than a logo.

• Walk the Bauhaus factory halls of 798, built in the 1950s with East German engineering support for the electronics complex numbered 718.
• Trace how a state factory district became the country's densest concentration of contemporary galleries after artists moved in during the 1990s.
• Spend the morning in the galleries that are currently showing, chosen on the day from the exhibition calendar rather than from a fixed list.
• See the panda house at Beijing Zoo, which opened in 1906 as the Wansheng Garden under the Guangxu emperor and is one of the oldest zoos in China.
• Watch giant pandas at feeding time, when they are active, rather than at midday when they sleep, which is why the zoo is in the afternoon and the art in the morning.
• Compare the two economies on the same day: a district funded by galleries and coffee, and a zoo funded by tickets and school parties.
• End with dinner near the zoo or back in the city, with the option of a gallery opening if one falls on your date.

• Meals as listed in the itinerary, with dietary requirements and allergies arranged in advance
• Private air-conditioned vehicle with licensed driver throughout, plus airport or station transfers on arrival and departure
• Professional English-speaking guide throughout the programme
• All entrance fees to the sites named in the itinerary, including the 798 Art District and Beijing Zoo and the panda house, with shuttle buses and cable cars merged into the ticket price where the site requires them
• Travel insurance at 30 CNY per person per day
• Luggage handling where group size requires it
• Bottled water, tour headsets where group size requires them, and local handling services
• All government taxes and service charges as itemised in the quotation

• International air tickets to and from China, and any domestic flights or high-speed rail fares not listed in the itinerary
• China visa fees, invitation letters and any documentation costs
• Meals and drinks not listed in the itinerary, including all alcoholic beverages
• Optional evening performances, additional excursions and any activity not named in the itinerary
• Personal expenses: laundry, telephone, minibar, shopping and personal items
• Gratuities for guides and drivers (entirely at your discretion)
• Anything not expressly listed under “What is included”
• Costs arising from events beyond our control, such as flight delays, weather, or changes to opening hours or site access

Frequently asked questions

Is the art in 798 actually good, or is it commercial?

Both, and the two are in different buildings. The district has serious project spaces and non-profit rooms alongside commercial galleries and shops, and the guide takes you to the former, checking the exhibition calendar on the morning rather than following a fixed route.

Will we definitely see pandas?

You will see the pandas that are at the zoo, which is a breeding and display collection rather than a reserve. They are outdoors in mild weather and indoors in extreme heat or cold, and the panda house is a short walk from the main gate.

Is this a good day for children?

It is the best of the theme days for a mixed-age group, because the zoo half carries the children and the gallery half is short enough to survive. The two sites are about 30 minutes apart by car.

Can the two halves be swapped?

Yes. If your group would rather do the zoo first, we reverse the order, though the pandas are more active in the morning and the galleries open later, so the version we run by default is the better one.