In which I hang out with a new friend and take ridiculous pictures.
At the Photo Club’s photo scavenger hunt meetup I met a new Chinese friend named Yue. We weren’t on the same Photomon Go team, but we talked a lot before and after the event and got each other’s contact information. At the end of Golden Week I needed a break from being at home all the time, so Yue and I planned to spend my day off at 798 Art District, one of Beijing’s iconic hangouts. The area is a lot like downtown Asheville, but with less street musicians and restaurants and more art galleries. Some exhibitions are free to enter, others require a small entrance fee.
Yue and I met up in the morning and spent almost the whole day walking around there. The weather was crisp but not freezing, the air pollution was low, and so it was just a nice day to hang out. It wasn’t the first time I’d visited the area; I went back in May with my study abroad group (see bottom of this post). However, it was my first time visiting since I’d come to live in Beijing.
Me and Yue enjoying my first taste of Tanghulu~ Pretty good way to start off the day!
The first exhibition we visited was themed around this marbled style.
It’s an entire deer made out of the stuff!
There were a few more sculptures outside. Yue found a new friend!
Hey! Why won’t he share?
Showing off the iconic steampunk vibe of 798. The whole place is a converted factories and warehouses.
No phone in the phone booth, but that’s ok. I brought my own. Oh, wait a minute….
The most fun part was posing with all the sculptures lining the streets. Remember that we met at a photography meetup!
Oh! Ok, we’re really going to do ALL the statues now, huh? This is my best rabbit impression. One take, booya!
I have inspired Yue do something which she otherwise wouldn’t have. I hope this means I’m a good role model.
WHY ARE WE YELLING?
Just trying to fit in
Joining the choir
Hehehehehehe
What… is this?
Happiest sculpture we could find.
The baby makes this pose look easy!
So what if it’s chilly out? Ice cream break! Finally I have somebody to share with. ^-^
The Korean ice cream place had an unreasonably large and adorable teddy bear.
Thanks to the ice cream we enjoyed a very late lunch. While I finish my noodles Yue is having fun taking photos of her reflection. This is my “really, pictures of a spoon?” face.
It was nice to spend a whole day in 798 Art District (we still didn’t see everything, though that could be because we walked in circles a few times). I may have been before, but it’s an ever-changing place.
It was great to spend the day with Yue and get to know her better. Although she’s Chinese, she’s new to Beijing too. We’re looking forward to hanging together again in the future!
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As if this post didn’t already have enough pictures, I’ll include a few more below from when I visited 798 Art District back in May with my study abroad group. That 3-day tour of Beijing was a jam-packed blur of activities and I never got a chance to sit down and publish blog posts from many of our field trips. Now that I’m living in the city, I can actually look/go back and soak in the experiences. It’s never too late to share good photos!
Dr. Li, looking awesome as usual.
Just a couple of the adorable strays that are all too common in China.
Me, trying to navigate.
I really like this painting for some reason.
I now live in the city where I first arrived in China. Although I didn’t stay very long the first time, it’s interesting to see how in some ways my experiences in China have come full circle.
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