After being dropped off by cab we ventured into the a book store, selling both Chinese and English art books. A couple of us history students jumped on a book chronicling the propaganda posters starting in the early 1900s. We then had dinner in a cafe catering to Western tastes. Pasta carbonara and Club sandwiches were our picks, chosen in an attempt to quell the taste of scorpion, chicken heart and octupus/squid balls eaten at Wangfujing the week before.

We then walked through the galleries.  I was surprised to see how the communist movement is still such a pervasive influence on art - Mao’s portrait appeared in many different pieces, be it on the oversized stack of 100 kuai bills or a collage of Little Red Books. Another highlight was the sculpture variations of Buddhas, basically overly obese statues lounging in ratan chairs.

I’m still so shocked by how architecturally modern this city is. I guess my expectations (which I shouldn’t have had in the first place) were based on images of the poorer side of China, but these buildings were incredibly beautiful, bringing together the old factories with cosmopolitan architecture.

It really was great to take a break from the hustle and bustle of Beijing city life, to see how the rich artistic side of the city flourishes in this area.

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