 his year will mark a milestone for China, as the country hosts the 2008 Olympic Games. The focus, of course, will be on the nation's capital, Beijing, which is also the country’s artistic and cultural center.
After art and culture was used as a Communist propaganda tool during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), avant-garde art burst onto the scene in the 1980s and 1990s. And today, it is in full boom. Indeed, there’s a new Cultural Revolution underway in Beijing and its surroundings.
While the central part of the city is exploding with new highways and high-rises, on the outskirts, some of the country’s leading artists are building  massive studios to go alongside the mushrooming number of new galleries, museums and art centers.
Everyone knows Dashanzi , or “798,” the former factory grounds that have been revamped into the country's hottest arts district, a kind of Soho of the East. Stroll its long corridors and you will find artists, designers, collectors, book worms and wannabe artists.
But there are more than a dozen other arts districts and art villages now under construction all over this sprawling city. No one has clearly mapped them all because they can't – there are simply too many. But the sites and the ambitions behind them are breathtaking.
All the world's major galleries and museums now want to have a space in Beijing or Shanghai; from Pace Gallery and Gagosian to the Guggenheim , and every major museum, curator and collector has begun to consider China as fertile ground. Those who are already thriving are moving out of their old studios and building something to match their ambitions.
Few studios are as impressive as Zeng Fanzhi 's masterpiece, which he himself designed after years of searching for the right ancient stones, the right wood, the right lighting, perspective and Feng Shui. He is not just a wealthy artist, he is one of the artists helping to remake Beijing's art scene with his own sense of style -- a blend of European simplicity with Chinese traditional characteristics.
This is just the beginning for Beijing. Don't be fooled by the snarled traffic and pollution you'll find when you first get to the city. Underneath it, or beneath it, hidden off the freeway exits and behind the building mess, are some truly cool places.
Below is ArtZineChina ’s guide to where to stay, where to play and where to see the artistic and cultural spaces in the world’s next great capital, Beijing.
WHERE TO STAY:
  y the Olympics, every hotel might be booked, but clearly the best hotels in town are the five-star spaces. The Grand Hyatt , right on Chang’an Avenue and a skip away from Tiananmen Square, is still the tops, and it will cost you. The building is a giant glistening glass sheath, which artists have used as the setting for irreverent photographs, like those of Chi Peng , a recent graduate of the city’s top arts academy, the Central Academy of Fine Arts . Chi Peng is profiled in this magazine. Click here .
But there’s also the Beijing Kerry Centre , part of the Shangri-La Group, and the China World Hotel , which is also part of the Shangri-La Group and in the Central Business District, not far from  center city. The St. Regis , where Bill Clinton and Michael Jordan have stayed, is also first rate, and has just undergone a major renovation. In the same area are some new hotels, such as the Ritz Carlton and the Sofitel in a newly developed business area along Chang’an Avenue, or the Avenue of Eternal Peace. If you are looking for something a bit cheaper try the smaller, boutique options, such as the Red Capital Residence , a cool courtyard space, or the Hotel Cote Cour and Bamboo Garden Hotel , a Qing official’s former residence. Another new place is the Hotel Kopak , also not far from Tiananmen . The boutique hotel was created by a well known Chinese designer named Pei Zhu .The Pei Zhu Studio is behind some major projects in China, especially Beijing, including an award winning design of Digital Beijing, part of the Olympics. The Peninsula Palace is also quite nice.
The Park Hyatt Beijing will be opening soon, in center city. And the Ascott Beijing offers service apartments and hotel rooms in the World Trade Center area. A lengthier list of hotels appears at the bottom of this page. Another excellent spot, not far from Tiananmen Square, is the Raffles Beijing Hotel.
WHERE TO EAT:
  very year, there are more and more choices here. And while Beijing still falls short of Hong Kong and Shanghai, there are plenty of great places to go.
The Green T House , which has two dazzling locations, is clearly the coolest place in town. It's one of our top picks. The owner, who once played traditional Chinese music, has a style all her own, and one unique to China. This is a place every art and design lover just has to see; a downtown location that is ever so cool at night, with oddly tall Qing dynasty chairs, flowing curtains, beautiful candles, movies projected on walls, and a sense of ambience that is hard to describe. She fuses something truly modern with something utterly Chinese.
But there is much more in Beijing.  Tiandi Yijia is the city’s new five star Chinese restaurant, also with a dazzling design that seeks to blend modernism with traditional motifs.
And if you want something completely over the top, try the Lan Club , created by a wealthy restaurant entrepreneur Zhang Lan , who brought in designer Philippe Starck to create a stunning, loud, wild, restaurant and bar space where art hangs from the ceilings and bathroom stalls are decorated with sofas. Strangely, it’s in a place called the Twins Shopping Mall, but it’s a place you shouldn’t miss. Ms. Zhang has also purchased art works by some of the country’s leading painters, like Liu Xiaodong and Fang Lijun .
 Get away from the main thoroughfare and get a feel of the old city. That's what many visitors want to see. So head to an area called Houhai and visit Nuage , a stylish Vietnamese restaurant, or drop in on a group of other fine restaurants that line the river walk. It’s increasingly touristy there, but can still be a delight for first time visitors to the city, particularly at night when older Beijingers line up to dance.
Beijing also has a good Japanese restaurant called Haiku , and the very small Li Family Restaurant , which has a set menu. Bill Gates has eaten there; but be forewarned, it’s very small and you need a reservation. For great Beijing Duck, try the
Dadong Road Duck Restaurant ; vegetarians might like Pure Lotus .
The Loft Restaurant is also nice; and a bit further out of town, but still good, is Alameda, a Brazilian restaurant with big hunks of steak.
Those who have a fancy for mixing art and food have plenty of spots to choose from, including restaurants run by gallery owners or famous artists. Le Quai is one of the best, founded by Art Now gallery, and featured on this web site. Click here . Also, Handel Lee’s Legation Club has just opened in the former American Embassy area. Lee, a distinguished lawyer who grew up in the U.S., helped create Shanghai’s dazzling Three on the Bund space. He also runs the Courtyard Gallery and the Courtyard Restaurant , among the city’s finest dining experiences.
Ai Wei Wei , the artist, also has a pair of restaurants in Beijing, including “Qu Nar.” Fang Lijun , known for painting baldheaded drifters, has opened six highly  acclaimed restaurants, including South Silk Road and Yuelu Montain. Many of his restaurants show art works he and his friends have collected.
Three Guizhou Men was also started by artists. In 798 arts district has a really fine café and restaurant where the art crowd hang out during the day. It's called the At Cafe, and it was founded by Huang Rui , one of the country’s pioneering artists. And it’s not the only nice place to eat at 798 . Then there is Tian Xia Yan, also in the 798 Dashanzi Arts District. This is a Sichuan cafe opened by the artist and photographer Cang Xin, who is known for photographs of himself licking the ground, plates and every other conceivable thing.
NIGHTLIFE:
There's plenty to do in Beijing after dark. Tourists like to go to San Litun, in the old diplomatic area, for its bars and street life. But the area is also known for being seedy and having lots of prostitutes. A more upscale crowd of foreigners and wealthy Chinese end up at the Kerry Center hotel's bar, Centro Bar & Lounge, or The World of Suzie WOng, an upscale bar and night club. Another great spot is Houhai, where there is also a lively evening crowd, with good bars and restaurants, including House By the Park, designed by the Singaporean Tung Lok Group.
ARTS DISTRICTS & STUDIOS:
 he place to start is clearly “798,” which is profiled here in this magazine. Click here . The former military factory grounds are a series of old brick buildings transformed into art galleries, studios and little shops and restaurants. The Ullens Center for Contemporary Art is here, in a massive space that recently opened with an exhibition of Chinese art from the 1980s. The huge center was funded by the Miriam & Guy Ullens Foundation and is one of the area's most impressive spaces. The Ullens have spent millions building a giant art center and also hired Fei Dawei to act as the director. The couple already have one of the world's largest collections of Chinese contemporary art, over 1,500 pieces.
A good guide to the area is at National Geographic . Click here . Another guide here.
But there are many strong galleries here, such as the Long March Space , Red Gate Gallery , Cheng Xindong Gallery and Chinese Contemporary . Also, Galleria Continua , one of the best spaces. Great books and magazines (and light snacks) can be found at Robert Bernell's Timezone8 , the bookstore, where you can also get light snacks and hot tea. Bernell is a fixture in the Chinese art scene for years and knows many of the artists in the area. There are great posters and photographs and books at the 798 Photo Gallery .
Not very far from “798 is Cao Changdi , an area which has several buildings designed by Ai Weiwei, the artist and architect who played a role in designing the Olympic stadium, the so-called “Bird’s Nest.” Urs Meile Galerie , which represents artists like Ai Weiwei and Lu Hao, is here and is a must visit. Click here for our article on Urs Meile .] The Pekin Fine Arts gallery is also in Cao Changdi.
Zeng Fanzhi ’s studio is nearby, and so is the F2 Gallery , Universal Studios and Three Shadows Photography Art Center , which was created by a pair of the country’s best photographers, Rong Rong (one of the country's leading avant-garde photographers who gained fame in Beijing's East Village during the 1990s) and Inri , his wife, who is Japanese born but now lives here and speaks excellent Chinese.
 Songzhuang is another area teeming with artists villages. Here is a link to some of the lesser known artists. Click here . But also, many of the country’s most prominent artists live and work in the area, including Fang Lijun , Sui Jianguo , Lin Tianmiao and Wang Gongxin and Yue Minjun . And there are many more under construction. If you are fortunate enough to tour studios, don’t miss seeing Zhang Xiaogang , Wang Guangyi and Feng Zhengjie . Among the other art notables to see in Beijing are the writer, [/b][/url] the renowned critic Li Xianting , Philip Tinari , a writer and curator who just published a book of photographs of artists in their homes and studios, and Pi Li , Leng Lin and Zhu Qi, the young curators who are considered a leader of the next generation; also, Weng Ling , formerly of the Shanghai Gallery of Art , has just returned to Beijing and she is certain to be a force on the scene here, since  she went to school with leading artists such as Fang Lijun and Liu Wei .
Guan Yi , the Chinese born collector, has one of the largest collections of Chinese contemporary art, and he occasionally offers tours of his home and private museums. Now, he’s planning on building a modern space to house most of his works. Also, you might not find him because he’s the quiet one, but Gu Dexin is one of the country’s most talented artists, and he doesn’t usually carry a cell phone.
 Beijing is also home to the country’s finest art school, the Central Academy of Fine Arts , which has produced the lion’s share of the country’s fabulous artists.
(Sui Jianguo , Liu Xiaodong and Yu Hong are on the faculty). The other top schools are theChina Academy of Art in Hangzhou, near Shanghai, and Sichuan Academy of Fine Art , in western China. The school’s now led by Fan Dian and Xu Bing , one of the country’s most famous artists, has just moved back to China after being away for nearly 20 years to assume the post of vice president. He is a McArthur Genius Award winner.
Cai Guoqiang has also come back, to build a studio near the Forbidden City and to join the creative team preparing for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics, which are sure to have his trademark artistic fireworks display.
HOTELS:
Ascott Beijing , 108 B Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District Central, (86 10 6567.8100)
Bamboo Garden , 24 Xiaoshiqiao Lane, Jiugulou Street, Xicheng District (86 10 5852.0088)
Bayhood No.9 9 Anwai Beihu, Chaoyang District (86 10 6491 9797
China World Hotel , No.1, Jian Guo Men Wai Avenue, Chaoyang District, Beijing, (86 10 6505.2266)
Grand Hyatt , 1 Dong chang An Jie (86 10 8518.1234)
Hotel Cote Cour , No.70, Yan Yue Hu Tong Dong Cheng Qu, Beijing, (86 10 6512.8020/86 10 6512.7295)
Hotel Kopak , No.16 Donghuamen Street, Beijing (86 10 6525 9988)
Kerry Center , 1 Guang Hua Road, BEIJING, (8610 6561.8833)
Park Hyatt Beijing , 2 Jianguomenwai Avenue, Chaoyang district, Beijing (86 10 8567 1234)
Peninsula Palace , 8 Goldfish Lane, Wangfujing, Beijing, (86 10 8516.2888)
Red Capital Club , No. 66 Dongsi Jiutiao, Dongcheng District, Beijing, (86 10 8401.6152)
Raffles Beijing Hotel , No.33 East Chang An Street, Beijing, (86 10 6526.3388)
Ritz Carlton , No. 83A Jian Guo Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, (86 10 5908.8888)
Shangri-La Beijing , 29 Zizhuyuan Road, Beijing, (86 10 6841.2211)
Sofitel , No. 93 Jianguo Road,Chaoyang district, Beijing (86 10 8599 6666)
St. Regis Hotel , 21 Jianguomenwai Avenue, Chaoyang district, Beijing (86 10 6460.6688)
FOOD & NIGHTLIFE:
Alameda , San Litun Bar North, inside Nali Mall, (86 10 6417.8084)
At Cafe, 4 Jiu Xian Qiao Road, Dashanzi, 798 Arts District, (86 10 6438.7264)
Courtyard Restaurant , 95 Donghuamen Avenue, Beijing, (8610 6526.8883)
Dadong Road Duck Restaurant , Bldg 3, Tuanjiehu Beikou, Dongsanhuan Lu, (8610 6582.2892/4003)
Green T. House Living New China Food. No. 318 Cuigezhuang Xiang Hege Zhuongcun Chaoyang, (86 10 6434.2519)
Green T House New China food. No.6 West Gongti Road, Chaoyang District, (86 10 6552 8310/11)
Lan Club , 4F Twin Towers, b-12, Jianguomen Wai Da Jie, (86 10 5109.6012)
Le Quai, No.12, Worker Stadium, Chaoyang District,Beijing, (8610 6551.1636/5155)
Nuage , Hou Hai, No. 22 Qianhai Lake, Xicheng District (86 10 6401.9581)
Legation Club
Li Family Restaurant , Traditional Chinese food. No.11 Yangfang Hutong, Deshengmennei Avenue, Chaoyang District (86 10 5154 4800)
Loft Restaurant, No. 4 Worker Stadium North, Chaoyang District (86 10 6501 7501)
Nuage , No.22 Qianhai Lake East Band, Beijing, (86 10 6401.9581/6402.1663)
Pink Loft , No. 6 San Litun South (86 10 6506.8811)
Pure Lotus, China Wenlian Courtyard, Changhong Bridge, (86 10 6592.3627)
Qu Nar, 16 Dongsanhuan Beilu, (8610 6508.1597)
South Silk Road , Soho New Town 3F Building D, 88 Jianguo Road (86 10 8580.4286)
Three Guizhou Men , 1/2F Building 7, Jian Wai Soho, 39 Dongsanhuan Road, (86 10 5869.0598)
Tiandi Yijia , No.140, Nan Chi Zi Ave, East City District,Beijing, (86 10 8511.5556/5557)
Hatsune , East Guanghua Road (86 10 6581 3939)
Tian Xia Yan, 4 Jiu Xianqiao Lu, 798 Dashanzi Arts District (86 10 6432.3571)
Yuelu Montain's Qian Hai branch, 6 Lotus Lan 51-10 Dianmen Xida Jie (8610 6617.2696)
Red Capital Club , No. 66 Dongsi Jiu Tiao (86 10 6402.7150)
Centro Bar , Shangri-La Kerry Centre, 1 Guanghua Lu (86 10 6561.8833, ext. 42)
The Orchard, continental European food.  Hegezhuang Villege Cuigezhuang Township, Chaoyang District (86 10 6433 6270)
The Dinning Room , Cantonese fusion. Beyhood No.9, Chaoyang District (86 10 8491 9797)
Kagen, Japansese food. Heqiao Group Building B1, 8A Guanghua Road, Chaoyang District (86 10 6581 3939)
House by the Park , Modern Chinese cuisine. 2/F Club House, Block 19, China Central Place, 89 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang district (86 10 6530 7770)
Danieli’s , Northern and central Italian. St. Regis Hotel, 21 Jianguomenwai Avenue, Chaoyang District (86 10 6460 6688 ext 2441)
Face ,Classical thai and north Indian food.26 East Caoyuan, South Gongti Road, Chaoyang Distict (86 10 6551 6788)
Garden of Delights , Contemporary Latin American food. No.53 Donganmen Avenue, Dongcheng District (86 10 5138 5688)
Jaan Modern French food. 33East Chang’an Avenue, Dongcheng District (86 10 6526 3388)
My Humble House Modern Chinese, Beijing Oriental Plaza, Podium Level W3#01-07, Office Towers, 1East Chang’an Avenue, Dongcheng District (86 10 8518 8811)
The World of Suzie Wong , a chic Hong Kong club serves wine, cocktails. 1A South Nongzhanguan Road, west gate, Chaoyang Park, Chaoyang District (86 10 6593 6049)
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