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WHEN TO GO

Spring or fall is best. Temperatures average 55 to 79 degrees in September and May, the month when the annual Dashanzi International Art Festival takes place.

GETTING THERE

Beijing's Capital Airport has 98 international air routes linking the city to 39 countries. From the States, stopovers are typical, but United Airlines and Air China offer direct service from JFK, LAX, and San Francisco. Continental flies nonstop from Newark, as does United from Chicago O'Hare.

GETTING AROUND

Taxis are relatively cheap in Beijing. Unless you are fluent in Mandarin, have the address of your destination written out in Chinese. The subway is also easy to use but doesn't go out to Dashanzi.

GALLERIES

Red Gate
The respected gallery's new space at 798 was previously a liquor factory.
2 Jiuxianqiao Rd.; 86-10/ 6438-1005; www.redgategallery.com.

Chinese Contemporary
Factory 798, 4 Jiuxianqiao Rd.; 86-10/8456-2421; www.chinesecontemporary.com.

Long March Space (formerly 25,000 Li Cultural Transmission Center)
Factory 798, 4 Jiuxianqiao Rd.; 86-10/6438-7107; www.longmarchspace.com.

Imagine Gallery Laiguangying Donglu
Feijiacun Donglu and Laiguangying Donglu, Chaoyang; 86-10/6438-5747; www.imagine-gallery.com.

China Art & Archives Warehouse
A gallery opposite the Nangao police station, in an area just outside The Fifth Ring Road.
Caochangdi Cun, Jichang Fulu; 86-10/8456-5152.

WHERE TO STAY

Bamboo Garden Hotel
Charming hotel in a small hutong near the Jiugulou subway stop.
24 Xiao Shiqiao Jiugulou Dajie, Xicheng; 86-10/6403-2229; www.bbgh.com.cn; doubles from $94.

Grand Hyatt
A modern, elegant retreat steps from Tiananmen Square.
1 E. Chang An Ave.; 800/233-1234 or 86-10/8518-1234; beijing.grand.hyatt.com; doubles from $180.

WHERE TO EAT

South Silk Road
Spicy Yunnanese food cooled by a sleek interior at either location of this eatery owned by the painter Fang Lijun.
19A Lotus Lane, Shichahai, Xicheng, 86-10/6615-5515; or 3D Soho New Town Bldg., 88 Jianguo Rd., Chaoyang, 86-10/ 8580-4286; dinner for two $21.

Bed Tapas & Bar
Spanish and Asian tapas in a fashionable lounge.
17 Zhangwang Hutong, Dongcheng; 86-10/8400-1554; dinner for two $31.

Qu Nar
Delicious Zhejiang cuisine in artist Ai Weiwei's restaurant—tucked away in a lane behind the La Popo sign.
16 Dongsanhuan Bei Rd., Chaoyang; 86-10/6508-1597; dinner for two $15.

Arts Coffee Haven
25 Chengxian Jie St., Dongcheng; 86-10/6405-2047; dessert for two $10.

WHERE TO SHOP

Guang Han Tang Chinese Antique Furniture & Art
Treasures spotted here recently: a Ming dynasty bed; pharmacy cabinets smelling of medicinal herbs. Ships internationally.
Jichuang Fulu, near Nangao Rd., East Dashanzi, Chaoyang; 86-10/8456-7945; www.guanghantang.com.

WHAT TO READ

Exhibiting Experimental Art in China
By Wu Hung. Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago, 2000.

Rong Rong's East Village
By Wu Hung. Chambers Fine Art, 2003.

Tui-Transfiguration By Rong Rong and Inri. Timezone 8, 2004.

Beijing 798 Edited by Huang Rui. Timezone 8, 2004. A 50-year history of the Factory.

Nine Lives: The Birth of Avant-Garde Art in New China
By Karen Smith. Scalo Verlag, 2005.

Most titles are available through Timezone 8 bookstore, Factory 798. 86-10/8456-0336; www.timezone8.com.

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