Given that I only had one day off this time and I had covered all the main sights during my first visit to Beijing back in 2010 - 6 years already! - I decided to explore the things I never got to see, the contemporary side of the city. 798 Art Zone is the absolute top of the list, but I always find it nice to end the first day exploring the shopping areas. Just like supermarkets, all malls are almost the same but each place has its own special treats (anyone remember the boats in Singapore?) and I am quite keen to check this out.
Sanlitun is a popular area among expats where the nightlife feels a lot like Roppongi (Tokyo) or Lan Kwai Fong (Hong Kong). However, I captured the area during daytime, focusing on:
- The Place: A mall with the largest outdoor LED screen I ever seen (250 x 30 meter)
- TaiKoo Li Sanlitun: Hosting cool stores and restaurants, the largest ADIDAS store on Earth.
The Place
While it was switched off during my visit, you can get an idea of how it looks like in this video. The mall reminds a bit of the Venus Place in Odaiba (Tokyo) with some strange Italian-like decorations of questionable taste. Still, it has many Korean and Japanese stores, so I felt like home even if I could not afford much (my diplomatic way to say anything). Quite fun to check out, I guess it's even better with the screen on.
The backstreets
I walked from there to my next stop. I strongly believe that foot is the best way to explore a huge city, even when it takes longer time, it is often the only way to experience the city unveil in front of you. Often the unexpected awaits in the interim alleys or under the rail tracks. Who could have guessed that amid these fancy and modern buildings I would get a chance to explore the average hutong life? Beijing is full of contrasts and so is Chinese society, where ironically Communism does not exactly translate on everyone receiving the same.
TaiKoo Li Sanlitun「三里屯太古里」
Built as blocks with open streets in between, it is much nicer to explore, it provides an open and modern feeling. I particularly liked that stores are built in height, ofter occupying 2 floors of the same building, with restaurants located always at the upper floor. Expect plenty of al fresco dining opportunities, perfect to refuel after a long shopping trip.
The architecture is inspired by Beijing's Hutongs, comprising a mix of unusual shapes, textures and vibrant colours. The idea is to blend the Beijing of the past with its cosmopolitan present.
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