National
A totem pole like tower of laughing heads greets visitors to one gallery, June 1, 2007, at the Beijing 798 art district. (Tim Johnson/MCT)
MCT
A sign welcomes visitors to the Beijing 798 art zone, May 29, 2007, a tumbledown industrial area of China's capital that has been revitalized as a thriving art and culture district with more than 100 art galleries. (Tim Johnson/MCT)
MCT
A series of signs at a street corner at the Beijing 798 art district guides visitors to dozens of galleries, May 31, 2007. (Tim Johnson/MCT)
MCT
Huge pipes still move steam overhead along some of the lanes of the Beijing 798 art district, May 31, 2007. Some of the district still retains a retro industrial flavor. (Tim Johnson/MCT)
MCT
Artist Huang Rui is one of the founders of the Beijing 798 art district, May 29, 2007. He still operates a restaurant there but has moved away, saying the owners of the land have raised rents too high and driven away the artists. (Tim Johnson/MCT)
MCT
Huge skylights let light pour into some of the buildings at the Beijing 798 art district, a thriving contemporary culture area that has emerged out of a former series of munitions factories, May 29, 2007. (Tim Johnson/MCT)
MCT
A statue of a mock Chinese philosopher sits along a street, May 29, 2007, in Beijing's new art district, known as Beijing 798, a name taken from a one-time factory at the site. (Tim Johnson/MCT)
MCT
Large metal statues and figurines are a common sight along the tree-shaded lanes of the Beijing 798 art district in Beijing, China, May 29, 2007. (Tim Johnson/MCT)
MCT
Walking along the lanes of the Beijing 798 art district, visitors see dozens of art galleries like this one, beckoning people to enter, June 1, 2007. (Tim Johnson/MCT)
MCT
Some of the sculptures on display, June 1, 2007, at the Beijing 798 art district are whimsical, delighting a growing number of visitors arriving in China to see modern art. (Tim Johnson/MCT)
MCT
A headless torso claps for visitors, June 1, 2007, arriving at one gallery in the Beijing 798 art district. (Tim Johnson/MCT)
MCT
A painting with a Bruce Lee-like fighter in a kungfu pose hangs from a gallery wall, June 1, 2007, at the Beijing 798 art district, a hot new site for contemporary Chinese art. (Tim Johnson/MCT)
MCT
A roughhewn roly-poly statue greets visitors 6/01 along a lane at the Beijing 798 art zone, May 31, 2007. The revived art district will be a big draw for visitors during the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. (Tim Johnson/MCT)
MCT
A Chinese warrior figure peers from under a staircase at a gallery in Beijing's 798 art district, May 31, 2007. (Tim Johnson/MCT)
MCT
The ceilings of some factories in the Beijing 798 art district still have Communist Party slogans dating to the 1950s. Seen here is a fragment of one referring to the "Great Leader," former Chairman Mao Zedong, May 31, 2007. (Tim Johnson/MCT)
MCT
Artist and gallery owner Xu Yong stands alongside a huge bust of a Chinese military figure. Xu is among the early promoters of the Beijing 798 art district, May 31, 2007. (Tim Johnson/MCT)
MCT
A gritty industrial zone, Beijing 798 art district, has come alive with art galleries, cafes and bookshops, although some lanes like this one still are unimproved, May 31, 2007. (Tim Johnson/MCT)
MCT
A colorful red statue adorns the front of a tea house in the Beijing 798 art district, May 29, 2007, which has sprung up into a rejuvenated contemporary art district in the past few years. (Tim Johnson/MCT)
MCT
of 18
i
