Art Hike: The Hutongs

We're getting a little closer to home in this walk, where you'll find tucked-away art venues and other artsy shops, cafes and bars practically in your backyard (if you're one of those hutong dwellers who can't stand the "soul-less high-rises," anyway). You might even hop on a bike for this one ...

For those who might have been out of town, the August issue of our magazine featured five Art Hikes: short pedestrian routes in five of Beijing's artsy areas (from the obvious like 798 to the non-obvious like Sanlitun). Included in those routes were stops at not only galleries and other art venues, but also restaurants, cafes, shops and the like, for full- or half-days of cultured constitutionals.

We figured the October holiday would be a good time to try some of these walks out (if you haven't already been). Have fun in Beijing's backyard.

Drop off location: Yonghegong subway stop (Line 2) (D)

How to get there: … Take Line 2.

Specialty gear: Fans, fedoras. A worn copy of Kerouac’s On the Road.

Camouflage: Stuck in the early 20th century. Think Brideshead Revisited or The Great Gatsby. (For men: chest hair, facial hair … heck, any kind of hair.)

Flora: The diamond in the rough aesthetic of a more community-focused alternative art movement. I.e. sometimes it won’t seem like “art” per se, but I mean, what is art anyway?

Fauna: Young idealists vs. the traveled world-weary, refereed by lao Beijing locals. Vegans and the cats and dogs who love them.

Trailhead: Begin the rapid 90-degree turns of a Cubist landscape by entering through Wudaoying, then cutting south to Arrow Factory(1). The tiny storefront display is the perfect red pill to prepare you for the area’s uncomfortable duality of rarefied intellectualism amidst dusty laobaixing-ism.

Treasure spot: Pause your hike to dig for duds and doodads at Shanghai Memory
(2), where a collection of vintage items from Old Shanghai bring 20th century Chinese history to you. It’s like a museum exhibit you can take home.

Rebuilt ruins: 46 Fangjia Hutong(3) is a converted factory space that’s turned into a mini arts complex. (Sound familiar?) While its main gallery space Studio X faces an unknown future, new shops and spaces often pop up, so it’s worth a poke around. The Red Theater is home to modern shadow puppetry, contemporary dance and sometimes
exhibits.

Pit stop: Lunch at Aimo Town in Fangjia 46(3). Let your thoughts melt into an impressionistic blur as you munch on fried sheets of fragrant rice meal, crispy red beans (su hongdou) and roasted whole fish. Yunnanese crafts dot the walls. For a fancier option, stop in at Trainspotting across the way. It's a “cultural salon” that hosts screenings and talks and also serves up solid Western food.

Campfire: Homeshop(4), an artist collective on Jiaodaokou Beiertiao, periodically hosts public events. Check their website for details.

Watering hole: Grab a quick pick-me-up at the strange but splendid Waiting for Godot Café(5) on Jiaodaokuo Dongdajie. If Bernard Pras opened a café, this would be it.

The Big Climb: The longest trek of the day will bring you to the brightest jewel. Tucked away on Mao’er Hutong is the very secretive Wuhao(6). Is it a shop or a gallery? By now, you’ll have realized the futility of labels. In essence, it’s a fantastically curated space featuring conceptual artwork and beautifully designed apparel.

Hazards: Overdosing on deconstructionist philosophy, developing an annoying angry tic whenever you hear the word “demolition.”

First aid: Duck into Mao Mao Chong(7) – owned by husband-wife team Stephanie Zhou and Stephen Rocard – and have a Mala Mule, their Sichuan pepper-infused signature drink whose spice will reawaken you to the real world. Admire the graphic art, produced by the owner himself. Then order up one of their circular doughs painted with red sauce and topped with carefully arranged mixed materials – otherwise known as pizza.