Dear Shaded Viewers,
The weather is lovely here in Beijing and today I strolled around the 798 Art District with Aric Chen. Tomorrow morning I'm visiting a remote area of the Great Wall, far from the tourist-trap section.
One of the spaces at 798 is a preserved munitions factory which was built in the 1950s and designed by an East German architecture company during the golden age of Soviet-style structures in China. The original Communist slogans still adorn the walls.
A chandelier designed by Ai Weiwei once hung in this cafe. It has been removed. An upcoming show of his work scheduled for the gallery next door was cancelled abruptly with no explanation. The detained artist's presence has been purged from 798. Let 100 flowers bloom.
Later,
Glenn Belverio
