798

Although we were all thrilled to be immersed in such a cool area filled with such interesting art, Christian, Emmy and I all got pretty tired of the rain pretty quickly. We were all well equipped with umbrellas, but took the opportunity to duck inside as soon as we found it. We spent a lot of time looking at some beautiful little succulents. As much as we wanted to, we were unsure how to safely transport these little potted plants back to the US, especially what with custom’s dislike for transporting plants and produce from other countries back into the US. Since we didn’t think we could safely bring back any plants, Emmy bought a teeny-tiny white sheep to bring back for her mom. After looking at succulents we stumbled upon a huge open warehouse that didn’t have anything inside. We took lots of pictures and acted silly. There were quite a few waiters and chefs taking breaks in this space who kept looking at us like we were crazy. This was understandable. Next we went to an Italian restaurant we’d found earlier in the day. We’d all been craving pizza so we bought the largest one they had. In addition Emmy and I shared some tiramisu that was served in a wine glass. After this we headed back to the dorms. I found it super interesting that the art galleries and spaces inhabiting 798 were some of the most internationally influenced that we found in Beijing. This seemed analogous to what we observed while visiting the National Center for the Performing Arts. A lot of China’s greatest collaborations with other countries were sprung up through the arts.