The 798

Beijing is refined chaos. I'm never sure what I'll find next.

Stacey, my old friend and host for the week, lives in a sort of hipster industrial zone, full of clothing and music shops, food stands, construction, and people. It's gritty compared with Kyoto—and even with Oakland—but it has a cheerful and relaxed personality that's a pleasure to soak up.

Yesterday, we went gallery-hopping. Stacey is the art editor for TimeOut Beijing, so he spends quality time in the Dashanzi district, also known as the 798. It's a sleek neighborhood with clean, minimalist architecture and a serious concentration of small, colorful art spaces.

I've never experienced as vibrant an art scene firsthand in any U.S. or European city. There were at least four or five openings happening at once within a few blocks of each other, all crowded, showcasing new and established Chinese artists. Their work ranged from a little weird to truly disturbing, but it was all worth checking out.

The final show of the day was the finest—a shy, sweet 28-year-old named Jia Aili. He's a small-town kid who just finished art school, but his paintings reach out and expand your mind. I didn't like all the pieces, but they were mature and moving in a way that was impossible to disregard. Crossing my fingers that he gets noticed.

Way on the other side of the spectrum, I spent today in the Forbidden City. But that deserves its own post and it's getting to be dinnertime, so please accept a raincheck.