Beijing Graffiti

It's generally pretty hard to find graffiti in China, but, as you can see, there are definitely places where this type of thing is still alive and well.

The 798 Art District is a central hub for Beijing's art community.  Artists moved into the area some 15 years ago, and turned the district of abandoned factories into a haven for contemporary Chinese art.  All pretty cool, but from what I hear, it's starting to lose some of its original spirit as it becomes more popular and the the whole thing becomes more gentrified.  (I'd write more but I've never been.  It's definitely on the list though.)

There's a similar area in Shanghai called TianZiFang, which gone through a total transformation since I arrived here.  Set in an old-school neighbourhood of Shanghai, tiny art shops, cafes and art galleries are mixed in with locals who've lived there for decades.  I spent a lot of time there in the summer, but between then and my last visit was in December, the entire back section of the area had been developed and settled by new storeowners.  It'll only get worse as the city builds it up to be a feature site in the 2010 Expo.