Planning on staying in Beijing for the National Holiday? If you haven’t yet had the chance to check out Beijing Design Week 2015 (BJDW), now’s the chance. While many events officially opened last week, including these nine must-see events, the holidays are the perfect chance to avoid the swarm that often occupies the first week. We’re especially keen to check out a special collaboration by Beijing Postcards, Danish photographer Jens Schott Knudsen, and the guys over at Meta Design. Titled, “Beijing Arrivals: Entering the Northern Capital,” the project tells the story of Beijing as a city of migration and how Dashilar, as one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, served as the gateway to the city.
“We want to tell the important, but often forgotten, story of how Beijng’s Dashilar neighborhood played a pivitol role as the melting pot of Beijing,” says Lars Ulrik Thom, director and founder of Beijing Postcards. “In so many ways this area just outside of the Qianmen Gate by Tiananmen Square, was the entrance point of everything from people and commerce to information and culture. It’s a legacy that’s still felt today.”
The project is shaped around five different tracks, each a walking tour through Dashalir beginning and ending in an exhibition community space. Each track covers different aspects of Dashilir’s history from architecture and art to commerce and finance. Historic material gathered by Beijing Postcards will be put into a contemporary context through Knudsen’s photographs while MetaDesign brings the narratives of Beijing Arrivals to life through their design exhibition. Both self-guided and guided tours in English and Chinese will be offered as well as special early morning tours. See more on what each walk will entail here.
The Beijing Arrivals project is based at Yangmeizhu 144-146, Dashalir. For more information, visit their website at beijingarrivals.com. Interested parties can also call Thom or Knudsen directly to find out more.
Email: Beijingpostcards@gmail.com or Tel: 156 1145 3992 (Thom) or186 1150 8242 (Knudsen).
Photos: Courtesy of Jens Schott Knudsen
