798 sculpts pure kitsch

A recent visit to 798, the capital's best-known avant-garde art district, has left this Beijinger feeling less than inspired.

After spending more than two hours floating through 798's maze of industrial pipelines and hybrid coffee shop/art galleries, I realized that its days of art for art's sake have fizzled out.

While there are still certainly occasional flickers of brilliance scattered through the streets and alleys of the district, they have been blotted out by the shadow of overinflated egos and eager moneymakers.