Beijing's 798 art district, a cultural landmark which was once a secret military factory complex, has gotten a facelift for the Olympic Games. Located in the Jiuxianqiao area in Chaoyang district, the art district recently got Chinese-English road signs, professional foreign language guides, a tourist service center and an official website.

Gone are the days of no streetlights, no taxis, no parking lots and no public toilets. The district has finally been upgraded by the government to match its role as an art hub of some 400 galleries, design studios, exhibition spaces, shops and restaurants.

"Bird's Nest" by Wu Guanzhong

With its mottled red-brick walls, gigantic Bauhaus-style factory workshops and Mao-era slogans, the 798 art district surpasses even the Forbidden City as the most popular tourist destination with more than one and a half million visitors last year, according to the latest government report.

Abstract contemporary sculptures stand beside big rusty machinery, and fashion shows are held in the spacious former workshops. Every day dozens of exhibitions are launched and the district brings in revenues of 300 million yuan ($43 million) a year.

"Earth Fire" by Wu Guanzhong

Olympian artistry shines all

In the middle of July, 2008, a series of Olympic-themed exhibitions, including “Silk-screen Printing exhibition to acclaim the Olympics" and Chen Jinfang's "Art for Humanity World Tour 2005-2010", were staged at 798, focusing the spotlight on the once unnoticed art factory.