Where to See Contemporary Design in Beijing

Had your fill of Imperial treasures and historic hutongs? Cast your eye to the future with a tour of these museums, galleries and hotspots charting a contemporary design course.

Sui Jianguo’s four red dinosaurs mark the entrance to the Ullens Centre of Contemporary Art (UCCA), a modern maze of equally jurassic proportions, just inside gate no.4 of Beijing’s 798 Art District. Arguably one of China’s best curated spaces, this not-for-profit space showcases the cream of contemporary painting, installation and performance art. When you’re done checking out the local talent, shopportunity knocks next door at the revamped UCCA Design Store, replete with limited edition prints, fashion, sculpture, coffee-table tomes and other take-me-home lifestyle trinkets.

Set over a sprawling 15,000sqm Tang dynasty-inspired lifestyle complex, Green T House Living consists of three cavernous buildings interlinked by courtyards. Make a day of it: start by sampling the impeccably plated, tea-infused classics, like the Sichuan-style curly chicken on a bed of chilies and tea leaves, then enjoy an out-of-this-world, 10-handed, full-body massage, while listening to a classical music performance. A leisurely stroll around the white pebble-laden gardens will complete your Zen zone-out, but not before you’ve shopped the gallery for its impressive array of tea leaves, furniture, artwork, and lovely lifestyle doodah.

Hunan restaurants abound in Beijing but none are quite like Yanshe, a cool, airy salon punctuated by rows of abstract blond-wood tree cutouts, tufty denim banquettes and mismatched designer chairs. Unsurprisingly popular, for daring to do something different décor and vibe-wise, you’ll need to book ahead to enjoy hot dishes like stinky tofu, steamed fish head drowning in chilies, and (our favourite) the delish beef noodles.

Beijing’s most recognizable modern landmark is undoubtedly the Paul Andreu-designed National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), or, more playfully monikered ‘The Giant Egg’ for its resemblance to an egg floating on water. But there’s more to this icon than good looks, inside reveals three state-of-the-art performance spaces staging operas, ballet, classical concerts, recitals and plays. Upcoming shows include Bizet’s Les pochoirs de Perles (15-19 May), a version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, directed by Oskar as Korsunovas (11-13 Jun), and Puccini’s Turandot (20-23 Jun). Bravo!

Ullens Center for Contemporary Art / 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu / Chaoyang / +86 10 5780 0200 / 10am-7pm Tue-Sun / & UCCA Design Store / +86 10 5780 0224 / 10am-9pm Tue-Sun / ucca.org.cn

Green T House Living / 318 Shun Bai Lu / Hegezhuang Village / Chaoyang / +86 10 6434 2519 / 11am-10.30pm daily / green-t-house.com

Yanshe / 3F / Topwin Center / Sanlitun Nan Lu / Chaoyang / +86 10 5780 9032 NCPA / 2 Xi Chang'an Jie / Xicheng / +86 10 6655 0000 / chncpa.org