BEIJING & SHANGHAI
NEW ART + OLD CHINA

China is the new world power -- its economy is booming and huge new cities are being built. And with the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the whole world is focusing on China.

With auction prices soaring, hundreds of new studios, galleries and private art museums are opening in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai. Chinese auction houses that once specialized in traditional ink paintings are now putting contemporary experimental artworks on the block. Political art, psychological explorations of identity, and use of new media all are pushing the limits of art and lending an artistic voice to the competing cultural visions of a utopia as the country demolishes much of its past to make way for the future.

The contradictions of the moment are mind boggling as the country re-sculpts itself at hyper-speed. A-list chefs and design celebrities open kitchens each year, while former factories and warehouses yield pristine hubs of art and design, and once dilapidated mansions are being transformed into boutiques and clubs.

There’s also something intoxicating about this moment of a culture in flux, and the potential of possibilities that represent “China Now”.

Travel with The Jacobs Group™ to Beijing and Shanghai, on special escorted group itineraries that explore a mix of modern, dynamic China and its ancient, culturally rich civilisation.

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

Visits to architectural wonders old and new, such as the Forbidden City and rich temples of Beijing, as well as China Central Television’s (CCTV's) headquarters, designed by Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren; the National Aquatics Center constructed for the Olympics, a luminescent, ice cube-like building that's covered in bubbles; and the National Grand Theater designed by Paul Andreu, whose futuristic design and location immediately to the west of Tiananmen Square and the Great Hall of the People, and near the Forbidden City, created considerable controversy;

Discussions with top artists, gallerists and curators about China’s art of the past, present and future; as well as tours of stylish new museums and art spaces at the heart of a vibrant contemporary scene; and

Activities and events to experience the best of the moment in burgeoning art, architectural, design and culinary offerings within each city.