Unfortunately, I'm not going to the Summer Olympics. Although it has been a dream of mine for awhile now, I can't seem to think far enough ahead to plan a trip. However, if anyone is planning on attending, I thought you might enjoy this interesting article about Beijing. It turns out Beijing is about more than the Great Wall.

Most of the capital city's guided tours are about awe and acquisition. Visitors are stunned into submission by the Forbidden City, the Great Wall and Tiananmen Square, then quickly shuttled to buying sprees at the Pearl Market or Silk Street.

The humbling grandeur of those imperial masterpieces is offset by the giddy empowerment of buying quality knockoffs of brands like Gucci, Marc Jacobs and Tiffany for a fraction of the usual cost. Few can resist the temptation. It is usually followed by a belly-busting Peking duck feast.

But this kind of Beijing experience is not for everybody, and there are a wealth of unique, low-cost alternatives.

Cui Jian, a lifelong Beijinger and China's most famous rock star, says he never sends visitors to the Great Wall or Forbidden City.

"I am not really interested in all that Kingdom Culture, stuff that shows this was once the greatest kingdom city or something," said the veteran rocker who performed "Wild Horses" with the Rolling Stones last year in Shanghai. "The Great Wall? I think a lot of people died building that wall."

Cui recommends you instead soak up the atmosphere in the 798 art district in the city's eastern Dashanzi neighborhood. The 1950s-era factory zone has been transformed into a bohemian oasis with galleries, cafes, bookstores, outdoor sculptures, and graffiti splashed on old factory walls.

Artist and fashion designer Feng Ling, a transplant from south China's Chengdu, has a studio in 798 and a house in the suburbs. She goes to Dashanzi's At Cafe for its good selection of red wine, Italian food and art.

She can't imagine leaving Beijing after 15 years here because "it has a great atmosphere for creating art and it's very international."

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