798 District

Photos by Mockingbird

Expert in hand-made treasures

By Zhang Dongya

U-CAN’s inconspicuous facade and interior belies the fact that it is one of the most popular shops in 798. People are drawn to its inventive T-shirt designs, amusing decorations and retro-style household items – all of which are hand-made.

On the first floor of the two-story building are handicrafts made by some 40 Chinese artists. “They are skilled at redecorating ordinary articles and reusing discarded materials, which are attractive to young people and foreigners,” Deng Hua, U-CAN’s co-owner, says.

One bedside lamp is made of concrete but shaped like a Coca-Cola bottle. The limited-edition design by painter Li Xiaoyu costs 99 yuan.

Copies of old-fashioned household articles like cups and biscuit boxes are also for sale, a remembrance of life in the young People’s Republic. A distinctive set of rings (19 yuan each) features parts of a computer keyboard.

There are also sculptures and T-shirts designed by students from the China Central Academy of Fine Arts as well as specialties from other provinces.

Some artists have turned a corner of the store into their workshop. One was drawing masks (20 yuan) with funny patterns and the latest buzz words in the Chinese virtual world. She was also selling cloth shoes (120 yuan) hand-painted with traditional images like plum blossoms and Peking Opera masks.

The second floor is a dress shop that specializes in breathing new life to old clothes through colorful patchwork.

 “Some people are not willing to throw out unfashionable T-shirts so I add something new to make them look fresh,” Yanzi, the tailor and shop owner, says. “It becomes a one-of-a-kind design, instead of those mass produced ones.” Work takes one to two days and costs 60 yuan.

Yanzi also makes reversible pants that come in purple, green and yellow. Each costs 180 to 220 yuan.

U-CAN
Where: D08, Dong Jie, 798 Art District, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District
Open: 10 am – 6:30 pm
Tel: 5978 9811 

Photos by Mockingbird