Beijing, October 9, 2026 / PRNewswire / -- In the 798 Art Zone, dancers moved together with humanoid robots, and the audience pieced together a story of "artificial humans," while in the public squares, a digital world unfolded. Over a period of three weeks, the 798 Art Zone became a testing ground to explore what happens when emerging technologies enter the realms of art and daily life.
According to sources from 798, the second Beijing Art and Technology Week came to an end on Wednesday, attracting a total of 1.05 million visitors within 21 days. Centered around the theme of "playable technology," over 100 events were held during the period, covering performances, exhibitions, public discussions, and industrial collaborations.
During the opening week, dancers from TAO Dance Theater (Tao Ti Shen Jiu Chang) performed together with robots from X-Humanoid in the show “Playable Technology : Infinite Walk”. This performance was not about showcasing what robots can accomplish on their own, but rather about exploring how the human body and robot systems can respond to each other.
This issue has also extended to the public spaces of 798. In Chen Baoyang's "Yanshi Creating Humans: An Unfinished Dance," audiences help to reconstruct a fictional mechanical life form through interactive installations, and confront issues such as machine autonomy and human control. Maxim Zhestkov's generative digital art work "Playscapes" invites audiences to navigate through a constantly changing virtual environment.
In addition to the performances, this event also explored how artistic experiments can be transformed into practical applications. On September 24th, an industry conference brought together artists, researchers, and technology companies; at the same time, a new co-creation initiative aimed to transform the physical spaces of the park into venues for developing and testing emerging technologies.
The impact of this event also extended beyond China. Before its opening, 798 collaborated with the Austrian Electronic Arts Festival ( Ars Electronica Festival ) to present " Airy ", a performance that融合ed robots, dance, and digital imagery. A new residency partnership established with BOUNDED SPACE aims to bring international creators into future interdisciplinary projects.
According to sources from 798, compared to the same period last year, the number of visitors on the first day of opening increased by 20%; during the National Day holiday, nearly 400,000 people visited, representing a year-on-year increase of about 18%.
The event was first held in 2025. Reports indicate that this also reflects a broader transformation of 798: from a former industrial site famous for contemporary art, it has gradually evolved into a place where artistic concepts, technological experiments, and public life increasingly intersect.
