Three Shadows is my favorite gallery in Beijing. Everything about this place is magic.

First there's the complex itself. Although it's tricky to find, tucked up a quiet road that's dusty and desolate in winter and overgrown in summer, once you get into the Three Shadows complex it's like entering a peaceful oasis. The place was designed by Ai Weiwei, and features a huge gallery space, as well as a library, cafe and darkrooms. There's always interesting types working or having a look, and if you're lucky you might spot the owners, the famous photographer Rong Rong and inri, hanging around.

The exhibitions here are uniformly excellent, presenting a cross section of the best of China's photographic arts.

And the cafe provides decent coffee and a quiet spot to contemplate what you've seen in the gallery.

Highly recommended for lovers of photography, or anyone with an interest in visual arts.