In the Can: 400ml Sells Everything a Tagger Needs

The tagged-up walls and windows outside 400ml do a great job of filtering out unwanted customers. (Sorry, no modern Chinese furniture or cute animal ears or pretty notebooks here.) The deliberate edginess almost filtered me out as well. I’m glad it didn’t.

Instead, I found an immaculate vintage- inspired space with bright-colored paint cans – hundreds of them, an entire wall of irresistible candy-colored dots. Brands include top-dog MTN as well as Ironlak, the premier Chinese paint. Besides spray paint (RMB 15-68), 400ml sells everything else you need to start tagging: spray nozzles, markers, T-shirts and hoodies, and books for inspiration. You’ll also need a street name, of course. They don’t sell those here.

Beijing’s first graffiti lifestyle store and studio is staffed by professionals with real dedication and passion for urban art. Upstairs, artists work on graffiti-style graphic design. Expect the venue to host graffiti-related events as well as art exhibitions.

Also try: The art supply shops along Wusi Dajie (opposite the National Art Museum)

400ml Tue-Sun 9.30am- 6.30pm. 798 art district (50m east of south gate), 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District (5978 4865) www.abs-crew.com, 400ml.taobao.com 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798艺术区南门东行50米

By subway: 3km southeast of Wangjing station (Line 15)

Photo courtesy of 400ml