An Artsy Twist Makes This Shopping Mall Worth a Visit

If there is one thing that Beijing has in abundance it’s shopping malls, and often many of them are so similar that trying to remember which one is which can be a struggle. Just how many SOHO’s even are there!?

Well Parkview Green, just down the road from Dongdaqiao station, is a shopping mall with an artsy twist. I've cycled past this mall for years and have always been intrigued by the various art sculptures featured outside and finally decided that I should go and check it out.

The mall opened in September 2012, with the idea behind its design being to stand out while being environmentally friendly. The triangular-shaped building is certainly eye-catching, and immediately brings the Pyramids of Giza to mind. It houses over 500 works of art, including some sculptures by Salvador Dali. 

Inside is a maze of crisscrossing bridges and escalators with a myriad of sculptures overlooking balconies, hanging from the ceiling or, in the case of one work, even stretching all the way from the ground floor up to the roof. This makes it a great location to just have a stroll around and take in the different art works on offer. It's kind of like if you were to put 798 inside of a mall. 

Along with the various sculptures dotted around the public mall area, there's also The Parkview Museum up the 10th floor, which has two large exhibition halls and a lecture hall. Entry to the exhibition halls are free, although when I went as there was a special exhibition on in one hall I had to book an appointment through a QR code when I arrived.

Bridging the gap between the two exhibition halls is the Roof Cafe, a pleasant open space with lots of scenery that would be ideal for a quiet place to work. 

Along with art, a key feature of the mall is that it’s eco-friendliness. Due to its use of innovative environmental technologies and appropriate building materials it has an energy usage of about 50 percent lower than other buildings of a similar size. 

Of course, as this is mainly a shopping mall, there's no shortage of shops, though be warned they do tend to be of the more high-end variety. So you'll not be finding a Miniso or H&M here! This is definitely one of Beijing’s more upscale malls and they have some very fancy toilets to match.

No shopping mall would be complete without a few eateries, and Parkview Green has a decent selection and ranging from quite low cost like Avocado Tree to more expensive dining experiences. It is also home to a cinema as well as Hotel Eclat, a boutique hotel which even has rooms with private swimming pools. 

Parkview Green 侨福芳草地
9 Dongdaqiao Lu, LG 2, Chaoyang District
朝阳区东大桥路9号
Opening hours: Daily 10am - 10pm

READ: State of the Arts: Meet Keith Haring at the Meet You Museum inSpace

Images: Katie Coy, Dianping