The time has come once again for the hippest of the hip and the slickest of the slick to wheel their wares down to one of Beijing's oldest alleyways, Dashilar. Despite the turbulence between the locals living in squatter conditions and the foreigners wishing to gentrify the area, people keep pressing for Dashilar to... be something, to really take off, like Nanluoguxiang or any number of similar areas in Beijing choked by tourists. With its proximity to Qianmen, I question whether or not "designy" endeavors could be sustainable in the area...but I'm a pessimist.

As always, chic booths of prima donna fashionistas litter the streets. Abandoned or half-occupied hutong courtyards have been converted into surrealist-capitalist fantasies. I stop in one shop in which they've covered the entire floor in metallic, shiny wrapping paper. Each garment is handmade from lux materials, and it's only the designer's second line--although the prices might indicate otherwise. Beijing happens to be one of those cities saturated in fashion, yet I'm never sure if I'm looking too dowdy or too formal. A curious predicament.

Another narrow corridor leads me to a courtyard that's been revamped by design team People's Architecture Office. Through a series of architectural interventions, the team reworked the space with prefab pieces they claim anyone can learn how to install themselves. Their idea is to bring affordable restoration to some of Beijing's oldest but least preserved areas. This is the BIG WOW show for me. I love this idea. I love the idea of reworking the hutongs. When I was in Cartegena, Colombia, years ago, I was so impressed with the methods used to reinvigorate the old Spanish colonial parts of the city. I would love it if Beijing could wake up and start taking care of its existing cultural relics before they are too forgone for repair. BUT...I'm a pessimist.

My friend Yizhou had her booth for an ongoing project she calls Body Memory. She creates casts of visitors' body parts that she turns into jewelry and art objects. I think it's a cool idea. But I'm biased cause she's my friend.

Quanyechang is the big exhibition building with over a dozen different shows to see. Apparently there was some confusion with the police and the hosts of the event because the police felt it was an illegal gathering as there was a guest lecturer. I never attend Design Week lectures, though, because they're always half-baked. My other friend Celine had a show in the building from a project she started earlier in the summer in which she creates graphic designs à la emoji that she's prints on plastic tiles and arranges in all sorts of patterns. I snuck past the policemen and it looks beautiful.

There are several other areas participating in Beijing Design Week: Caochangdi, Sanlitun, etc. It'll be around until Oct. 3, so if you're in Beijing, try to see some of it. Or don't, you know. I'm not your boss.