“Dashanzi 798,” a neighborhood in Beijing, has a reputation as a mecca for Chinese contemporary art. However, that is a reputation that has emerged only in the past few years. Shen Xiaomin portrays the lives of artists who work and live in 798, creating art and holding exhibitions. The portrait that Shen Xiaomin draws of 798 is composed of light and shadow. It`s a portrait where the creative energy of the idealistic artist is slowly sapped. After three years of careful observation, Shen has produced 181 minutes of film. This long period of research documents an area`s slow commercialization and loss of its vitality. The final scene depicts the first resident of 798, Sui Jianguo, departing the area. His departure becomes an allegory for 798`s own fate. The area, which was once a zone for munitions factories, became the cradle of China`s contemporary arts scene. Now, it is losing its creative vitality and vision. The final scene, in which Sui Jianguo departs, is filmed as if the filmmaker himself is saying farewell to his former lover. (Kim Ji-seok)