Three foreigners in Chinese blue worker suits

A number of artists and visitors from home and abroad pay go to the area to take part in this unusual artistic event.

The opening event of the festival held on Sunday was a march called "The Short Step" which involved 400 foreigners marching in traditional Chinese blue factory worker suits. They walk for around ten minutes from the Lido Hotel to the Dashanzi 798 Factory District, where they will be photographed. The whole event is to imitate the ritual of Chinese workers going off duty from the factory some 30 years ago.

It was organized by Kilometer Zero, a group of artists and writers from Paris. Adrian Hornsby, a member of the group says they hope to rephrase some of the big questions about China today, such as the role of the West and how it fits into Chinese culture and history.

The month-long art festival is on until May 22. As a large scale event held every spring, it is a center for contemporary art and performance in Beijing and attracts a global audience.

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