BEIJING, Oct. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- At 798 Art District, dancers moved alongside humanoid robots, visitors pieced together the story of an artificial human, and digital worlds unfolded across public squares. For three weeks, the 798 Art District became a testing ground for what happens when emerging technologies enter the realm of art and everyday life.

The second Beijing Art and Technology Week concluded Wednesday, drawing 1.05 million visits to the district over 21 days, according to 798. More than 100 events took place under the theme "Playable Technology," spanning performances, exhibitions, public discussions and industry collaborations.

During the opening week, dancers from TAO Dance Theater performed alongside X-Humanoid robots in "Playable Technology: Infinite Walk." Rather than demonstrating what machines could do alone, the performance explored how human bodies and robotic systems might respond to one another.

That question carried into 798's public spaces. In Baoyang Chen's "Yanshi's Artificial Human: An Unfinished Dance," visitors helped reconstruct a fictional mechanical being through interactive installations, confronting questions of machine autonomy and human control. Maxim Zhestkov's generative digital artwork Playscapes invited audiences to navigate a constantly changing virtual environment.

Beyond the performances, the festival explored how artistic experimentation might translate into practical applications. A Sept. 24 industry conference brought together artists, researchers and technology companies, while a new co-creation initiative sought to turn the district's physical spaces into sites for developing and testing emerging technologies.

The festival also extended beyond China. Ahead of its opening, 798 collaborated with Austria's Ars Electronica Festival on "Airy," a performance combining robotics, dance and digital imagery. A new residency partnership with BOUNDED SPACE aims to bring international creators into future cross-disciplinary projects.

Visitor traffic rose 20% on opening day compared with a year earlier, while nearly 400,000 visits were recorded during the National Day holiday, up about 18%, according to 798.

First held in 2025, the festival reflects a broader shift at 798: from a former industrial site known for contemporary art to a place where artistic ideas, technological experiments and public life increasingly intersect.

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