In the past five years, the 798 Art Zone has established itself as the most significant epicenter for contemporary art in China, if not all of Asia. The first Beijing 798 Biennale, initiated by independent curators Zhu Qi and Marc Hungerbühler, is the logical extension of this development, and it marks an international commitment to propelling Beijing to the forefront of global art exchange. A determined group Chinese and foreign curators, gallerists, and cultural representatives of countries such as Germany, Finland, Spain, Chile, and Mexico will realize the Beijing 798 Biennale.

The Beijing 798 Biennial is different from other globalized national and intercontinental biennales that focus on regional cultures and nationalism. This biennale aims to build a non-governmental platform for international exchange of culture and art, emphasizing the mobility of a community, and surpassing regional nationalism and ideology. Outside of both the political power system and the capitalist ideological system, "drifting" occurs in art practices and among people from all over the world when their ideas are freely exchanged and absorbed amongst themselves. This contributes to the formation of a new cultural phenomenon through the forming of a cultural memory and establishing a sense of independence to "tour" through different regions and with different processes. This happens also in the self-expressions and drifting formations of the communities.