Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In 1995, Sanlitun Lu in the east of the city had just one bar, and it was losing money.
A new manager bought it, believing the place had potential but that the
fengshui
was
wrong - the toilet was opposite the door and all the wealth was going down it. He
changed the name, moved the loo and - so the story goes - the city's bar scene took off
fromthere.Nowtheareaischokedwithdrinkingholes,andnewbarsopenallthetime.
Manymimictheirpopularneighbours;ifonedoeswell,acouplemorewillopenaround
it, and before you know it, the original will have closed down. These days Beijing also
boasts slick, international-style clubs (many with imported DJs), while the city's live
music scene continues to improve.
You'll have to choose where to drink carefully, since each city quarter has its own distinct
vibe. The main bar area,
Sanlitun
, remains as popular as ever; branching off its neon-soaked
main strip are a fascinating array of diverse venues, from cheap and cheerful pick-up joints to
exclusive jazz bars. South of here, there is a clutch of smarter bars on
JianguomenDajie
, and
the business district to its north. In the north of the city, there's a fun scene alongside
Houhai
,
with plenty of chilled-out venues sunk in the
hutongs
all around, though bars here are much
of a muchness and resemble the boring Sanlitun beer-plus-band places of yore; nearby, the
DrumTower
and
NanluoguXiang
areas attract an artsier crowd. For something a bit edgier
- and the heart of the rock scene - head to
Wudaokou
; the student clientele means that bars
here tend to be cheaper and grungier.
As for dancing, most of the classier
clubbing
venues are northeast of the centre, in two
clusters - around distant
Chaoyang Park
and Sanlitun. There's a dense concentration of
clubs around the west side of the
Workers' Stadium
, and on Saturday night the car park
here is full of white Mercedes dropping off the
dakuans
(big moneys) and their
xiaomis
(little
honeys). African guys work the crowds, selling the shaky head drug (ecstasy): welcome to
the new China. Live music venues are dotted around town, though most common in the stu-
denty
Wudaokou
area.
