Beijing Nightlife Tips by mke1963

Nightlife Spot: There Cafe

There Cafe is one of those places you fall into by accident. It's a small hutong, plastered with the gritty, evocative photographs of the owner. You can while hours away here, just looking through the photo catalogues... even the menu has his hutong and northern China pictures.

A good start to the day with the ham, eggs and toast breakfast and a big mug of coffee.

Friendly place in a little known street with a good number of great cafes, restaurants and bars.

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Theme: Eating and Drinking
Dress Code: Judging by the fantastic 'nude man in the Forbidden City' photographs, clothing may well be optional!
Phone: 8401 4246
Address: Nanluoguxiang 97
Directions: Just north of the Long, Long Ago Courtyard.
Nanluoguxiang runs north-south, some 100m east of the Drum Tower.

Nightlife Spot: Hive

Misleadingly described as the 'Lady Street' area, the bars along the south side of Liangmaqiao Lu have not generally been popular with the more discerning tastes of Chinese and tourist visitors alike.
The plethora of neon lighting, poor service, poor quality and spitoon mentality of these bars make the area reminiscent of those sad bars you see in small-town China.
Things may be starting to change though, as bars like Hive appear on the scene.
Instantly recognisable by the sheet metal box covering its outside terrace, it is bringing a more stylish character to the neighbourhood.
Those fed up with the trampish hipness of Houhai or the tackiness of the Cantopop-laden Sanlitun may enjoy Hive for a change.
On the terrace, the thousands of holes drilled in the sheet metal provide daytime shade, but let the breeze through, and also keep out the endless stares of passers-by.
Hive is often empty, so it is not a place for people-watching, unless you are happy watching the comings and goings at the bus-stop outside. But it is a good place for a beer and a chat, away from Kenny G or Celine Dion.

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Theme: Other
Address: 35-1 Liangmaqiao Bei Lu
Directions: Three blocks west of the Kempinski, two blocks west of the norther end of Lady Street

Nightlife Spot: The Tree

NOTE: The Hidden Tree moved to the Sanlitun Bei Lu area (near Fish Nation) at the beginning of Feb 2005.

The Hidden Tree on the southern part of Sanlitun is a relaxed, cosy place. In the summer the tiny outside terrace is shady, if a bit claustrophobic, and in winter the red-brick interior and subdued lighting makes it a popular place for a drink.
It is owned by a Belgian, so there is a good selection of European beers. Perhaps more surprisingly is the huge pizza oven stuck onto the front of the building, and it serves (arguably) the best pizza in town.
Unlike many Sanlitun establishments, this is a attention-free bar, where you can just have a beer without suddenly finding a young lady leaping into the seat opposite or next to you.
A good place to just meet with some friends, read the paper or have a pizza.

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Theme: Eating and Drinking
Dress Code: No dress code.
Address: Off Sanlitun Bei Lu
Directions: It is in the courtyard of the Youth Hostel. Follow the street past Fish Nation, turn left and it's through the gate on the left.

Nightlife Spot: Just one more week

Sanlitun Nanjie has gone. With the exception of The Hidden Tree (which is moving up to Sanlitun Bei Lu in a week or so) and Nashvilles (going to move...not really bothered if it is demolished quite frankly), the rest are gone.
By gone, I mean, gone. Demolished. Piles of rubble.

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Theme: Eating and Drinking
Dress Code: Hard hat, big hammers and pneumatic drills. Big dump truck without brakes optional.
Address: Sanlitun Nanjie
Directions: Follow the dumpsters.

Nightlife Spot: Super Bar Street

Slowly but surely, Sanlitun is disappearing. Much of Sanlitun Nanjie has already gone (including the original Durty Nellies),
Many of the bars from Sanlitun have scattered into the side streets off Sanlitun Beilu and to last year's hip area Houhai.
The government, as always keen to plan the 'touristic cultural experience' and simply unused to bars just "being whereever they want to be", have been pushing other areas as replacements.
The dreadful street of theme bars near the south gate of Chaoyang park is possibly the worst example of forced planning on the face of the planet (most of them have closed as they were so dire). Another area which seemed to be heading the same way was the area around the lake between Xiao Yun Lu and Liangmaqiao Lu, east of the Kempinski and Hilton hotels. However, some recent appearances suggest that things may be looking up.
The crassly named "Super Bar Street", off the equally crassly named Lady Street is looking a bit more disrespectable, and that is encouraging. Bizarrely, the original bars and restaurants faced resolutely away from the lake, but a new crop of more interesting bars, cafes and restaurants have moved in. Many have not even opened yet, but are looking the part.
However, China has long demonstrated the ability to build bars that should be atmospheric, but all the money has gone on glitz, leaving no money or attention on actually providing a decent ambience or decent music or decent food or drink (Have you ever eaten in any of the Sanlitun Bei Lu joints?).
"Super Bar Street" has struggled vainly for a couple of years, but seems to be developing its own style now.
Considering that this street is literally a stones throw from where the new American embassy is being built, I suspect it may not last for ever, as neither the Chinese government nor the US ambassador will want to encourage large numbers of clubbers and drinkers nearby.
Still, worth a look if you want to get away from the low-brow crap of Sanlitun Bei Lu or the naffness of Houhai.

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Theme: Eating and Drinking
Address: Off Lady Street, Chaoyang
Directions: Half way along Lady Street, almost opposite the new Laitai flower market.

Nightlife Spot: Durtie Nellies #2

With the demolition of the original Durtie Nellies on Sanlitun Nanjie, the Durtie Nellies by the Third Ring Road at the Lufthansa Centre is the only Durtie Nellies.

Durtie Nellies is like any Irish "pub" around the world outside Ireland. It is stacked full of Irish-themed memorabilia, including in this case a hand-painted portrait of Michael Collins which should keep the British expats happy (errrr!!).
Durtie Nellies is a bit unusual in Beijing in that it is generally free of the "night-life" found in other business expat visitor-laden haunts. This makes it a pace where you can sit back and eat, drink, read, listen to the music on your own without being hassled.
If you like big, noisy crowds, Durtie Nellies is a bit hit-and-miss. The pool table and the darts board brings in groups which livens the place up, and Durtie Nellies seems to attract locals as well as expats (unlike the other similar bars) which makes it a nicer place.

The food can be a bit hit-and-miss as well, and I have had the worst Irish stew ever here. Normally the food is acceptable, if a bit insipid.

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Theme: Eating and Drinking
Dress Code: It's a mellow place rather than a raucous pub, but it is friendly, you can meet locals and expats easily, and it is "comfortable".
Address: By the old Lai Tai flower market
Directions: East Third Ring Road, on the other side of the Liangmahe river from the Lufthansa Centre at the back of the carpark (just by the footbridge over the river)

Nightlife Spot: Workers' Gymnasium

If you get the chance to see a concert at the Workers' Gymnasium, this is a real 'fit in with the locals' event. The acoustics are very good, but the building is somewhat decaying. Lighting on the upper level corridors is very poor. In the winter, note that although promoters sometimes state the venue as the (nearby) Workers' Stadium it will be held at the Gymnasium. If you cannot get to your seat early, it will get taken by others, especially if in a good area. In this case, you will need to find a seat nearer te stage around the curve where you may get only a partial view of the whole stage but get to see the central 'stars' close up. Standing up and joining in is definitely frowned upon and you will be asked to sit down. As a tip, buy a whole load of the 'light sticks' on sale outside to liven up the event visually.

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Theme: Live Music
Dress Code: Whatever
Address: Gongti Bei Lu
Directions: Just east of Workers' Stadium

Nightlife Spot: Touch

Touch is one of the ten bars that have been built by the lake in the awkwardly named Super Bar Street, a street where the sterility (don't any of Beijing's planners recognise the trend??) of the similarly planned Chaoyang Bar Street has been narrowly avoided.

Touch is half-open at lunchtime. You might be lucky and find one person there who might serve you a drink - they are friendly people.

This French-owned bar opened in mid-April, and is arguably the best of the bunch along the lake. The bars on the street behind are all clubs - all empty, belting out a bizarre mix of 1980s pop and serving expensive foreign beers.

Touch has a "touch" of class, and the outdoor terrace is great in the early evening. You can't watch the sun go down, but it is still a tranquil scene as people walk and cycle home.
They serve a limited menu of food (It is the only bar on this stretch that does), but the food is good.

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Theme: Eating and Drinking
Phone: 6468 9192
Address: Super Bar Street
Directions: Off Tianzhe Lu, Lai Tai area (north of the Kempinski)
Look for the building made up of hanging steel chains!

Nightlife Spot: Jeans

Another nicely designed bar with a terrace out on the small lake at Laitai. Not quite as good music s next door at Touch, but still a pleasant evening spot to watch the sun go down or the smog to thicken.

No food.

Not the place to people watch. This street of increasingly good bars is still unknown.

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Theme: Eating and Drinking
Address: "Super Bar Street" (yeeuch) at Laitai
Directions: Only in China would somewhere be officially known as Super Bar Street. In the area immediately to the east of the Hilton and the Landmark hotels.

Nightlife Spot: Shaolin Warriors

The Shaolin Warriors will be loved by some, but not by others. We went with no particular expectations and felt that it would probably be a real highlight for many visitors to Beijing.

The show provides an introduction to the annual cycle of the monks of the Shaolin Temple, home of the Chan (Zen) sect of Mahayana Buddhism. The show is mainly dance, with the monks showing their skills in balance and coordination. Don't expect to much high-kicking HK flick kung fu: this is the more accomplished meditative style, with plenty of controlled thrashing around of arms and tools.

One of the underlying themes in the show is how the monks can defend themselves with their bare hands but also with everyday objects from their lives - staffs, sticks, even their begging bowl.

The sound system is, unfortunately, far too loud and of poor quality. This lets down a stellar performance. I happen to know a young Shaolin monk (the son of an employee of mine) and this brings home the rigours of the monastic training at Shaolin. Two stars of the show are young - about 9 years old - boy monks, who are so serious and diligent.

This is not one of those dinner shows, nor a cheap tourist charade. It is an excellent evening's entertainment.

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Theme: Theater
Phone: 8599 0393 (English)
Address: Chaoyang Cultural Centre, 17 Jintaili, Xiaozhuang
Directions: Jintai Xilu runs from Guanghua Lu up to Cahoyang Bei Lu, and is on the corner of Chaoyang Lu, one block in from the East Third Ring Road.
Website: http://www.superticket.com.cn
Other Contact: http://www.cpaap.com