Shanghai Nightlife

[Zhangsan]

[gougou: Split from Any change for serious relationship with Chinese girls?]

I was in Shanghai actually for half of last year, but only started hitting the bars last December. Most of my time ended up being split between Baidu and M-Factory; my impression of Tongren and Maoming are much the sames as yours.

I actually checked out a large number of the places you mentioned; Bon Bon, Guandii, Babyface, Windows Too, but felt the expat population was way too high. The reason I liked M-Factory and Baidu was because there were virtually none there.

I had some fun at the Xintiandi area as well, but the prices were really quite high, and Chinese bars already have exorbitant prices to begin with.

[shanghaikai]

Hahaha, yeah, those places have plenty of expats but there are still decent amounts of locals there too. Of course, the worst places IMHO is on the Bund. I generally hate the crowds there but if I'm with a group of fun people, I'm fine with anywhere. One of my British friends is a big fan of Guandii for some reason so I get dragged there a lot. The reputation for that place is that a lot of foreign born Chinese like to go there, and despite being located in a dark corner of Fuxing Park and having a rather small venue, it gets consistent business to fill itself up. It is one of the more successful clubs that have persisted in Shanghai. Bon bon gets a lot of expats, but there are increasingly more locals going there for their open-bar format. Babyface is a pretty local scene, in my experience, though I've seen a few odd backpackers and plenty of foreigners jump in too. For a long time, Babyface had an infamous reputation for being very anti-foreigner. Either way, the music is rather loud inside, making it difficult to socialize. Have you been to the more serious local places like Armanni and CD Club? I just went to this newer club called Club Ci Ci located in this new sculture/art block on Nanjing Xi Lu. Very Babyface-esque and I'm not sure how long it'll survive. I've seen a lot of clubs come and go in my time here.

Yes, nightlife prices in China aren't much cheaper than the west. XTD, the Bund, and the higher-end places all tend to charge straight Western pricing, if not nearing in on flashy Vegas standards. I've found that if a bottle of something costs 600-800 at a more Western-oriented venue, it'll be closer to around 400-600 at a more local-oriented place. Same with individual drink prices. Either way, however, you're still paying about a 200-400% premium for the ambiance compared to retail supermarket prices. That's why there's always Windows Too (which is only charging you about 100% premium)! ;)

[Zhangsan]

Babyface a local scene? Really? When I went, there was a pretty heavy concentration of foreigners; well over a third to half, at least. I prefer(red) places where there would be none at all, or perhaps just a few (read: <5) white faces. In fairness, the one time when I went to Babyface, it was with a large group of (at the time) fellow exchange students from America; we did up the 'foreign' percentage dramatically, I suppose! Still, there were quite a few others there as well.

No, I didn't have a chance to check out Armanni and CD Club. I've heard a good deal about Armanni 3, and had intended to go there, but never had a chance to. From what I heard from a few xiaojie who worked there, drug use there is pretty prevalent, with 'KING', 'yaotouwan', et. al. Do you know what 'KING' is, anyhow? The 'yaotouwan' I've always assumed to be ecstasy, whereas KING seems to be either a heavily watered down variant of coke, or a cocktail of drugs. Either way, not too much to my taste.

Nightlife prices in China are -ridiculous-. At the M-Factory, I recall that the bottle of (watered down, by the admission of the bartenders) Chivas Regal went for around 500 RMB, although they sometimes had a buy 1, get 1 free policy on Mondays. Probably watered down even further! But yes, definitely the prices are off. I think I burned around 3000 USD across that month, in part because I ended up 'raising a family', haha. The costs of at least 2 bottles of Chivas a night for me and the 'family' of newly made friends, tips, and the occasional xiaojie to drink with and cuddle. Really quite excessive in terms of cost...must make sure to cut back next time I'm in Shanghai next year.

[cdn_in_bj]

I've found that if a bottle of something costs 600-800 at a more Western-oriented venue, it'll be closer to around 400-600 at a more local-oriented place.

While expensive, that same bottle would cost you $150+ in NYC, plus cover charge. I know, the clubs in NYC are a lot better too.

At the M-Factory, I recall that the bottle of (watered down, by the admission of the bartenders) Chivas Regal went for around 500 RMB, although they sometimes had a buy 1, get 1 free policy on Mondays. Probably watered down even further!

There is fake booze here (I've run across it - people don't expect you to drink vodka straight), but I haven't heard anything about watered-down booze though it wouldn't surprise me either! Actually I'll take watered-down (real) booze over fake stuff anyday - blinding headaches and methanol/formaldehyde poisoning, no thanks!

I actually do have a nearly full bottle of Chivas sitting on the shelf. I had retrieved it from club storage a few months ago for a friend who changed jobs and moved away. I haven't touched it but maybe I should "test" it out for him as a favour, being the good friend I am and all. What do you think?

I think I burned around 3000 USD across that month

Sounds like a fun month, if you can remember it that is (assuming it was all spent on booze)!

[shanghaikai]

Yes, relative to other bigger venues, I still feel Babyface is more "local" than the rest in overall style and not just composition of its patrons. As I said before, I've seen plenty of foreigners inside, sure, but they don't quite dominate or define the scene as they would in a place like Bon Bon, Guandii, Mint, Windows, Volar, etc. much less the places on the Bund or any of the touristy streets I've mentioned before. No, Babyface isn't pure local, but If I were to put things on a spectrum, Babyface is a more local but mainstream (and relatively successful) brand.

Hahaha, Armanni is infamous! You've pretty much got all the basic details. King or Kingfen is essentially ketamine, the stuff they tranqualize animals with. It definitely isn't cocaine, but it sure looks like it. I remember when a Dominican Republican friend and I went to Armanni and we were just blown away by this colliseum of tables with all these people snorting lines on platters. We were like, "HOLY S#!T! WTF!" Now, he's a pretty hardcore kinda guy, pretty much has done anything under the sun, and we all considered him to be the shadiest bastard out of our group of friends at that time (he's a great guy, he just had that "shady" look about him), and lo and behold, he turns to me and he says to my face "man...this is hardcore...I'm really scared."

This guy has arms the size of howitzers and has seen some really bad stuff go down, whereas I'm largely a pretty good guy from the relatively safe suburbs of the States...so to have him turn to me and say that just totallly cracked me up. It was great. But yeah, we pretty quickly determined they weren't snorting cocaine by asking our friends because that would've just freaked us out. It wasn't so much the drug use but how out in the open it was. Mind-boggling! From that point forward, coupled with the chickens and ducks, I felt Armanni 3 was definitely a place for any foreigner to visit at least once, just to witness that darker underbelly side of Shanghai and China. Stuff like this isn't something everyone needs to experience, but to have an open mind and try to comprehend how stuff like this exists usually helps people figure out who they are and where they fit in the world better.

Yaotouwan is E, as you said, which is or was a big drug amongst the youth in China. I honestly haven't seen it as prevalent as King here in Shanghai. I've seen some people do Ice only once, and there's always the weed heads. Can't say I've seen anything else. King seems to give a quick E-like high that then fades away pretty quickly, which is why it is something you can continually snort lines of over time for extra glam factor. E, of course, is pop a pill, wait a bit, and you'll be pretty good for the rest of the night...or if its fake, your sinuses will clear.

There's the persistent suspicion of fake alcohol in China. It definitely exists, but I'm still uncertain as to how one can really tell short of just having faith in better places versus smaller places. I'm surprised and curious why the bartenders "admitted" that they were selling you "watered down" Chivas bottles. I've read you can buy fake Chivas for something like 15-20 RMB a bottle versus perhaps 70 RMB a bottle for a real one (wholesale prices of course). The profit margins on the vice industry are always pretty high.

Doode, you were the wallet of your group? That sounds pretty unfair! Either way, you seem to party hardy! Hahaha. What tips are you paying for? There aren't any tips in China, especially not at places like M-Factory or Hengshan Lu, though the bastards there have probably gotten used to fleecing foreigners as much as they can on that point.

[Zhangsan]

Sounds like Armanni was pretty 'interesting' indeed! Pity I didn't have a chance to check it out. Next year when I'm back in China?

Yeah, I ended up being the wallet for a couple of reasons. One, I had more money than everyone else, and two, I've never been too worried about spending money when the occasion warrants. There's a poem that you might have read before, one of my favorite, by Li Bai. In it there's a famous line that goes, "天生我才比有用， 千金散尽还复来." Don't know if you can read Chinese or not, but when I'm out enjoying myself, that's usually my 'policy', haha.

Tips, eh...you don't "have" to tip, but I do because I feel bad for the poor bastards. Like the guys who stay in the restrooms all night to offer neck messages and towels. Guilt, I guess. Aside from that, I rarely tipped in M-Factory, but I usually tip in Baidu for the table servers and what not (rememer, I was raising a family!). Built up pretty decent relationships with the people involved, which is probably why they felt free to be candid about the quality of their 'Chivas'

So King isn't coke, eh? Just horse tranq. Well, that makes me feel marginally better...although I'm still not too tempted to try it myself. I don't even fully trust Chinese food, much less the quality of Chinese narcotics... ;)

[shanghaikai]

Haha, I haven't been to Armanni in a long time. Last time I wanted to go, they had shuttered for a few days during the national Drug-bust day or something. Heh. Despite having more chickens than ducks, it is the latter than most people know Armanni for. I suppose it is because plenty of chickens are available everywhere else but Armanni is the only place that also has quite a few ducks to choose from. I've seen a few groups of girls and women partake in such amusements, even a few friends too.

I don't really feel bad for the poor bastards and I tend to view tipping as encouraging bad habits. I really hate the restroom attendants. I hated them in the West and I hate them here. For one, I don't really want a guy coming up behind me and suddenly putting their hands on me while I'm pissing. For another, I really don't need someone to help me wash my hands either. This entire process is designed to fleece people out of their money, and reeks of silly Western strip clubs. There really is no point to it. Taking my order and bringing me drinks, that's fine. Checking in my coat and keeping it safe, that's fine. But I really shouldn't have to pay you to wash my hands. So please, please, don't violate the sanctity of the restroom!

Hehe, no worries on the King. You're not really missing out on much. For the price, it is much more fun to enjoy a good drink or cuddle up with some lovely ladies. Cheers!