Beijing Nightlife

[g1izmo]

Hey

I know this is not the most useful/meaningful post but still id like to ask because all the posts on Beijing's nightlife are really outdated maybe because people using this forum are getting older? I dunno.

Anyway, Ive just got to Beijing, ive been to vics and mix already mainly because their reputations preceded them...but theyre just like clubs back home except the male to female ratio is 5.1. The music is alright though... I do prefer rnb, reggae, pop over techno and house which I hear is big here.

Can anyone recommend some places with less foreigners and less A-listers?

Thanks

Giz

[greenarcher]

Coco Banana, GT Banana, Lantern, Bling, LAN Club and the legendary Propaganda in Wudaokou.

For a different kind of bar/club, try Chocolate in Ritan area.

[Dashu]

What I can tell from my experience last year:

-GT Banana: Get there early, otherwise it's packed. The ground moves with the bass.

-Propaganda: If you like hiphop with a sweaty crowd.

-Street with Coco Banana, cargo, cargo2, etc: 5 or 6 clubs with less foreigners. You can go from one to another by passages, no need to get out.

-Chocolate: A Russian club where you get VIP table, vodka bottles and shishas for virtually nothing. You will witness crossdressing shows, but the club is normal after.

-White Rabbit used to be my favorite, but you won't find any hiphop there and I heard it's closed now.

You can go to Bling and LAN as greenarcher suggested.

[GreenArrow45]

What type of nightlife places are you looking for??

It sounds like you want a club with more females and less big-spenders/foreigners. If you could be more specific as to what you're looking for in terms of club/bar/street food/etc, I think it'd be easier to help.

One place that I thought had a nice view for Beijing, if you're just looking to hang out with some friends, is the rooftop of Kokomo (I believe thats the name, someone correct me if I'm wrong) back in Sanlitunr. There are also places hidden back off GongTi BeiLu opposite from where the main stretches of Sanlitunr are. Every time I go back there, there aren't many foreigners and the ones that are there seem to mostly be locals. I'm not much of a club-goer in China for various reasons, but, the ones greenarcher and you listed are really the only ones I hear a whole lot about in Beijing.

[allmodcons]

Out of interest are there any good indie/rock music clubs in Beijing?

[Boyce]

I always have a good time at Latte, which is behind Mix. It is mostly a Chinese crowd, though almost everyone I have met there is from outside Beijing, so I wouldn't call it "local." Kitschy but cool decor. Good fun. I have more details on my nightlife blog.

Cheers, Boyce

[roddy]

Ho, Beijing Boyce himself - good to see you posting!

[greenarcher]

Haha funny I didn't like Latte at all. It's a nice place and all but definitely not for dancing. The music when we went there was horrible.

[cui ruide]

I think it's important to note that traditionally most Chinese don't get out to bars/clubs. For one, it's really expensive, and culturally still pretty new. Most locals will just go out for chuanr or a big dinner and get smashed at the restaurant. Therefore, it's mostly only foreigners and Chinese big rollers who go to the big bars and clubs.

That said, I would recommend bars around Nan Luo Gux Xiang (NLGX)/Drum Tower area for a chance at running into a more "local" crowd, that is a big more toned down--less baller, and more culture/hip.

To answer someone else's question, this is also where a lot of the indie music scene can be found: Yugong Yishan (all kinds of music), Mao Livehouse (rock and folk), Jiangjin Jiu (folk), Jianghu Bar (folk, jazz, 'unplugged' rock), Hot Cat Club (open mic, jazz, rock), Gulou 121 ('unplugged' rock?), Cangku Bar (rock? reggae?), etc... In Wudaokou, there's the old standby D-22 that backs their brand of hi-powered punk/indie rock.