Nightlife in Yinchuan

[zhouhaochen]

as there were no replies to my previous question regarding accommodation in Yinchuan, I have a certain feeling that there might not be anybody living there on here. Anyways, lets try, we are having a stag night here Sat and Sun. Any ideas where to go? What to do?

[daofeishi]

I am on my way out, so I'll have to be quick:

I lived in Yinchuan for a year, and it was one of my absolute favorite places in China. As for accommodation, there are many hotels around, but I've never stayed at any of them. 7 days inn should be a safe choice.

Yinchuan is split into two parts, the "new city" built around Ningxia University, and the "old city" which is the bigger and more exciting part. The old one is interesting in that you will clearly recognize a lot of muslim Hui influence in its architecture. One of the things you should do is to visit the great mosque near People's Square.

In the new city you will find an absolutely fantastic night market, opening 9ish or so every evening. Between the night market and the shopping mall next to it, in an alley, there is a great hot pot place.

If you want to sample the night life, there are two clubs that were very popular when I was there, both of them in old city. One is called Babyface and is on Xin Hua Street, one of the main shopping streets. The other one is Kai Di Long (凯迪隆) on 230 Zhongshan North Rd. (中山北街230号, http://www.aibang.com/detail/435628203-443221083). There is also supposedly an expat bar not far from Forest　Park (森林公关), but I am not sure about address or location.

Zhongshan park (中山公园) is a great place for a stroll. There is always something going on there; vendors selling chestnuts, people flying kites, practicing their tai ji, dancing... Outside the park, to the right facing the park entrance from Guangming squre (光明广场), there is a massage institute hiring blind massage therapists. An interesting place if you want to know more about being disabled in China. Also, the massage is fantastic. They can communicate in rudimentary English.

Outside the city there are the Xixia Tombs and the Sand Lake, both worth a visit.

I haven't had time to recall/look up the exact addresses of everything, but at least I've given you some pointers. I hope they can be of help.

[daofeishi]

I have tried marking the places on a map according to memory. Some of the markers might be a bit off, and things might have changed since I was there 4 years ago, but this should give you a rough picture of where things are.

Around Ningxia University (Ningda):

Ningda main campus and campus lake

Hostel

Night Market. If you order food, I highly recommend the 羊肉串儿，肉夹馍，山东饼 and the 山东饼. Mandatory: Try the local Xixia beer.

Good Xinjiangnese restaurant

Interesting Pub Owner loves laowais.

Small family restaurant. Lamb dishes that make me drool by mere recollection. No English spoken here.

Yinchuan's (China's?) best dumplings. Make sure to order the crispy chicken dumplings. English menu is not complete.

Great clay pot noodles. Order the 麻辣牛肉砂锅

Old city:

Kaidilong night club

Babyface night club

Massage institute

Zhongshan park

Mosque

Shopping

[zhouhaochen]

thanks a lot! Will check them out tonight