Beijing: After Dark @NewNowNext

Beijing Nightlife at its finest

When you talk about traveling to Beijing people always think of the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and The Great Wall. Well that’s fine and all, but what about those people that just want to party it up in Beijing? Nightlife in Beijing is amazing. I’m talking about a 6 foot pyramid of martini glasses dripping with vodka lit on fire every 10 minutes amazing.

For a student living in Beijing studying Mandarin recently (student = me), Club Baby Face on No. 6 Gongto Xi Lu, Chaoyang,Beijing was the go-to place and according to my friends who are there now, it still is. Television screens lining the walls and ceiling of the entire club, German techno and Gwen Stefani remixed pumping all around you, and smoke machines. It’s a great time and during the week completely free to get in but during the weekends the admission can run from 150-200 yuan (roughly $23.50-$31). Club Baby Face in Beijing is known to be China’s number one club (also having locations in Shanghai, Xi’an, and Guangzhou). So definitely make a stop, or many stops, to Club Baby Face when going out at night.

DJ at Club Babyface

If you’re looking for a gay-friendly club/bar and one of the best nights you’ll have in Beijing, make sure to check out Destination located at the West Gate of the Worker’s Stadium Road (the Madison Square Garden of Beijing). Though it is essentially a gay venue, the Chinese people are very subtle about homosexuality so I urge you to keep your hip-popping and feet-swishing subdued until you reach Destination, and don’t go flaunting the fact that Destination is a openly gay venue on the street.

Now if you want to pre-game your night or just bar-hop, Sanlitun Street is the place to be, and if Sanlitun Street is the place to be, Day Off Bar on 3 Sanlitun Road in Chaoyang, Beijing is the end destination. Day Off Bar is ridiculous to say the least. There is a live show every day before 11 pm and in between shows a male and female pole dancer entertain you with spread eagle feats.

Drop it, drop it, low gurl!

On top of that, Day Off Bar is the only bar I’ve EVER been to where you can get up on your table and dance and have a one-on-one dance sesh with the pole dancer. I learned some moves when I was there and the New York City subway poles have never been the same since. Definitely check this bar out.

Time for food! Beijing has a ridiculous amount of food from delicious Peking Duck (Kaoya) to sheep testicle on a stick. Yep, I ate one, among other things. To find any sort of brilliant authentic Beijing food, take a trip to Houhai Bar Street on the Houhai lake area of Beijing, and just venture from one restaurant to the next, even stop into a karaoke bar if you must. You can’t go wrong with sampling!

And for those of you who want to try cricket, scorpion, and even silk worm—as I did—make the trip to Wangfujing Dajie. Even those of you who don’t want to test out your iron stomachs, the street makes a great photo montage for the friends and family to see back home.

Starfish? Yum!

A word to the wise, before leaving your hotel, have one of the staff write down your exact address in Chinese characters and pinyin so after a late night of festivities when the last thing you can do is speak conversational Mandarin (if you could ever at all) show the taxi cab driver the card and you’ll be on your way home lickety split! Always take cabs, they’re more than affordable. I never paid more than $2 when splitting a cab with one or two people.

Beijing is an amazing city and I have only just highlighted the nightlife. Please be sure to take the time to visit The Forbidden City located smack dab in the center of Beijing. Go check out the Bird’s Nest and The Water Cube from the Beijing 2008 Olympics located next to the largest university in Asia, Beihang University.

The Great Wall is about an hour bus ride outside of Beijing and be sure to book tickets to Ba Da Ling. If you’re a Soprano’s fan just remember BADABING! You can’t go wrong there. Ba Da Ling is the most preserved part of The Great Wall so you can really see what it originally looked like (besides the thousand year-old graffiti carvings). Check out the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace too!

Be safe, stay street smart, NEVER drink the tap water, and have an amazing time in the fabulous ancient city of Beijing, China.