Nightlife In China Makes Great Leap

By ANNE VANDERMEY August 9, 2008

For a long time, Beijing bars were a no-man's-land. In Sanlitun district, now one of Beijing's best-known clubbing areas, broken bottles littered the streets where they were thrown by neighbors objecting to the noise. With drinking frowned upon as frivolous, Chinese nightlife was seedy and perpetually dull — until a few years ago, when all of a sudden, it wasn't.

China's transformation from a downtrodden Third World country into a cultural and economic powerhouse is well documented. And though the evolution of Chinese nightlife took longer to catch fire than its economic development, it's similarly stunning.

It started in the 1990s, when karaoke clubs swept the scene and more locals joined the largely foreign crowds drinking and dancing at clubs. But it wasn't until a few years ago, when karaoke gave way to local music, that Chinese nightlife came into its own.

Today, Beijing and Shanghai have after-hours scenes to rival any in the Western world. Places like Sòng, the World of Suzie Wong and Lan, designed by noted architect Phillippe Starck, have decadent, futuristic interiors. There are no bouncers, Mooney said, so the clubs are so packed with both the nouveau riche and curious locals that moving around becomes a serious challenge.

In private rooms off the main dance floor, a night of entertainment can cost as much as $8,000 — more than double the average city dweller's income for a year ($3,500 in 2007, according to government reports).

Tom Pattinson, editor of Time Out Beijing, a leading English-language magazine in the city, said it's in the backrooms that "business leaders, triad gangsters and government officials all can be found wailing their god-awful versions of Backstreet Boys songs until often 5 or 6 a.m."

For those looking to flaunt their wealth, Chivas Regal and green tea is the drink of choice. Because China doesn't have a culture of casual drinking like the West's, tipping back Chivas and tea is a proclamation of status, not taste — perhaps the only explanation for cutting a black-label liquor with a bottled tea.

In clubs like Angel, service is so high-end that an employee in their well-staffed bathrooms will actually put a piece of gum in your mouth while you stand at the urinal.

Regulating Nightlife
Not all clubs are made for the nouveau riche, though. In the student district, D-22, owned by an American finance professor, has dedicated itself to improving the local music scene. The venue has become a major player, even though the owner, who teaches in Beijing, says he loses money every month.

Other bars near the Workers' Stadium cater to the hip and not-so-rich, who can be found literally partying all night (the government doesn't limit hours).

However, like much of the progress in China, the government seems ambivalent about how much things have changed. In the run-up to the Olympics, police have cracked down on partying as part of a war on drugs and prostitution. Dancing has been banned at the gay club Destination, and in many clubs, live music has been banned.

After operating for a long time, the club Maggie's, which was famous for its Mongolian prostitutes, was recently shut down because of a "building violation." Local and international papers have labeled some laws as racist, disproportionately targeting Mongolians and blacks. But China today is a far cry from the days of Mao Zedong, and after the Olympics, Beijing nightlife will probably return to its unruly glory.

"Four years ago I went into a club with and there were naked girls dancing in cages," said one foreigner who asked to remain anonymous.

His friend "laughed and said 'This club is owned by the People's Liberation Army. Who's going to close it down?'" he recalled.

source: courant.com
original article: ->