Nightlife and Entertainment

Nightlife was unknown to many people in Beijing 20 years ago, and the word wasn't even used. But nowadays it is very common, especially for young people, to go out in the evenings and spend their time at cinemas, theatres, nightclubs, song and dance halls, Karaoke clubs, restaurants or bars.

Compared to people in south of China, Beijing people are more conservative. Most of them, married people in particular, like to stay at home watching TV or chatting with friends, which is why the streets are quite deserted after 9 o'clock at night, when most of the stores are closed. Don't despair, you can always find places to spend your evenings if you are not tired after the day's sightseeing. Almost every 4-or 5-star hotel has facilities for entertainment.

Besides hotels, nightlife venues are mostly in the city center. You can see the ballet and opera, acrobatics, dramas, song and dance performances, or attend a music concert, or drop in at a roadside disco. It's best to stick to places that have been recommended by other tourists or Chinese friends. Now, the city has witnessed an upcome of foreign theme pubs, new exotic bars and locally run clubs. Foreign pubs, bars, cafes and disco clubs attract foreign residents and tourists as well as young Chinese.