Until the late 1970s the best night out most Beijingers could hope for was dinner at a friend's apartment followed by a sing-along. Since then China's economic boom has brought countless karaoke venues and small discos, which form the backbone of Beijing's nightlife. More affluent people head for the huge new cabaret and restaurant complexes around Third Ring Road. Some restaurants compete with the clubs by offering live music, belly dancers, or other floor shows.

Prostitution (illegal in China) is common in many bars and clubs, which may have back rooms for that purpose. Peking opera, strangled almost to death in the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), has revived just enough to generate some interest among the older generations.

Bars, Taverns & Pubs

CD Cafe
Dongsanhuan Lu
Chaoyang District
Beijing, China
Phone: 010/6501-6655 Ext. 5127

CD Cafe (CD Kafei), next to one of Beijing's major roads, has jazz and blues bands that perform standard numbers in a large, informal setting. The crowd is mixed, with Chinese and foreigners of all ages.

Goose and Duck
Ritandongyi Jie
Chaoyang District
Beijing, China
Phone: 010/6509-3777

At Goose and Duck (Eya Jiuba), you can enjoy an English draft beer while you listen to folk, country, and easy-listening music played by Chinese and Western musicians Tuesday-Saturday.

Minder Cafe
Dongdaqiao Xiejie
Chaoyang District
Beijing, China
Phone: 010/6599-6066

Minder Cafe (Mingdaxi Canting), packed with revelers dancing to the resident band every weekend, is Beijing's best-known meeting place for young expats. (

On Off
Xingfu Zhonglu
Chaoyang District
Beijing, China
Phone: 010/6415-8083

One of the trendiest bars in Beijing is On Off (Shang Xia Xian).

Sanwei Bookstore
60 Fuxingmennei Dajie
Beijing, China
Phone: 010/6601-3204

The Sanwei Bookstore (Sanwei Shuwu) has the traditional Chinese arrangement of a bookstore with an adjacent cafe. In the past, these attracted writers who sipped tea while listening to Peking Opera. Here, the upstairs houses a popular bar; Friday is jazz night, and Saturday sees Chinese classical music played on instruments such as the pipa and the guzheng.

Schiller's
Liangmaqiao Lu
Chaoyang District
Beijing, China
Phone: 010/6461-9276

The American-style bar Schiller's (Xile Jiuba), named for the German poet, is popular with Beijing's younger expats.