Swinging capital city has the goods to rock all night
Chengdu has a truly vibrant nightlife - as a city infatuated with all fun things should. The Chengdunese, who seemingly have a limitless capacity for celebration, are well served with all manner of bars, nightclubs and late-night restaurants and bathhouses, all full and pumping into the wee hours of every morning.
Virtually every district in Chengdu has - along with a teahouse and a hotpot restaurant - a bar, a club or a bathhouse for night owls. A conservative estimate puts the number of bars at 300, with 100 nightclubs. But no one can say for sure how many bathhouses or restaurants there are.
Yulin Life Plaza, at the corner of Second Ring Road South and Yulin Road South, is home to the Music House and the Empty Bottle Bar and a host of smaller bars and barbecue joints. The Empty Bottle has the distinction of selling the most bottles of Chivas Regal whiskey of any other establishment anywhere in the world - roughly 400 bottles on Fridays and Saturdays.
Right next to the Huang Cheng Lao Ma Hot Pot Palace, on Second Ring Road South, is a string of nightclubs led by the Babi Club, all full to bursting every night of the week.
The Babi Club has lately become the nightspot of choice for many Chengdunese. Previous holders of the 'cool club' title are the MGM near Tian Fu Plaza, True Love, in the Hong Wa Si district near Sichuan University's North Gate, and Top One, just north of Tian Fu Plaza.
New areas of fun and entertainment keep opening up as Chengdu maintains its momentum of growth and expansion. Recent developments along the south bank of the Fu Nan river have turned Jiu Yuan Bridge and the Old South Gate Bridge into bustling hot spots at night.
Jiu Yuan Bridge is the old wharf area from the Qing dynasty days, and a few of the new clubs and bars are built in traditional Qing style. A huge boat that was spoiling the view near the Old South Gate Bridge has been given a facelift; the vessel has been renovated to house three clubs and a cavernous hotpot restaurant overlooking the south side of the city, the Fu Nan river and downtown.
In between these two bridges, along the Fu Nan river, are several hole-in-the-wall pubs such as Dave's Oasis and the Anchor bar, as well as Indian Food, the two Hi Fly late-night pizza joints, and an upscale Cantonese restaurant next to the Sofitel-Wanda Hotel that serves dim sum all night.
South on Renmin Road is the expat district with the Reggae Bar, Carol's Night Club and the Shamrock pub on the left, and a wild bunch of pubs, clubs and restaurants on the right.
Chengdunese love to party and will not limit themselves to one drink. A typical table is covered with glasses, a dozen beers, two bottles of Chivas, a range of mixer drinks and a platter or two of fresh fruit.
The Chengdu music scene falls into two very distinct parts, which is often the case in mainland cities.
On one side you have the locals who want old favourites with a heavy dose of thumping techno, with cries of 'ganbei', cups of dice and endless smoke to complete the picture.
On the other side is a scene based in and around the Little Bar on Yulin Road West, a hideout for the experimental minority.
Live performances in the Little Bar range from roof-burning punk and smooth jazz to raucous hip-hop and raw rock 'n' roll. Foreign influences and the local underground have worked to transform the tastes and sensibilities of a city that has had limited exposure, up to now, to anything but the usual.
There are two aspects to Chengdu nightlife that are worth noting: the After-After Party and the Sichuan Beauty.
The After-After Party is the 2am run for food and respite after a hard night's work. Throughout the city are nooks and crannies that serve the best nightlife food: greasy, fried, hot, fast and full of heart. Yulin district is famed for its night food, as is Hong Wa Si and a small neighbourhood just west of Yong Feng Road called Xiao Jiahe. Weary party folk often end up in the late-night bathhouses, teahouses and massage parlours. There is much to be said for an establishment that is open all night, provides food and drink, a shower, a sauna and a foot massage - for just a couple of hundred yuan.
