The Nanfang Home

The Nanfang / Blog

Bars

Police Doing Spot Drug Tests at Beijing Bars

Posted: 08/11/2014 11:21 am

dos kolegas beijing barWarranted or not, Beijing bars have a notorious reputation for heavy alcohol and drug use. Just last month, photographs were taken of several expats seen mistreating a man who had fallen unconscious, while a Sanlitun drug bust in May resulted in the arrest of 30 suspects that included 10 foreigners. But are Beijing bars really that bad?

It seems Beijing police think so, and are willing to take extraordinary steps to crackdown on illicit drug use. A tweet sent by Twitter user Stephen McDonell suggests that Beijing police are going into local bars and conducting on-the-spot drug tests on anyone in the premises, both locals and expats:

McDonell describes the urine drug test:

In another tweet, McDonell said he was at Dos Kolegas, a popular local bar known for its live music performances, located north of Chaoyang Park and east of the Sanlitun bar street.

The FDA says a urine drug of abuse home test may be able to determine the presence of any of these drugs: marijuana, cocaine, opiates, methamphetamine, amphetamines, PCP, benzodiazepine, barbiturates, methadone, tricyclic antidepressants, ecstasy, and oxycodone.

Photo: Dos Kolegas

Haohao
Tagged:

Shenzhen is ready for the Superbowl, here’s where to catch the game

Posted: 01/29/2014 11:19 pm

Forget Spring Festival, it’s Superbowl weekend! Here’s where you can watch the big game, or fibd sonething else to do if American football isn’t your thing.

Feb. 3rd - Superbowl Monday @ Frankie’s – Blu Bamboo is a bar growing in popularity for live music in Shekou. If your night is empty here’s a good filler for some nice live jazz.

Feb. 3rd - The Super Bowl Live @ The Tavern Sports Bar & Grill – Watch the Superbowl from one of the nicest new bar venues in Shekou. The Tavern.

Feb. 3rd - Super Bowl Tailgate Party @ McCawley’s – You can go to two out of the many McCawley’s locations for some early morning Superbowl action accompanied by some great food and drink. Futian and Seaworld.

Feb. 3rd - Super Bowl XLVIII @ Xpats – Superbowl breakfast and beer specials all day at Xpats.

And if you’d rather just celebrate the Year of the Horse…

Feb. 2nd-5th - Chinese Temple Fair @ Mission Hills Dongguan Resort - Put down the McDonalds and experience a little bit of Chinese Culture. Arts and crafts, music, performances and traditional Chinese New Year foods.

If you attend any of these events, please email me at [email protected] and we may include some of your reviews in a future post. Let’s keep your event organizers working to provide better and better events!

(Editor’s Note: We’re looking for dining and nightlife writers in Guangzhou and Dongguan. If you’re interested, please get in touch with us at [email protected])

 

Haohao
Tagged:

Shenzhen this weekend: Qipao night, live jazz, Australia Day, and open mic

Posted: 01/23/2014 3:09 pm

Shenzhen is slowly but surely emptying as people migrate across the country for Spring Festival. If you’re still around, there are a few things you can still do. Here’s what’s happening:

Jan. 23rd – Thursday Frisbee Throwing Training by the SZUPA – The SZUPA is an organization with the goal of spreading the sport of Ultimate frisbee to Shenzhen and China. They meet weekly for many activities related to their sport as well as social activities to reach out to the Shenzhen Community. Join them tonight if you’d like to learn the basics of throwing and catching a frisbee.

Jan. 24th – One Night in Shanghai @ Shang Bar – Enjoy Shanghai culture and fashion at Shang Garden Bar. This saturday they’ll be celebrating the chinese dress called the Qipao and featuring classic Shanghai music.

Jan. 25th – Gypsy Jazz @ Blu Bamboo – Blu Bamboo is a bar growing in popularity for live music in Shekou. If your night is empty here’s a good filler for some nice live jazz.

Jan. 25th - Adult Fencing Class – Learn to handle yourself in a fencing match. You never know when you’ll be challenged on the mean streets of Shenzhen to a sword match. Joking aside this sounds like a fun break from the norm.

Jan. 26th – Australia Day 2014 @ Boomerang bar – If you’re an Aussie and want to celebrate your country’s birthday, Boomerang Bar at Coastal City wants you there to take part in the fun.

Jan. 26th – Ultimate Frisbee @ Happy Valley Park – The Shenzhen Superren meet every Sunday to play Ultimate. The location may change in the future. Most days it will be at at Happy Valley Park. Please check where we will be playing each week by calling or texting Jeff (13751100329) to check.

Jan. 26th – Open Mic @ La Casa – Join Shenzhen’s original weekly Open Mic Night at La Casa.

If you attend any of these events, please email me at [email protected] and we may include some of your reviews in a future post. Let’s keep your event organizers working to provide better and better events!

(Editor’s Note: We’re looking for dining and nightlife writers in Guangzhou and Dongguan. If you’re interested, please get in touch with us at [email protected])

 

Haohao
Tagged:

Oktoberfest (in November), live Beijing hip hop, and tunnel rave this weekend

Posted: 11/7/2013 2:11 pm

Halloween’s gone, but the party isn’t stopping.  Check out what’s happening tonight and this weekend in Shenzhen:

Nov. 7-12th - 8th Annual Shenzhen Oktoberfest - The Oktoberfest at The Venice hotel is one of the most anticipated parties of the year offering great entertainment and lots of delicious foods. Don’t miss it.

Nov. 7th – Learn to throw a Frisbee by the SZUPA – The SZUPA is an organization with the goal of spreading the sport of Ultimate frisbee to Shenzhen and China. They meet weekly for many activities related to their sport as well as social activities to reach out to the Shenzhen Community. Join them tonight if you’d like to learn the basics of throwing and catching a frisbee.

Nov. 8th - Beijing’s Purple Soul debuts their W.T.F Album @ B10 Live – B10 continues to bring you the true experience of live music and performance artists from the best of local and international acts. Come experience some of Beijing’s newest and brightest Hip Hop groups.

Nov. 8th – Adidas Originals Electronic Party Series – “Superstars” Featuring Jack Beats @ Pepper Club – Club Pepper continues to be an important club in Shenzhen drawing in international DJs and throwing popular themed events. Check them out as they take part in a Nationwide DJ series presented by Adidas featuring Jack Beats supported by Wonky Kong DJs.

Nov. 9th - Coaster Raid – Explore all of Shekou- Join Coaster Raid as they further explore the ever-changing city of Shenzhen. This time they focus on Shekou. Time to find out if it’s more than just expat bars and restaurants.

Nov. 9th - Tunnel Rave Presented by The Real Deal Inc - The Real Deal Inc continues their series of rave parties in Shenzhen’s now not-so-secret IKEA tunnels. People do love to party in the dark.

Nov. 10th - FRANKIE’S 2nd Annual Marine Corps Birthday Party – Frankie’s is Shenzhen’s most authentic American bar offering quality food and drinks. Come celebrate the birth of the United States Marine Corps.

Nov. 10th – Sunday Ultimate Frisbee by the SZUPA – Join a growing group of expats and local Chinese players play the fast growing international sport: Ultimate.

If you attend any of these events, please email me at [email protected] and we may include some of your reviews in a future post. Let’s keep your event organizers working to provide better and better events!

(Editor’s Note: We’re looking for dining and nightlife writers in Guangzhou and Dongguan. If you’re interested, please get in touch with us at [email protected])

Haohao
Tagged:

Jazz Festival, DJ parties and more on tap this weekend

Posted: 09/27/2013 7:00 am

It’s another busy weekend in Shenzhen! Check out what’s happening:

Sep. 27th – IZ Band - The 3rd OCT Jazz Festival - The IZ Band is playing Live @ The 3rd OCT Jazz Festival. One of the best festivals in Shenzhen for music with lots of new acts each time.

Sep. 28th – Taboo from The Black Eyed Peas @ Face Club – Taboo will be performing a DJ Set at Luohu’s Face Club. Nuff Said.

Sep. 28th – The Dave Allen Trio – The 3rd OCT Jazz Festival - The Dave Allen Trio will play live @ The 3rd OCT Jazz Festival.

Sep. 28th - Unicef Champions for Change Charity Event @ Sheraton Futian – That’s PRD and Sheraton hotels are hosting a Charity event with free entry, food, and live music for UNICEF. Come and support children in need.

Sep. 29th - Sunday Ultimate Frisbee by the SZUPA - Join a growing group of expats and local Chinese players play the fast growing international sport of Ultimate.

If you attend any of these events, please email me at [email protected] and we may include some of your review in a future post. Let’s keep your event organizers working to provide better and better events!

(Editor’s Note: We’re looking for dining and nightlife writers in Guangzhou and Dongguan. If you’re interested, please get in touch with us at [email protected])

Haohao
Tagged:

The Office Pub’s Andre Caprioara talks about life in Dongguan

Posted: 09/6/2013 2:00 pm

The Office Pub is one of the relatively new entrants to Dongguan’s ever-growing nightlife scene.  It was founded by Andre Caprioara from Romania.  After traveling around China and living in Shenzhen for a while, he decided to settle down next door in Dongguan.

In this audio interview with The Nanfang, Andre talks about why he stayed in Dongguan, how he came up with the name for his pub, the city’s nightlife, and how it has changed over the years.

Hope you enjoy it.

Andre Caprioara

Haohao
Tagged:

The latest in Guangzhou’s Bar Wars: The Brew strikes back with new 3rd location

Posted: 08/22/2012 4:18 pm

Rob, from The Brew, celebrating Canada Day

What is up with Guangzhou’s pub scene these days?

We told you already that the Paddy Field, one of the Guangzhou originals, has opened its second location in Tianhe, near where The Brew and The Tavern are already set up.  So what does The Brew do?  Open up very close to the original Paddy Field on Jianshe Liu Ma Lu.

No, these aren’t done to spite each other (I don’t think), but it does give pub-goers a wide range of places to tilt a pint or two.

Rob, one of the Canuck owners of The Brew, told The Nanfang that he’s been looking for a third location for a while.  The guys have even considered opening in Shenzhen, Dongguan, and Foshan, but finally found an ideal spot near the Garden Hotel.  The new Brew will most resemble the Panyu version, with mostly indoor seating and a stage for live performances.

While it seems pubs in Guangzhou are spreading faster than SARS ever did, Rob says it’s all a result of Guangzhou’s maturing nightlife. “Can you believe we have four Irish pubs in this city??  Everyone wants to own a pub eh.  At this point, I don’t mind it,” he said.  ”I mean, it’d be great if I owned the only pub in the city, but I think the number of pubs is an indicator of how Guangzhou is expanding and becoming more cosmopolitan.  We’re confident that we can still be popular in our niche as a friendly neighbourhood sports bar.”

For those wondering, the new venue won’t feature The Brew’s famous taps.  It is set to open sometime in mid-September.

Also on The Nanfang:

Haohao
Tagged:

Shekou to undergo major transformation

Posted: 02/28/2011 11:29 am

Seaworld Square in Shekou is a bar and restaurant oasis for many in Shenzhen. But as anyone who’s been there recently can attest, construction can be seen everywhere. Not only in the square itself, where a number of bars have been closed, or around the newly-opened metro station, but also near the now-aging Nanhai Hotel. To put it simply, the area is going through a major face lift which will see some high end eateries and hotels opening up in the next couple of years.

The Shenzhen Standard provides some details:

The Marine World Hotel located next to Nanhai Hotel is said to cost 800 million yuan to construction and will cover 56,000 square meters. The hotel will have 320 rooms and managed by Hilton Hotels, this will be their first seaside hotel in Shenzhen when its completed in 2013. Building of the Marine World Hotel will be the first phase of the overall Marine World upgrading project.

China Merchants Group, is a major developer of the Shekou area, will spend and additional 60 billion yuan in the nest five to eight years to fully upgrade facilities in the Shekou area. The Marine World urban compound, Taizi Bay terminals for passenger cruisers and Shekou Network Valley are among the key ares also said to undergo upgrading. Aside from the hotel project, commercial ares located around the Minghua ship will also undergo construction and renovation that will turn the area into an international food street for exotic food and other specialties.

The square has aged a bit from its heyday a few years ago. The giant flood in 2007 certainly didn’t help. Nonetheless, the area retains its quaint charm and community feel. The question is, will the influx of new high-end establishments change the area’s vibe? And if so, will it be better or worse?

Haohao
Tagged:
Popular Stories
AROUND THE WEB
Keep in Touch

What's happening this week in Shenzhen, Dongguan and Guangzhou? Sign up to be notified when we launch the This Week @ Nanfang newsletter.

sign up for our newsletter

Nanfang TV