Night at Houhai (后海）

“We aren’t in an information age, we are in an entertainment age.” –Anthony Robbins

First, I just want to apologize to my blog readers for the lack of updates. I have been traveling for 3 weeks in China (including rural areas) and have lacked reliable internet access. I will try my best to quickly post the remainder of my experiences. Thanks.

There are various places in Beijing that people go to in order to quench their thirst for coffee, tea, and beer. One such place, which has gained a reputation for having some of the best bars, attracting floods of foreign visitors, and charging outrageous prices, is Houhai. Several weeks ago, my friend Evan and I had the opportunity to experience the nightlife at Houhai. The area consists of over 180 restaurants and bars including Budweiser, Heinicken, and Carlsberg. The Houhai district surrounds a lake, which takes about 45 minutes to walk around at a comfortable pace. While walking around, I saw various artists whose works included caricatures and stone carvings. Unfortunately, there were also people who incessantly followed us. Apparently, their sole job was to lure visitors into their bars.

An entertaining street performer at the entrance of Houhai.

Juggling

This guy attracts a huge audience.

Evan

Busy night

Beautiful scenery

Second floor of Carlsberg bar, loaded with a gigantic television. Everything on the menu is unnecessarily expensive.