夜店 － Nightclubs

I'll be the first to admit that I am probably not the most suitable person to be writing this post, due primarily to my advancing years and fading memories of youthful nights spent at Bagley's and Camden Palace. Incidentally, when your reference points for a night out are warehouse raves that were closed down more than a decade ago, you're probably not in a position of authority to talk about the modern EDM scene. The Chinese call outdated references such as these 暴露年纪 which means they "expose your age".

Regardless, here I am.

The nightclub scene in Liuzhou is a big part of the lives of some of our members, and many of the local people here, so who am I to dismiss it? The undoubted king of nightclubs in Liuzhou is 上上 "Song & Song" which is open every evening until the early hours. Serving up a music selection that varies from EDM to EDM via a bit more EDM, it is rammed every night of the week, in contrast to many other late night establishments in the city. Here are some pictures from my one and, thus far, only visit.

For the uninitiated, here are some things you should know about clubbing in China:

• Firstly, and in stark contrast to my native UK, there is little to no chance of getting glassed or beaten up - result!
• Not only can you wear trainers, flip flops are also acceptable. No dress codes!
• The male to female ratio is more even than your standard provincial nightclub in the UK - no more sausage fests!
• There is a focus on photo opportunities as the Chinese obsession with selfies and posting to their 微信朋友圈 ("WeChat Moments", like a Facebook wall) takes precedence.
• As a foreigner, you will be subject to a lot of attention. Whether this makes you feel self-conscious or if choose to use it to your advantage is entirely up to you. 
• Finally, table service: in China, you're normally allocated a table which has a minimum spend. This is great if you're in a group but, if there are just a couple of you, you might need to stand with the peasants at the bar.