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The Beijing bar scene is constantly spreading and expanding, but at the moment the majority of the action is still confined to two main areas. The good thing about this is that it is very easy to find everything and once you are in a neighborhood it is very easy to walk from place to place.
The first area in Beijing to develop a true bar scene was Sanlitun, named for a street near the embassy neighborhoods of Chaoyang District. A long time favorite with foreigners, there is a constant rotation of new bars featuring a wide range of themes in Sanlitun. Despite this rotation, there are consistently a lot of people having a great, sometimes rowdy, time.
The other major cluster of bars can be found around Houhai lake. The Houhai lake bar area experienced a surge of development in 2003 and hasn't stopped since. Now there are a good number of bars, all offering a similar atmosphere, on both sides of the lake. These tend to be low key affairs and nearly all of them offer seating on the water. This is a great place to have a quiet drink, enjoy the water, and relax.
There is a third area, also overlooking Houhai lake, along the street Houhai Nanyan. This row of bars and restaurants tend to be a bit more upscale, specializing in fine food and fancy cocktails. This is certainly the place to go if you are trying to impress a date.
Hou Hai Bar Area
Similar to Sanlitun with bars near Beihai Park.
Sanlitun Entertainment District
Bars open until late.
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