Shanghai is the place to disco, with so much to party on it can be overwhelming to choose on the event of the night. The city is big on clubbing, live music, comedy, bars, festivals as well as ladie’s nights. When you look at the huge array of nightlife events, it doesn’t seem like the China you know at all. And to much of our surprise, these parties are not just foreign packed but the crowds of Chinese locals that appriciate a western style of having fun is abundant. In fact, many of these places are great for meeting out with an alternative crowd of Chinese that have a global mindset and perhaps a little more cash in their wallets. If that’s the kind of friends you would like to make, it’s relatively easy in the magnificent city of Shanghai.
Besides discosmic adventures and what not, another variety of night activites to discover are theatre performances introduced by the Shanghai Nightlife Guide by Show Shanghai.
However Shanghai seems to be rather concentrated on acrobatic shows and in fact, it used to boast with a whopping five active theaters with daily shows. Now that there are not so many Japanese tourists and a slight decline in western tourism, some of the theaters have dropped out of the game. Now the most active and present are the Shanghai Center Theater, Huxi Grand Theater as well as the popular Shanghai Circus World performance. All are great and worthwhile venues and if you have never seen Chinese acrobatics, they are a must introduction to the traditional sense of nightlife extravagance.
When going dancing and clubbing, it’s better to choose with more care. Some of the venues are ridiculously expensive and in our opinion the best are certainly not the most costly. Being posh is a common day occurrence in the city which unlike in the western world has little sense and ability to town down. Thus some of these places are package with closed circles, restricting access with a sense of useless pride to maintain appearances. Just in between the riches and the rags, lies a new Chinese party crowd that has grown it’s awareness to love, peace and unity. Something that grew and is often lost in the west is blooming again in specific night clubs and events in the city. Ask Show Shanghai for more information!
If you are wondering what ladie’s nights are and why they are so popular, it is because of the abundance of Chinese women looking for western men. Offering free entrance, and even a drink or two to women who come to party is not just about attracting more female customers, in which return attract more male customers to come and spend their money. It’s also true that there are a lot of women in Shanghai who come from the countryside, far away cities or just don’t have money to spend on high end night clubs and bars. This is an opportunity for them to connect with westerns and Chinese men who can afford the kind of lifestyle they are looking for. If you are OK with paying everything which is totally normal in China, this is a very good way of hooking up with Chinese women. Or if you are a woman, you can meet both Chinese and western men that live in China and probably carry that mentality of wanting to take care of their women financially. In these parties the melting of Chinese and western customs, both in terms of mating and culture, is at boiling point with great music and vibes. In fact, even if you are not looking for a partner or one night stand, it’s something definitely worth checking out just as the acrobatics.
Our recommendation is to take two nights. One absorbed in theatre and food.. and the other in bars, clubbing and drinks. Which one is your pick? let me know by giving a shout in the comments.
Disco on!
Mark Asa
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