Nightlife was unknown to many people in Beijing 20 years ago, and the word wasn't even used. But nowadays it is very common, especially for young people, to go out in the evenings and spend their time at cinemas, theatres, nightclubs, song and dance halls, Karaoke clubs, restaurants or bars. Compared to people in south China, Beijing people are more conservative. Most of them, married people in particular, like to stay at home watching TV or chatting with friends, which is why the streets are quite deserted after nine o'clock at night, when most of the shops are closed.
Don't despair, you can find places to spend your evenings if you are not tired after the day's sightseeing. Almost every four- or five-star hotel has facilities for entertainment. Apart from hotels, night life venues are mostly in the city centre. You can see the Peking Opera, acrobatics, dramas, local ballad singing, song and dance performances, or attend a music concert, or drop in at a roadside disco. But be careful, there do exit nightclubs where tourists are charged an unbelievable price for a drink and where trouble can breakout. It's best to stick to places which have been recommended by other tourists or Chinese friends, and beware if prices of drinks are not displayed.
Now the city has witnessed a mushrooming of foreign theme pubs, new exotic bars and locally-run techno-clubs. Foreign pubs, bars, cafes and disco clubs attract foreign residents and tourists as well as young Chinese. The admission fee is usually about 50-80 yuan and beer is 15-20 yuan.
