houhai, beijing

Houhai’s lively mix of ancient and modern make it the perfect place to spend a Beijing evening

By Herman Cheng Translation by Hsiaofen Peng

an evening trip to Houhai, Beijing’s old and bustling man-made lake to the north-east of the Forbidden City, may leave first-time visitors a little disappointed. The crude bright lights and loud music pounding out of the dozens of bars and clubs fronted by trolling bar touts are more reminiscent of Beijing’s garish sanlitun bar district than the quiet waters of the summer Palace. But there are hundreds of bars, shops and restaurants around the lake and adjacent Qianhai and sihai, not to mention along the historic hutongs leading to Houhai. Most of the bars also have large-screen TVs, all the better to take in the action during the summer Olympics.

Club Obiwan
A relative newcomer to sihai, the body of water just west of Houhai, Club Obiwan offers the expat community a place to chill and listen to a wide spectrum of music from international (and local) DJs. This three-storey lounge bar has an excellent rooftop patio with a fine view of the lake and surrounding hutongs.

4 Xihia Xiyan, +86 10 6617 3231

Huxley’s
a corridor of shops and bars leading to Houhai, and serves cheap drinks and refreshing mojitos. it’s also a nice place to people watch, as the bartop counter in the front window affords great views

16 Yandai Xiejie, +86 10 6402 7825

Match Quotes
Those in search of novelty souvenirs could do worse than browse this collection of matchboxes featuring timeless pop art, including astro Boy, speed Racer and Chairman Mao.

37 Yandai Xiejie, +86 130 0102 0366

Litong Store
This cluttered Yandai street store sells cricket paraphernalia, including latticed cricket boxes, cricket whistles, and yes, real crickets. For those not interested in raising a pet cricket, buying one of these elegantly crafted bamboo cricket cages, sans cricket, can still bring its owner good luck.

57 Yandai Xiejie St West

Nuage
This red-hot four-storey Vietnamese restaurant to the north-west of Houhai features everything you would expect: salads, spring rolls, beef noodle soup and some Thai dishes, though portions are small and the menu is on the pricey side. The enticing rooftop view is available upon reservation and the décor is colonial Vietnamese, elegantly simple.

22 Qianhai Lake East Bank, +86 10 6401 9581

Kong Yiji Jiulou
Named after a scholar character from a Lu Xun short story, this Haiyang restaurant is literary through and through, down to its menu, written vertically in the traditional style. sweet rice wine served in silver pots and a bamboo forest within the entrance courtyard would be appreciated by Lu’s alcoholic protagonist.

South bank of HouHai, +86 10 6618 4915

Sex and Da City
Inspired by the HBO series, the three female founders of this medium-sized club slightly amended its name to avoid copyright issues. Two metal poles adorn each end of the stylish bar and are used for routine pole dancing in the evenings, while the suites on the second floor offer stunning views of the lake.

15 Tianhefang, Lotus Market, +86 10 6612 5046

Rockland
This small record shop, somewhat hidden away in a hutong close to Qianhai, offers a selection of jazz, soul and rock. Posters for prominent local acts such as snapline, Queen sea Big shark and PK 14 are plastered all along the outside, offering a hint at what the city’s thriving indie rock scene has to offer.

2 Nanguanfang Hutong, +86 6657 1926