Now that the 2008 Olympics are over, SIN PHUAY HIANG shows you where else you can spend your evenings in the world’s new playground- Beijing.

Chill Out

If you want to chill out at local bars, visit the Hou Hai bars, which have prospered greatly over the past few years. In the area, you can find quaint teahouses, modern pubs with live music and the traditional Hutongs (alleys where traditional Beijingers live), with peculiar designer shops tucked within. A 25-year-old student from Shandong, Li Juan, comments, “It’s [Hou Hai] quieter and classier… the ambience is better.” Her favourite pub is Blue Lotus (Lan Lian Hua). On its draw to her, “It has nice lights with the floating lanterns, a lake and great scenery,” says Rebecca Lewis, 27, a teacher from London.

Shopping

Youths looking for good bargains in Beijing should head for the shopping malls in the district of Xidan. This is where you can buy anything from clothes to accessories from around 10 yuan (S$2). Li Wei, 25, says, “This is one of the more famous places in Beijing and the things sold are more hip.” For upmarket brands, head for The Place (Shi Mao Tian Jie) where you havea chance of running into Chinese celebrities such as Zhao Wei, Zhang Ziyi and newly minted Singapore citizen Gong Li. The legendary LED skyscreen, rivalling similar glitzy mega panels in Las Vegas, which is 30m wide and 250m long, and cost a breathtaking 250million yuan (S$32 million), is a huge attraction here.

Entertainment

For those who crave a rush of adrenaline, head for the Happy Valley (Huan Le Gu) Amusement Park which offers stomach-churning roller coasters rides among the 120 attractions and 6 themed areas within the park. “At 160 yuan, we get to go for every ride and experience the adrenaline rush,” says Kang Yan, 22, an undergraduate from Hunan. “So, why not?”

Karaoke-lovers can head to Party World (Cash Box), Beijing’s snazziest karaoke venue, complete with state-of-the-art sound system. According to Li Wei, “The ambience is nice, especially after the renovation.” She also comments on the good service and up-to-date songs. “The prices vary according to the timebelts and the amount of drinks,” she adds. It can cost between 39 yuan to over 300 yuan at a time.

Phuay Hiang was in Beijing as part of a media production and study trip organised by the School of Film & Media Studies, Ngee Ann Polytechnic.