Guide to Chengdu´s Nightlife I

Chengdu is a really vibrant and energetic city, that offers you the opportunity to experience the fast-growing modern China as well as the mythical ancient China while doing an internship in a company or take part in our language classes here. Apart from that there is also a really diverse nightlife that caters for all different tastes of music, beer and atmosphere. In fact Chengdu is meant to have the highest density of clubs and bars per capita in China.

Living in Chengdu for more than 4 months now, I had the chance to do in depth research into Chengdu’s nightlife and want to share my insights with you. Since there are so many places to go to, I will split it up in two blogs in which I try to give you an overview of the bars in the different city areas – but this list is far from complete.

Yu Lin (玉林)

Yu Lin is a traditional local living area in the city centre, which fortunately has been spared by the recent building boom and has a really nice and relaxed vibe to it. You can find hundreds of little eateries that offer delicious food to very affordable prices. Additionally Yu Lin boasts a wide range of small bars with regular live music from local and foreign artist. Places to go

– Machupichu (马丘比丘): a small and chilled bar hidden in a side street off Yu Lin Nan Lu (玉林南路) with live music on the weekends. When I asked the Dutch owner why he chose the name he said, because like the ancient Inca town, his bar is small and hard to find 😉

– Little Bar (小酒馆) old & new: with two locations in Yu Lin, this bar is a one of the oldest establishments in Chengdu. The old branch is really relaxed place where you can have a beer with friends and mingle with the locals. Whereas the new bar is the bigger one of the Little Bar’s and has a decent sized stage and dance floor to host the weekly live shows.

Tong Zi Lin (桐梓林)

Tong Zi Lin is the place where most foreigners live in Chengdu, hence has a bit more westernized bar and club scene.

– Shamrock: This sports bar is popular which shows a lot live matches (rugby, AFL, NFL, etc.) and also
is the home base of the local Western-Chinese rugby team. Ladies night on Fridays.

– Jellyfish: Very popular with foreigners (males) and Chinese (girls) alike, this is the place to work on your international relations. 😉 They have a new larger location in

– Beer Nest I :- A great bar opposite the Poly Centre with a variety of > 60 beers, wines, whiskeys, cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks. There is a cozy upstairs sitting area with sofas and a lovely outside terrace where you can enjoy long summer nights.
– The Beer Nest II (Bar and restaurant) :- A second Beer Nest? Yes! But in contrast to the first Beer Nest, this one offers imported and mostly craft draft beers and tasty European food as well. Additionally, this location also offers great events like their bi-weekly Quiz Night and monthly Entrepreneurship Meetup- how cool is that?

Jiu Yan Qiao (九眼桥)

Close to Sichuan University campus, there are various bars and clubs in this area. The surrounding street BBQ places are always good for a midnight snack after long night out.

– Lan Town: Regular events with DJs from Chengdu and other Chinese cities playing a wide range of music from Hip Hop to Dub Step and Drum and Bass make this a place worth visiting if you are up for more urban sounds.

– Muse: You can find a Muse in almost every major city in China and the concept is always the same: stylish interior, pumping sounds and the occasional dance show on the stage. Good for a fun evening and a couple of whiskeys mixed with green tea.

Dong Men Da Qiao (东门大桥)

– Hemp House (麻糖): Relaxed atmosphere with a big outside area to linger around with a chilled Beer Lao after work. In the evenings they have either live bands or DJs playing until late at night.

For event listings in Chengdu check out https://www.gochengdoo.com/en/calendar/ and https://www.chengduliving.com/forum/