I Love the Nightlife

I am twenty-two and living in a big city, so it’s not hard to believe that a part of my life here involves going out at night. Luckily, there’s a lot to do!

Recently Kristina, Sophie, Liz and I went to Fuzimiao, or the Confucius Temple at night. If you spend your time memorizing my previous blog posts (as I’m sure you do) you might remember that Sophie and I went to Fuzimiao during the day with our Chinese tutors when we first arrived. However, at night the whole area lights up and it’s a really cool place to walk around.

Kristina, Liz and me

The gate, all lit up!

The Confucius Temple used to be the site where Chinese men could take their national entrance exams, however today it is full of commercial shops. The area is along a river, with lots of beautiful gates and bridges. At night, the narrow alleys  become a great night market (so if you think you’re getting a gift from me in China, this is likely the place from which I’ll buy it.) There was all kind of cool jewelry, tea sets, fans, and other Chinese trinkets. Fake designer handbags and funky lighters galore. There were also a lot of stands that sold snack foods. I didn’t buy anything, but I know I will next time.

There are a lot of bars in my area of Nanjing, I think because I live on the campus of Nanjing University and there are so many young people. There happens to be not one but two bars right across the street from me, but I tend frequent other ones instead. Behind the Wall often has live guitar music (and sangria, we know how much I like sangria!) and there are a few nearby bars that serve imported beers (Tsing Tao is fine, but not the greatest...) It’s nice that they’re so nearby, mostly because it means that I don’t have to take a cab anywhere. Not that cabs here are so expensive or inconvenient… they’re always available and usually cost about $2-$3 which is then split amongst a group of us. But still, having nearby options is nice.

There is also a club district in Nanjing, called 1912. There is a nearby bus that runs there, but it’s only about $2.50 by cab so we usually opt for taxi transportation. 1912 is basically just a two block by two block area that is packed with clubs and KTV (karaoke) places. There are a few clubs that foreigners tend to frequent, like Mazzo and Scarlet, but “cool and hip” places are always changing in a city (I am such an old person at heart.) It’s not even really different streets with clubs, it’s a kind of narrow cobble-stone sidewalk with beautiful trees and neon lights. (I must say, Chinese designers have a weird affinity for lights that hang from trees. They are EVERYWHERE in China! Also, every club I have ever been to has at least thirty chandeliers. So bizarre.) Clubbing in China is more fun than in the states (or in Europe) because everyone is a terrible dancer, so I feel like I fit in better. I can just do my little disco moves and Sophie can do her make-it-rain-and-clear-it-out move and it is totally socially acceptable. In fact, dancing at the clubs here kind of reminds me of dancing at a Harris party at Grinnell, because I always run into other foreigners who I know and because everyone is just being goofy and having a great time. However, a duck can't change its spots... or a leopard... or whatever that saying is... I'm still not really the clubbing type.

Out on the town

See what I mean about the chandeliers?

I loved my time at Grinnell, but socially it is such a different environment from a big city. There are so many more options for nighttime activities and it’s fun to take advantage of them: I sure do love the nightlife. China Doll likes to boogie!