Having experienced a fair share of nightlife in Ningbo (the home of UoN’s China campus), it is safe to say the clubbing culture of us Brits doesn’t quite translate to those in China. In short, the idea of taking a dip into the Big O and downing £1.50 shots all night is not immediately what comes to the mind of a UNNC (University of Nottingham Ningbo Campus) student on a Friday night.
If you’ve never ventured to the Far East or stepped foot inside their nightclubs, I guarantee you will be amazed. Whether it’s the decor or just the sheer novelty of the club in general. Either way, you can’t help but embrace it. Questions doubting the designer’s failure to build a dance floor or the decision to fill the room with furniture, whilst waiters serve plates of food are sure to spring to mind. Not to mention the fact ladies dressed in skimpy outfits circle the club in a bid to sell teddy bears the size of your 10 year old cousin.
Phebe 3D Club, Shanghai
You soon realise the need for so much furniture. Chinese clubbers don’t go out to show off their latest moves. Instead, they prefer to sit back and play the popular drinking game Liar’s Dice. It may be a strange phenomenon at first, but with enough Baiju (Chinese vodka) you’ll still dance the night away. Even if the only space amongst all the chairs is a revolving dance floor.
The latest addition to a friend’s flat after a night out
Not only is the club’s interior different but also the age of those inside. After becoming accustomed to student nights in Notts it can be shocking to see a room full of partygoers much older than your average student. From those that I have spoken to, Chinese students don’t particularly enjoy going out and if they were to go out, a nightclub would not be their place of choice. They much prefer KTV, which is essentially: karaoke, friends and a constant supply of alcohol, but that itself is a rarity. I guess you can put the difference in nightlife down to the difference in culture.
If you are a prospective student flying out to UNNC next year you needn’t worry about adjusting to the Chinese club scene; it will grow on you… eventually. Besides, there are plenty of Western style bars in the city and I can almost guarantee they will be full of Nottingham students!
Edited by Mackenzie Orrock
Image source
http://www.smartshanghai.com/uploads/venues/images/2010/08/1280826159.jpg