Beijing Boyce

The artists known only as “the band” (Photo: E. Tea)

I sat down with Leo, the man behind Cheers, the bar inside Tongli that somehow brings together pool, nude paintings, cheap beer, Bourbon, and Xinjiang music, and make it all work. Drawing one of the more diverse crowds in town – common interest: that music – Cheers can be one of funnest places in town on a weekend. Here’s a short interview with Leo.

How did you get into the bar business?
I graduated from the Central Art Academy in Beijing in 2003 and I wanted to go back to Phoenix. This was during the SARS crisis and it was going to be complicated to return, so I decided to stay in Beijing longer. I thought, “What can I do?” I could have opened a gallery or coffee shop, but I didn’t think that would work, so I decided on a bar.

Lots of bars were closing at that time, so I bought one on [the former Sanlitun] South Bar Street called Native Bar. The business was never good there and they had changed owners at least five times, but it was pretty cheap. I spent 500,000 kuai to buy it, rent it and decorate it. Nobody thought it would work.

Then I got a band – some Xinjiang guys – and business got really good. The bar had a good name – Cheers. People identified with it.

It was knocked down [when South Bar Street was razed]. I tried to relocate to an area with a lot of Japanese restaurants, because the rent was pretty cheap but no one went there. That was in 2005.

So, I gave that up and relocated here in Tongli.

Why Tongli?
After South Bar Street was knocked down, this seemed the place to go for foreigners in Chaoyang and that area. When I opened, Tongli only had Bar Blu and Top Club, now Kokomo. I could pick any space.

I opened around Christmas in 2005. The first time I opened, it was packed, Lots of old friends and new people showed up, and people walking by [to go to Bar Blu or Top Club] came in, too.

The music was kick-ass – it was the same guys who played at Cheers on Sanlitun South Street.

What’s the concept behind Cheers?
Simple, relaxed, easy to make friends, a little bit cozy. We’re not aiming to make a lot of money during the Olympics, but we hope to continue building up a crowd. Since the WTO opened China, I’ve always thought more and more foreigners would come to Beijing. Our main niche is foreigners – Chinese are not really bar drinkers, they’re restaurant drinkers, and we didn’t expect them to come in and spend 1000 kuai on a bottle of Cognac.

Who are the typical customers?
We get a mixed crowd – Americans, Australians, people from England. We get people from India, from Africa, from South America. We get a lot of French. These people know music and expect it to be good.

What’s the biggest challenge?
The place is quite limited in terms of space, so we make enough to pay our rent, but don’t make a lot of money. Other bars can make money because they have an outside area, but I can’t really expand that way. We have a lot of regulars.

What do you like about running Cheers?
When I play music and people dance. When they chill out to the music or when they shout out and sing to the music. Because I treat them right, they respect me.