Beijing Boyce

Thanks to Andrew Schorr from Mobile Native for this photo of a sign outside Propaganda. As he notes, “funny how they would ‘decide’ to close during the potentially busiest time of their lives.” Yes, indeed, an interesting time for a paint job. As he also notes, the live music scene will be further squeezed during the Olympics with the ban on performances at places such as D-22 and The Stone Boat.

You are in a Beijing bar, you don’t speak Mandarin, the staff doesn’t speak English, and you want to know if there is a happy hour. After asking a dozen times, each at an increased volume, and miming a happy face while pointing at your watch, things appear dire.

Fear not, because I have permission to distribute a pdf of the nightlife section of the Immersion Guides Mandarin Phrasebook. This should be useful both for residents and Olympics visitors on the bar circuit. The phrases are provided in English, in Chinese characters, and in pinyin (with tone marks), meaning you can either spout out the appropriate phrase or point at it with your finger:

When is happy hour?
- 欢乐时光是什么时候？Huānlè shíguāng shì shénme shíhou?

This excerpt includes translations of alcohol names (Whiskey, vodka, Champagne), places (pubs, discos, karaokes), music types (reggae / 雷鬼 / léiguǐ), and other handy phrases (Do we pay for drinks now or at the end? / 我们是现在给酒钱还是最 后结？/ Wǒmen shì xiànzài gěi jiǔqián háishì zuìhòu jié?).

For some reason, it also has a lengthy “romance” section, with pick-up lines, rejections, and the like.

Click here for the nightlife section; get the Mandarin Phrasebook here.