The Bali Courtyard bar looks and feels a world away from the usual Sanlitun chaos, and only some cramped spaces belie the fact that this is a conversion and not a bespoke bar area. The drinks are affordable, too: well-mixed cocktails from 40 RMB, beers from 30 RMB (Tsingtao) and wine at 50 RMB a glass. Being located well above the bustling streets of Sanlitun, even the ubiquitous skyscrapers seem less oppressive than on more centrally located rooftop bars, such as Bar Blu. Indeed, setting is important to Bali Courtyard’s chilled-out vibe, although it is pulling in decent-sized audiences even at this stage. Still, the attentive and communicative bar staff cope well with the crowds, and it is nowhere near as uncomfortably packed as, say, Migas. Our only qualm is that the overall ambience of the place will be undercut by some events. However, if they can find the right balance of atmosphere and fun, Bali Courtyard will be an ideal hideaway for the discerning Sanlitun drinker.

Café CD Blues is anything but seedy. In fact most nights it’s filled with round tables of young, attractive groups excitedly chatting over cozy candlelight, decent cocktails (60-65 RMB) and imported beers. The staff’s T-shirts may claim that they’re drinkers ‘with a music problem’, but Café CD Blues feels more like a true music venue. We kicked off with a well-mixed, strong Alabama Slammer, which was perfectly complemented by a classic US folk song being belted out by one of the open-mic night bands. Café CD Blues doesn’t just stick to its eponymous genre; country (Tue) and jazz (Wed, Fri) and a whole lot more also have a home here. Dean Moriarty, the protagonist of Jack Kerouac’s On The Road, would surely be beating his chest in approval. As for us, cheaper beer (Tiger draught is 45 RMB) and more atmosphere upstairs would be the only minor improvements we’d make to Café CD Blues. Beijing’s music lovers have a shiny new home for blues and jazz, and Beijing’s jivers and drinkers that don’t much care for house music just got a whole new option.

Xian Bar is located near the 798 Art Zone on Jiuxianqiao Road. For the name of the bar, ‘Jiuxian’ means ‘the god of alcohol’. Perhaps the manager hoped for the blessing of this Chinese Bacchus by choosing the name Xian. There are classic cocktails (the usual suspects from Cosmos to Sidecars, all 60 RMB) and ten types of martinis (from 60 RMB), there are creative signature drinks such as ‘Thymeless Passion’, a gin, ginger, and lime blended with fresh thyme (80 RMB). The show-stealer though is the whiskey selection, with more than 150 by-the-glass options and if you buy a bottle and don’t finish it, they’ll keep it behind the bar for you for next time. Those coming here expecting the buzz of Punk – The Opposite House’s wildly popular basement bar that shut this summer – will be disappointed. Rather, Xian is Punk’s suave older brother, who knows how to show you a good time without getting you wasted. This is perhaps wise considering the clientele is more likely to be those living in the neighboring Lido area than – as was often the case with Punk – straddlers drifting in from Sanlitun Bar Street. Set over three floors, there’s a live jazz band Tuesday to Friday nights in one part of the bar, a basement with pool tables, foosball and retro arcade games, and, elsewhere, plenty of art-filled alcoves and private corners with leather armchairs.

Malty Dog at Beiluoguxiang has a trendy set-up, with its bare-bones aesthetic, elegant lighting and eclectic playlist. We’d expect nothing less from the owners of the popular Mai Bar, which is just a few meters down the hutong. The smell of yeast – emanating from the giant vat bubbling away behind the bar – is notable as soon as you walk in Malty Dog. The cheerful bar staff pour out six taster glasses – one for every homebrew on their blackboard – for us to have a snifter and make our selection. So far, so good: this place feels like the real deal. Unfortunately, the hops don’t live up to the hype, at least for the moment. Despite rumors that have been circulating, Beijing Homebrewing Society’s Jake Wickham isn’t involved in Malty Dog’s brews, which is a shame as it would have given much-needed experience to these amateurish tipples. Most Malty Dog beers either fall flat or overpower the senses. The cranberry summer (35 RMB) was sweet enough to be an alcopop and the Christmas in July (35 RMB) certainly had Yuletide flavors – but the heavy taste of clove, orange and cinnamon affronts the senses rather than gently tickling them. The microbrewers’ art of deft flavoring has been lost here. Nonetheless, there are encouraging signs: the British bitter (40 RMB) was as it should be and the IPA (40 RMB) in particular was a hoppy highlight.

The manager of Italian restaurant Cornerstone was told to redevelop it into this German eatery on very short notice. That might explain why ingredients such as mozzarella are shoehorned into dishes associated with Germany’s coastal beers. With all drinks coming from the Flensburg brewery, this is a heavily branded experience. Flensburger’s bottles (38-58 RMB) all come with the flip-top caps popular in the Fatherland; cue bruised knuckles as we try to open them with the sleight-of-hand used by Germany’s cool kids – although Flensburger caters more to privileged families in the CBD. The ostentatious lighting, exposed brickwork and industrial pillars of the open-plan bar are really more ‘Bauhaus arts factory’ than 'Brauhaus watering hole'.

The Corner Bar has its moments – mainly between 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., when its happy hour serves up 10 RMB Tsingtaos (normally 20 RMB) and the cash equivalent off a more-than-decent drinks range. Owners Xiaoxiao and Pearl have done their homework: a surprisingly good range of Japanese and Scottish whiskies, and even a spot of Lemercier absinthe (95 RMB), supplement the usual Belgian hopfest – from Kwak (55 RMB) to Kasteel (45-50 RMB). Just stay away from the cocktails (40-58RMB) – our Mojito (45 RMB) was weaker than a toddler’s forehand. Unfortunately, The Corner also suffers from a near-fatal case of ‘Lido-it is’. One-half is a slick, wood-furnished sports bar, with a giant TV screen and stools aplenty. It’s got that Cheers vibe – only without any homoerotic tension – the kind of bar that American males of a certain age get moist for, and it’s done well. In an ideal world, The Corner would offer an escape from the suffocating café culture. Instead, it embraces it. Live music is planned for the future.

The interior of Baby Face Bar is designed in such a way that if you haven’t parked yourself at a table, you won’t know what to do with yourself. The bar is off to the side and is crowded to the point that drunk patrons struggle to keep from branding each other with smoldering cigarette tips. Everything is 50 RMB aside from the beer (40 RMB) and Long Island iced tea (60 RMB). We saw a gaggle of attractive ladies having what looked like the time of their lives. Too bad they were on the inaccessible dance floor. We are not even sure they would have noticed a wink in their direction in the dim light of the club. They would probably just assume cigarette ash had drifted into our eyes, anyway.

Dada bar is a mid-sized DJ club offering cheap drinks. With a hip-looking arty industrial decor, and a forward-thinking events schedule, it has witnessed local and international DJs playing new EDM from emerging genres: dubstep, skwee, 8-bit, ohlssoncore and more. Local DJ crews host weekly and monthly events and the venue plays host to international guests artists for special nights. The atmosphere is dark, slick, and cool, but still relaxed and sufficiently sloppy. Good size dance floor for a smaller club and ample couch space. Damage is in the 25-40 Yuan range for mixes, drafts, and bottles.

Prince Gong's Mansion is located near Shichahai Lake, to the northwest of the Forbidden City in Beijing. The private residence of He Shen, a favorite minister of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), was built in 1777. In 1851, the mansion was bestowed upon Prince Gong by Emperor Xianfeng (1851-1862), hence the name. It is the sole prince's mansion open to the public, and is the most well preserved mansion in Beijing.

Two stone lions guard the main gate, and magnificent buildings stand to the fore of the mansion, with an elegant garden at the rear. On the wall of the main hall hangs a plaque inscribed with three characters "Bao Guang Shi" in the calligraphy of Emperor Xianfeng. The buildings at the forefront of the mansion are on three axes, and apart from a two-story building consisting of ninety-nine and half rooms, all are in the traditional style. Duofu Study is on the eastern axis, and its structure is in the Ming style. On each of the two side axes are four courtyards, the second courtyard on the western axis being strikingly spacious. In the third courtyard, called Xijin Studio, there is a seven-roomed, exquisitely furnished hall. All the beams and pillars are made of nanmu, and its sandalwood partitions are reminiscent of those found in Ningshou Palace in the Forbidden City. Between the buildings and the rear garden there stands a 165-meter-long two-story building.

The garden in Prince Gong's Mansion is named Cuijin, meaning concentrated cream of the most beautiful flowers, and to this day it lives up to its name. The garden covers 28,000 square meters, and is surrounded by man-made hills on four sides. The main peak, constructed from Taihu rocks, is in the north. The garden has an arched stone gate in typical Western architectural style, and upon entering the garden, one can see the five-meter high Dule Peak, which is a rock procured from Lake Tai in southern China. Behind it is the Bat Pond (Bat is a homonym of happiness in Chinese). Beyond the pond stands the Anshan Hall and opposite, at the center of the garden, is a hill bearing a stone tablet inscribed with the Chinese character "fu" (happiness) in the calligraphy of Emperor Kangxi (1662-1723). Behind the hill are masterpieces of garden architecture, with more than 20 scenic spots. In addition to its artificial hill, trees, flowers, pavilions and terraces, the garden also contains the unique feature of its own theater. This theater is lofty and spacious, with subtle lighting, and on its walls Chinese wisteria and green leaves are painted, giving the audience the feeling they are sitting beneath trellises. The floor is paved in pseudo-gold brick, and the seats consist of old-fashioned wooden armchairs furnished with square tables. The performers and the audience are in close proximity, so there is no need for audio amplifying equipment. Here, people can enjoy kunqu, Peking Opera and imperial music, a unique experience full of Qing historical significance.

Featured Attractions: The Peking opera house inside the mansion not only stages Beijing opera performances, but also other prominent forms of Chinese opera as well. In August 2008, the Kunqu performance group from the "Jiangsu Kunqu House" performed at the Prince Gong Mansion for a week's run with their program Floating Dreams.

Most people traveling to Beijing must be hoping to experience the profound historical wonders of Beijing. That’s correct! However, traveling to Beijing can also be a wonderful experience of mountain camping. But where can you camp in Beijing? As far as I know, the perfect site is nothing more than Haituo Mountain, an area between Yanqing, Beijing and Hebei province.

Haituo Mountain is about 18 km away from the seat of Yanqing district and about 130 km away from downtown Beijing. The highest peak of the mountain is 2,241 meters, the second highest peak in Beijing. Why is it the perfect place for outdoor camping? The secret is the top of the mountain is a relatively large flat area, where nearly hundreds of tents can be set up. 

In summer, this area is about 10℃ cooler than the seat of Yanqing district and about 1,700 meters higher than the district seat, which has formed the various species of the plants all over the mountain. Areas above 1,800 meters are places where you can find high plateau grasslands. This is another reason why this is the perfect place for outdoor camping. In summer, parts of the mountain rain a lot and so the beautiful rain scenery can appear if you have the will to climb the mountain.

For people living and lodging in Beijing, this mountain also serves as a windbreak for Beijing, preventing the sandstorm from the north encroaching in Beijing. These days people visit the mountain frequently on weekends and spend cool summer nights on top of it. Our South Korean editor climbed the mountain on a weekend and enjoyed the gorgeous scenery of it by camping there to spend a cool summer night.