There is some dispute over the name of this club, as some of the Chinese signs say “Tell Mama”, and some of them say “Don’t Tell Mama”. Regardless of whether or not you inform your mother, this is probably the biggest nightclub in Shenyang, and its atmosphere is distinctly different from other clubs. The huge building has three floors, and is usually crowded with young Chinese people. There’s usually a variety show until around 11pm, after which they play bad techno music. 

    

The club’s atmosphere is different from other clubs because it attracts a somewhat “edgier” crowd. Some Chinese clubs often seem quite juvenile, something like a middle school dance; but at Don’t Tell Mama you will find people dancing shirtless, fighting, passed out people being dragged out by club security, drug use, etc. You will probably also notice that this club is a popular hang-out for users of the infamous “head-shaking drug”. 

  

Overall, Don’t Tell Mama is not very popular with foreigners, but if you’re living in Shenyang it’s worth making a visit…it can be a real “experience”. 

   

It’s unclear from what exactly the name of this fairly new bar is derived from (perhaps the Minnesota Twins World Series Championship?). The location of 1987 Bar is such that if you didn’t know it was there, you might never see it. 1987 is a medium-sized place that is something of a cross between a pub and a nightclub. There are live shows every night that include music, singing, and dancing, as well as a DJ. 1987 is a fairly interesting place well worth checking out. The clientele is mostly Chinese. 

JD Bar is quite well known, mostly because its location is such that many people drive past it on a regular basis on San Jing Jie. Everyone has driven past it at least once. Recently, this bar hasn’t been too popular with Shenyang’s foreign crowd, but it can be a fun place to stop in if you’re out bar hopping for the evening. It’s very convenient as it’s located just two blocks from some excellent restaurants and a couple of other bars. The bar has two floors. At night the first floor has loud music (sometimes live), while the second floor is quieter and has private tables. 

Closed as of 2007

Shenyang’s “Bar Street” is a few blocks featuring about 8-10 small bars, some restaurants, a pool hall, sauna/spa, and a few karaoke houses. At first glance it looks similar to bar streets in other cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, but you will quickly notice a big difference…a lack of customers! The restaurants around here are fairly well attended, but most of the bars often sit empty night after night. It seems unusual that the bars are not more popular, as most of them offer a pleasant atmosphere with outdoor seating and cheap beer on tap.

 

If you’re going out with a large group of friends, it can be fun to hang out here, especially when the weather’s nice. It’s also worth noting that Shenyang’s bars tend to rotate in popularity with the foreigners. Bar street may be very popular for a month or two, and then the crowd will move elsewhere.

 

The West Tower (西塔 xī tǎ) is one of the four ancient towers that once formed Shenyang’s boundaries. Now, the tower itself is a barely noticed landmark. However, the area around the tower is quite well known. Sometimes called “Korea Town”, the area is home to a large portion of Shenyang’s Korean population, as well as a good number of Korean restaurants, bars, hotels, spas, dance clubs, massage parlors, and karaoke bars. This is a popular nightspot among many of Shenyang’s foreign students, as well as the “hip” crowd of young Chinese. 

 

Xī Tǎ’s “main drag” is xī tǎ jiē (西塔街). At night the street is lit up with neon lights, which are supposed to resemble a Korean city. Fans of Korean food should definitely head here. Otherwise, the dance clubs here are quite popular; and if you like KTV (karaoke), Xī Tǎ is a good bet for finding English songs. 

 

The following are popular dance clubs/bars located at Xi Ta:

 

--Don’t Tell Mama    不告诉妈妈   (bú gàosu mā mā)