Like foreign devils confronted by imperial guards, we were met with suspicion as we entered. I heard “Do you have a reservation?” The real question seemed to be “Why are you here?” I was wondering myself.

Part of a successful Hong Kong chain, Hei Hei Club has found a Beijing home amid Gongti’s neon ghetto. Hei Hei fits right in, the glittering disco balls and ornate chandeliers looking achingly familiar.

Beijing’s newest concert space lies in the back corner of Hongdian Art Factory, yet another disused industrial yard turned “creative” district. Named after the diminutive sparrow, Mako dwarfs most local music venues with a capacity skirting 500. It’s like a blown-up D-22, with an extra lick of paint and grander sound and lighting rigs.

Techno collective Acupuncture has made their reputation from parties thrown in other people’s venues. Now they have a club they can call home (perhaps literally – in addition to its nocturnal function, Lantern will serve as Acupuncture’s daytime studio and workshop).

With its strangely infantile name and unrevealing metallic exterior, it’s hard to know what to expect from Bobomee at first glance.