Techno, Progressive and Trance

Club located on the fifth floor of Sanlitun's Topwin Center.

Gongti area club

Stylish club in the Gongti area

Spark teems with Beijing’s better-looking twentysomethings. As with Spark’s sister club in Taipei, there is a translucent dance floor, crowd-pleasing hip-hop and R&B, and some housier electronic tunes. Pricier drinks and tables keep the younger Vics crowd away. Just one word of warning – beware the laser-lit entrance.

Techno, house and more from the 700sqm club run by Beijing's own Acupuncture Records. There are welcome echoes of the original Lantern in this club's function-over-form design. The sound system is OK, though the lighting could use more tricks. Regular visits from international electronic music stars as well as nights headlined by the best of Beijing's electronic music scene.

Formerly MGM, then Uper+, this Hong Kong-designed but unmistakably Beijing club is another of the behemoths around the stadium’s west side. An lavish rooftop is now available to kick back on when not watching the imported DJs.

Smaller than the original branch at Scitech Tower, Coco Banana is among the highlights of club-concentrated Gongti Xilu’s (on the west side of the Workers’ Stadium) nightlife offerings and features a square bar and lounge areas around the dance floor, albeit with the same shining decor and go-go dancers as its predecessor. Beers start from RMB 30.

Looming between neon pillars along Zhongguancun Beidajie is the monolithic 180°, the largest club in Haidian. 180°'s biggest asset is space, and even with several hundred clubrats dancing to the standard mix of hip hop/techno it doesn't feel too crowded.

Inhouse go-go girls put on regular performances to the mix of canto-techno and NRG beats, and a karaoke bar off to the side lets patrons sing their hearts out. Sun-Thu RMB 20, weekends RMB 25.

Crowds simultaneously pulsing to beats, foppish dancers in cages and a whole lot more ... if that scares you, hide away in the Spicy Lounge upstairs where world-class DJs play when they come to town. Cover charge is from RMB 20-30 when there are no special guests.