New Livehouse, Archery Bar Breathe New (Night)Life into Shuangjing's 22 Art Street

After a flat 2015, Shuangjing perhaps is finally in the midst of a bit of an upswing with the opening of a new live music venue and an archery bar.

For years, the neighborhood hovered on the edge of breaking out as a southern alternative to Sanlitun. But for every step forward, there's been two steps backward. Old favorites like Mako Livehouse and Bang Bang Pizza shut down, as did the less popular bar Zhuang and the short-lived Avocado Tree (the latter managing to stay open for a mere month).

Locals stayed loyal to Lily’s American Diner, Charlie’s, Plan B, and a few other stalwarts, while events like the Shuangjing block party were major successes.

But the neighborhood was otherwise fading as a nightlife destination for most expats, especially in the shadow of Sanlitun’s Courtyard 4, Xingfucun, and of course all the Dongcheng Hutong areas that remain a bigger draw. That was until recently, when a string of offbeat openings that complement its long running galleries and cafes added to its list of offerings.

Shuangjing’s 22 International Art Street, part of the Pingod housing complex and home to Plan B, may slowly becoming the scene’s new heart.

Music buffs still pining for Mako will be most encouraged by a new concert space called Music Live. For years the space was home to a theatre with robust acoustics for the occasional play. The new owners have refitted the venue for livehouse purposes, and a chic bar and lounge area now sits across the hall. The venue hosted a swanky, VIP-only opening party on New Year’s Eve, complete with an onstage ceremony broadcast on local TV.

The owners have been oddly sluggish to comment, but Music Live appears to now be in soft opening, with a regular stream of customers inside on workdays and weekend evenings. During a brief recent visit bartender Zay Ao said the venue will eventually host indie rock and punk acts, although he had no specifics to date.

Patrons looking for a more unique nightlife experience might be more impressed by the newly opened venue next door, Jian Club.

Its quirky concept consists of a full indoor archery range, paired with a fully stocked bar, which sounds extremely safe. Choice range from imported beer like RMB 40 bottles of The Buzz, plus house cocktails like their Grasshopper (made of Bols Cacao white, Bols Peppermint Green, and milk for RMB 30), Godfather (consisting of whiskey and amaretto for RMB 40), Snowball (made with Bols Advocaat and Sprite for RMB 40) and their Mojito (featuring lime, mint, rum, tonic water for RMB 50).

One hour of target practice costs RMB160 for non-members (pony up RMB 600 for a membership and the hourly rate drops to RMB 80).

This is Jian’s second branch in Beijing, having opened a similar venue in Sanlitun Soho last year. Co-founder Yang “Heineken” Liu tells the Beijinger there was plenty of incentive for him to open Jian in Shuangjing, despite the area’s recent slew of nightlife hiccups. “There are a lot of young and passionate people around,” he says.

Cynics who observed Shuangjing’s recent decline might be unswayed by Yang’s enthusiasm. But his optimism can’t be dismissed as the mere novelty of a neighborhood newbie. In fact, his claims echo that of Shuangjing’s more seasoned scenesters like Wenwen Wan. While Wan’s dessert company has only been collaborating with the IDAG Café since it opened in Pingod a year ago, that venue has thrived with its dedicated Chinese clientele, while many of the neighborhood's more established hotspots fell by the wayside.

IDAG’s spacious interior features tables and chairs akin to vintage Western handmade patio furniture, giving it a warmly inviting retro-chic vibe. Its business model is even more creative. That concept features a host of speciality desserts from Wan like rose cookies (RMB 88 for 450g), chocolate truffle cake (RMB 42 per slice), and pungent durian cheesecake (RMB 38 per slice).

More innovative still is IDAG’s crowd-funded setup: it was started by a group of Chinese journalists who had long dreamed of opening a cafe together. In addition, the venue also dedicates part of its space on evening and weekends to a restaurant that serves homestyle sandwiches and other lunch and dinner fare.

Wan tells the Beijinger that Shuangjing is well suited for that forward-thinking business style, adding that the Pingod area is especially “full of art sense. Customers here are more likely to pursue a better quality of life. Our desserts match their needs.”

Trevor Metz is an even bigger proponent of the Pingod strip; in fact he sees that section of Shuangjing as the neighborhood’s future because it is immune to much of the area’s greater pitfalls. And he should know -- he opened Plan B, a sports bar and restaurant (situated directly across from Live Music and Jian) that was Pingod’s first breakout Western food and beverage venue, a few years after founding Grinders, another pub neighboring The Brick and Lily’s south of the Tianzhi Jiaozi housing compound.

“You are starting to see businesses take advantage of the inexpensive rents, which are not subject to capricious landlords -- as all the shops and galleries are owned by one company,” Metz says of Pingod.

“The landlord at my old place, Grinders, has more than doubled the rent there ... apparently rents have become ridiculous in a lot of Shuangjing,” Metz adds.

Metz is pleased to see a potential neighborhood revival courtesy of Pingod. He’s also is adding to the momentum with a revamped menu at Plan B, which features "Chicken Nummers" (a mix of fried chicken, pepper, peas and peanuts tossed in a mixture of Sichuan and Chinese peppers, an order of which costs RMB 50), chicken wings (RMB 45 for a pound), and an array of 20 burgers, the latest being the RMB 70 Sriracha Bacon Burger, topped with the trendy hot sauce that shares its namesake, which he acquired during a recent trip to his native Canada (Metz describes Sriracha as “all the rage” back home and adds it and the sandwich’s “bacon combine to produce one of the very best burgers in Beijing").

What’s more, Metz has also coordinated regular Tuesday night music gigs at Plan B, consisting mostly of charmingly low-key solo acoustic sets by gifted guitarists like Eric Yu and Davy Bain. “Basically we want to give local musicians a place to play and let people enjoy their food with a cool vibe. Plan B has always been about great pub fare and good friends, but we wanted to add to the atmosphere by introducing live music," he explains.

Metz is happy to see much of Pingod similarly striving for a new echelon, be it Music Live, Jian Club, or IDAG CAFE— not to mention a newly renovated space next to Plan B that looks set to open soon, with a sign that reads “BBQ Bar,” or the strip’s other popular longstanding cafes like Sweetie Salad and Unconditional Love Coffee. Metz adds with a laugh that “a 7-11 is even opening up around the corner from us. That is how you know you have really made it.”

Photos: Kyle Mullin