Hong Huang, publisher, I-Look fashion magazine
A good night inevitably starts with dinner at Ding Ding Xiang, a hotpot chain that gets more popular by the day. The freshly sliced lamb is a must and the price is surprisingly cheap considering the restaurant's reputation. The Dongzhimen branch of the restaurant is perpetually packed, so you'll have better luck finding a table at the newly opened branch in Shin Kong Place, tel: (86-10) 6530 5997. If you're into the cultural scene, check out what's onstage at Beijing People's Art Theatre, tel: (86-10) 6525 0996. The theater includes a small studio for avant-garde plays. You could also enjoy a movie at the New Century Cinema, tel: (86-10) 8518 6778, in Oriental Plaza, a huge shopping mall in the Wangfujing area. If you still feel like meeting some friends and having a chat, head over to the lounge bars along Sanlitun Bar Street. One of the best is Jazz-Ya, tel: (86-10) 6415 1227, located on Sanlitun's popular Na Li alley. This short passageway is packed with fashion stores and restaurants, but Jazz-Ya stands out because of its free nighttime jam sessions.
Ray Ren, manager, Beijing Imperial Motors Club, Ltd.
Start at face change, tel: (86-10) 8403 7056. This is a small Chinese barbecue restaurant hidden away in downtown Beijing and famous for its roasted chicken wings. You can order these at different levels of spiciness that range up to "deadly" — although you'd have to be a good sport to try those. In fact, take one bite and you'll see how the restaurant gets its name. After dinner, move over to Vic's Club, tel: (86-10) 6593 6215, by the north gate of Workers' Stadium for drinks and partying. It's one of the oldest nightclubs in Beijing but it was renovated in May and has separate rooms for hip-hop and house. If the night is still young, head to Yu Gong Yi Shan, (86-10) 6404 2711, on Zhangzizhong Road. This is a pub that caters to the music-loving crowd. The beer is cheap and there are regular live performances by local bands, some of them surprisingly good.
Christina Lu, government trade arbitrator
The Shichahai area in Beijing has become a hip shopping, dining and bar-hopping place in recent years. You can stop at shops featuring handicrafts, antiques and trendy clothes along the hutong, or lane, leading up to Yinding Bridge, before enjoying some authentic Vietnamese cuisine at Nuage, tel: (86-10) 6401 9581. This restaurant club has a stunning view of the lake area and the nearby ancient Drum Tower, which was built in 1420 and used to signal the time during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. For after-dinner cocktails, the Alpha Omega Club, tel: (86-10) 6612 9898 is on the west bank of Shichahai and within walking distance of Nuage. A pop cover band plays on the first floor, a jazz band on the second, and there's a DJ and dance floor in the basement if you can squeeze through the crowd. If you still feel like having fun afterward, go to Party World, tel: (86-10) 8857 6566, a karaoke franchise with locations across the country. Get a private room and sing until dawn. There's a buffet available after midnight if you need recharging.