Nightlife in Changchun is not as colorful and romantic as that of other big cities in China, such as Shanghai or Beijing. However, it has its own distinctive flavor which can be appreciated only if you sample it personally. Various kinds of pubs, coffee bars, teahouses and other amusement centers cater for your enjoyment.

If you come to visit Changchun, you can not only enjoy beautiful sceneries, but also the various kinds of amusement are waiting for you. Local features and exotic flavors mix together in Changchun so you are sure to find at least one to suit you.

In Heping Theatre (No.295, Chongqing Lu) and Liu Laogen Stage (No.8, Shanghai Lu) you can appreciate really authentic Er'ren Zhuan, a very popular and famous local folk art, by professional performers. In the downtown area or the spacious grounds of some plazas or in front of some of the department stores you can observe citizens giving spontaneous performances of Yangge (a traditional folk art). If you like, you can accept a warm welcome to join the group of hospitable Dongbei Ren whether you can dance with them or not. This is a way that you can get a totally different and fresh experience compared with merely watching performance in theatres.

Recommended places for you to visit:

Rhine Coffee Tea House
Address: No.9, Qingming Jie

Rbt (Xian Zong Lin)
Address: No.67, Tongzhi Jie

Be For Time Tea House (Bifeng Tang Tea House)
Address: No.85, Nanjing Dajie

May Flower Pub
Address: Renmin Dajie

The Fifth Street Coffee Pub
Address: Xikang Bystree, Tongzhi Jie

Lan Kwai Fong (Lan Gui Fang)
Address: No.4272, Zhengyang Street

A special introduction of Er'ren Zhuan

'Bengbeng' is another name for Er'ren Zhuan. It is the most popular form of folklore in this northeastern part of China and is deeply loved by almost all the people there. Er'ren Zhuan mixes dancing and singing together and its language is humorous and very easy to understand. Generally speaking its content is closely related to daily life. That's one of reasons for its popularity.

In the very early period, Er'ren Zhuan was performed by artists (who performed Yangge in daytime) at night by singing Dongbei folk songs. As time went by, immigrations of Guanli (south part of Shanhaiguan) increased considerably, therefore the integration of different cultures has richly endowed Er'ren Zhuan.

Er'ren Zhuan's sung form takes the Dongbei folk songs as its base together with Hebei Bangzi, Dongbei Dagu and other melodies and many folk jests. Er'ren Zhuan's dance comes from Dongbei Yangge, and includes folk dances, wushu and the skillful use of fans and handkerchiefs. It is no exaggeration to say that Er'ren Zhuan can best present you with a show of the real beauty of Dongbei Ren (people living in northeast part of China).

The performance of Er'ren Zhuan falls into three categories. For the first of these a man and a woman will speak, sing and dance together, hence the name Er'ren Zhuan. The second category is when a single performer sings and dances, this is named Danchutou. Thirdly, a group of people perform on stage and this is called Lachangxi. A common saying throughout Dongbei is that one would enjoy Er'ren Zhuan rather than have a dinner, something that illustrates the deep influence of Er'ren Zhuan among these people.