Over the past nearly 2 years since the last time I was in Yantai I have spent many, many hours reminiscing over all the things I miss/love in Yantai. As many of you know, I could talk forever about the city. I truly love it. But today I just want to share about the night life with you. Mind you, the night life throughout China is similar to in Yantai. So if you're intrigued by anything I mention, I'm sure you'll be able to find something like it in any city in China. So far every city I've been to in China has had a similar night life with it's own flavor.
I need to start with the fact that China DOES have the typical night life scene; live music bars, night clubs, dive bars, pubs, karaoke bars (although different than the type found in America), theaters, 24 hr restaurants, etc. But those are NOT the things that I'm refering to when I say night life.
Over the years, I've seen the night life in Yantai change very little. Despite people being more prosperous the night life has stayed pretty much the same. There are more lights, they have better technology and people's interests have changed - but the heart and soul of it has stayed the same.
Normally, you would start your evening with some food. If you're going for the full night life, that means street food. There is a plethora of options when it comes to street food. Vendors everywhere. You can get anything from noodles to bbq to fried meats to crepes to bread to milk tea. There are places with plastic tables & chairs or stools out and other places you just grab yout food and go. When you eat at a place with tables & chairs it's an ideal place to people watch and soak in the culture. Street food is typically cheaper than eating at a restaurant. You can also get street food during the day, but it comes alive at night and many vendors don't even come out until the evening.
After you take your time enjoying your food and friends/family with you it's time to go for an after dinner walk. There are plenty of family friendly things to do.
If you're wanting to do some shopping, there's always the local night market. You'll be surrounded by sounds, smells and lights. You can buy anything from school/office supplies to clothes to make-up to household items to candy. I don't think I've ever walked away from a night market without buying at least one thing. The moment you get near the night market you'll hear all the sounds: different vendors playing loud music, vendors shouting to get your attention, kids screaming in joy, kids rides, games being played, people laughing & talking loudly, etc. Next thing you'll notice is the lights. Bright lights to illuminate everything being sold and disco/flashing lights. And finally you'll encounter the smell of food. Because no night market is complete without street food. The night market in the below photos no longer exists, but I've seen video of the new night market location and the only difference I can see is brighter lights and more activities to do. I can't wait until I have the chance to visit it.
Or maybe you'd prefer a leisurely walk along the boardwalk. There, you'll find people out dancing for exercise, families walking together, young people playing live music, older people singing traditional music, rides for kids, people sitting and enjoying the view of the ocean, the dancing water fountain and the beautifully lit up high rise buildings. There are also, as always, street food vendors out and vendors selling souvenirs as Yantai is a beach town so there are often tourists (disclaimer: typically they are tourists from within China, not international tourists) there. I wish that I had more photos from the boardwalk, but on top of it being so dark there's just so much to observe that I plain forgot to take pictures. I do have some videos - but they don't do justice to what you experience there.
Or maybe the "town square" (as I call it) is more your pace. It used to be the main hub of evening activity years ago. That's where you would find kids playing Chinese hacky sack, adults playing with Chinese yo-yos, people dancing traditional dances or ballrom dancing and the likes. Since the boardwalk has taken a lot of the attention, the atmosphere there has changed. Just 5 years ago it was easily the busiest place in terms of dancing. You could find ballroom dancing, traditional dance troops, people dancing for exercise, people learning hip hop, etc. The last time I was there, 2 years ago, the main focus was still dance but didn't take up as much space as before. There were also people playing badminton. If you walked opposite the dancing, you find people playing traditional instruments with people dancing the traditional dances to the music. And the most interesting thing to me was that it is now the meeting place of all the local deaf people to gather and chat the evening away. This area is ever evolving yet somehow feels exactly the same as it did 20 years ago.
Maybe one day I'll be able to clean up the videos I have of both the boardwalk and town square so that I can share them with you. Until then, I guess you'll just have to use your imagination on what it's like by looking at my limited photos.
Finally, if you think that sounds like a lot going on in the evenings - when it's around Chinese New Year evereything is even more exciting. Not only are there decorations out but along with all the regular activity you add in MORE traditional music & dancing as well as traditional arts... And firecrackers/fireworks.
The following photos are from the part of town that I lived in which is about half an hour away (driving) from town square and the boardwalk (which are both downtown). These photos were all taken in 2016 during the Chinese New Year season.
There are plenty of other places in Yantai that you can enjoy a similar night life. But these are the places that I personally frequent when there. Many years ago, in the part of town I lived in there was also an active night life at the beach. This was before theaters were a big thing in the city, so they would hang a VERY LARGE white sheet and project movies onto it. There were street food vendors set up all around as well. At times, I wish we could go back to the "good old days" - but I do enjoy the current night life as well.
If you've ever been to China, drop me a comment on what things about the night life you found unique and wish you could find something like it in your country.
Comments