Where better than a club named 180 Degrees for our opinions to perform a u-turn on Beijing’s nightlife scene?

Over recent months we’ve tried to take a fresh approach to Beijing’s nightclubs. Really, we have. Rather than bitch about the abundance of flash cookie-cutter venues, we’re searching for a silver lining in the often dark cloud. It is rare that we can say a nightclub is great, so it’s with a smile on our faces that we say ‘we genuinely like 180 Degrees.’ It’s in the same vein as the usual suspects – black granite bar and tables, private karaoke rooms and lots of staff with little to do – but unlike Gongti clubs, this one has a sense of individuality. The lights and the LED display are still there but they’ve toned it down and it works better then the ‘whatever you can do I can do better’ approach that is overloading the Gongti power grid. The sound system is decent although they have it turned up way too high and the stainless steel and glass tables actually look good. Rumour has it that 180 Degrees spent about 100 million RMB in renovations before opening in 2006 and it certainly seems like money well spent, though in the long run may not prove to be such a sound investment.

The only problem? It's out in the middle of nowhere. Even if you can be bothered to take the trip over there, there’s nowhere to go for a pre or post club drink without getting into another taxi. Good job the drinks are cheap because you’ll need your jiao for transport. The cocktails are drinkable and will set you back a mere 25-35RMB and bottles (Breezers, imported beers) cost 20-25RMB.

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