Beijing travel guide: teashops and nightlife

         For real drinks, Houhai and Chaoyang districts are packed with bars and clubs. Stop for a drink at No Name Bar (3 Qianhai Dongyan, Xicheng), the first bar to open in the area and still the best, and the perfect place to unwind after a brisk stroll around the lake.

         The big opening in the last few months was Song Bar (B1, The Place, 9 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang).

         A new design bar and café – the first in Beijing – it was set up by some of the biggest names in music and architecture and is the perfect place to see modern Beijing design first-hand.

        The light wood décor and terraced steps make you feel as if you are sitting in the paddy fields of south China as you sip on a mojito.

        Beijing is always trying to catch up with Shanghai. The recent opening of the Whampoa Club (23A Financial Street, Xicheng; 10 8808 8828 ) adds a cool restaurant and a cosy, stylish bar that can compete with the bar at LAN.

        Housed in a redecorated courtyard house, the venue is lit up by hundreds of bird-cage lamps hanging from the ceiling.

        Karaoke is big business in Beijing. Trendy Tango (79 Hepingli Xijie, south gate of Ditan Park, Dongcheng ) is open 24 hours, has dozens of private karaoke rooms and has one of the largest selections of English language songs in the city.

        You pay by the hour (RMB 150-250 or £11-£18 per hour depending on the time of day). Less geared to tourists, but very cool is Regal (Building 22, 4 Gongti Bei Lu, Chaoyang, 8, also open 24 hours).

        It’s a four-storey fantasy-world where vast Lalique crystal chandeliers hang from the lofty ceilings and where the walls are made entirely from white feathers. A basic room costs £25 for an hour.