Most nights, a mixed crowd of young Chinese and foreigners, many of them students, cram the sidewalks along Caijing Dong Street, drinking alcohol and snacking on street food to the sound of thumping music as they course from one club to the next. Recently, though, there has been a more subdued vibe.
The international atmosphere along this strip, known as Wudaokou and located in the heart of Beijing’s university district, has fallen afoul of political sensibilities. At least two bars say they have been told by the local police not to let in more than 10 foreigners at a time until March 22, after the end of the annual session of the National People’s Congress, China’s rubber-stamp Parliament.
The international atmosphere along this strip, known as Wudaokou and located in the heart of Beijing’s university district, has fallen afoul of political sensibilities. At least two bars say they have been told by the local police not to let in more than 10 foreigners at a time until March 22, after the end of the annual session of the National People’s Congress, China’s rubber-stamp Parliament.
