Some expats say they drink more in China than they do in their home countries. Is it really so?

 

Beijing

 

Ben Hails

 

I don't think expats drink more here than they do back home. The United Kingdom has recently been classified as a binge nation ... enough said? I had a trip home [to northern England] recently and was drinking on average 10 beers a day...that's a drinking problem, and still there were other people drinking far more! Now that I am back in Beijing, I am on a bit of a detox, but I expect to slip back into bad habits again soon though ... goes with the territory as a bar manager at Bar Blu!

 

Clifton Barnhart

 

Expats definitely drink more here. First because the shots are so cheap; you can start your night at Kai and get RMB5 shots. There is just something about being in Beijing -- you're away from your friends and family, so you don't have to be so disciplined. Also, there are so many going away parties and welcome back parties you can't go a month without drinking because there are always parties that require you to get drunk.

 

Shanghai

 

David Peterson

 

I think I'm drinking the same amount as I didn't in San Francisco -- a lot more beer than usual though since I learned of all the fake spirits going around. In Shanghai, I don't like the overpriced drinks, the lack of a vibrant live music scene and segregation between, and among, locals and foreigners. What I do like about nightlife here are all the small eats you can find on the street or in small restaurants at nearly any time of night.

 

Danielle Chirop

 

My hometown and Shanghai's nightlife scenes are very different. I think Shanghai tends to be a bit more pretentious and glitzy, whereas Chicago is a lot more relaxed and full of people who like to drink a lot of beer and just hang out. I think I drink more in Shanghai than I do at home though. When people first move here, they go out all the time for the first year or so, then they calm down a little. I usually go out about twice a week, but now that school's out, it's a lot more!

 

(City Weekend February 25, 2007)