Beijing · Nightlife

The domed theatre complex at 2 West Chang'an Avenue, next to Tiananmen Square, staging opera, orchestral concerts, dance, drama and Chinese opera. The box office is open 09:30–19:30 on performance days and 09:30–18:00 otherwise, and there is an English booking site; it has produced over 120 of its own productions since 2007.

Nineteen low-rise buildings by Kengo Kuma in Chaoyang holding around 300 shops and restaurants plus an eight-screen cinema, and the anchor of Beijing's most international bar district. Subway lines 10 and 2 both serve it, and the side streets around it keep going after the shops shut. The north zone is being rebuilt, so parts are hoarded off.

Three linked lakes north-west of the Forbidden City, ringed by bars with live singers and, in summer, by rental boats. Walking the shore costs nothing and the lanes one block back are much quieter than the waterfront strip. Subway line 8 to Shichahai.

Gulou East Street, Baochao Hutong and Fangjia Hutong hold the small independent bars, live-music rooms and record shops, ten minutes' walk east of Shichahai. Venues here open and close often, so ask locally on the night rather than working from any published list. Subway lines 2 and 8 to Gulou Dajie.

The imperial lake garden at 1 Wenjin Street, 68 hectares laid out across the Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, stays open until 21:00 from April to October with ticket sales to 20:30, and until 20:00 in winter. Tickets run ¥5–¥20 depending on season and which halls you add. The White Dagoba on the island is lit and the lake is worth a slow lap.