ATMOSPHERE BAR

The other night, a few friends and I decided that we wanted to do something exciting so we hopped on the subway and went into the city and about 40 minutes later found ourselves staring up in awe at the tallest building in China (the CCTV building). The main attraction of this building is a nice little place called Atmosphere, probably one of the most expensive bars in Beijing, on the 80th floor. For people who have the money, it is a great way to sit and enjoy a drink while soaking in the marvelous view of Beijing. To give you an idea in Chinese standards, a cocktail here costs 85 rmb and typically in a normal bar beer costs 8-15 rmb. It is definitely worth it to go up for one drink, but we figured to stay there all night might be a little bit of a stretch. At first, we couldn't get a table in the bar, so we went down to the 79th floor to have a drink and soak in the view while we waited for a table to open up. We sat down at a table facing right up to the window and drank a delicious cocktail while we waited for a table. A little while after we went back upstairs and were escorted to a table in the bar right in front of a jazz band that was playing. After a few songs we decided to get up and dance, which was so much fun! A little while later a group of Chinese men came and sat down behind us at a table by the window. They turned around and started talking to us, asking us where we were from and why we were in Beijing. They ended up inviting us to sit at their table and talk English with them and offered us a few glasses of their 700rmb bottle of wine! They also decided that they would be picking up the rest of the tab! Basically the gist of the story is that I went to the most expensive bar in Beijing and didn't have to pay a single cent simply because I was white and spoke English. This kind of thing is something I have a hard time wrapping my head around. Anywhere else in the world, your social class is typically determined by your wealth and status, but here I am in China sitting and chatting with a group of Chinese lawyers and a judge and the only reason they paid any sort of attention to me was because of my skin colour and my native language. Back in Canada, someone of that kind of 'prestige' would not invite some poor starving university student to join their table. Yet everywhere you go here, people stop and stare and want to take your picture like you are some sort of celebrity and want to take you out for drinks or a meal. It is a very strange concept, one that I'm not sure if I am fully comfortable with yet, but hey afterall this is China! Regardless of that, it was a great evening soaking in a view of a beautiful city, a great band, laughter with friends, and learning new Chinese words. Definitely a once in a lifetime experience!
Gan bei!