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)