The newest hipster hangout

Stroll down Guowang Hutong, one of the many that run at a sharp right angle to Jiu Guolou Dajie, and there you find Rockstar. The name, of course, has been abused for decades, but Rockstar is a new bar, in a hidden, somber-looking house standing with pointed roof and sunlight slinking playfully through the bar’s two attic-windows.

Painted mirrors from the Cultural Revolution, gray couches, lightweight curtains, chairs engraved with mythical Chinese animals, a radio from the 60s, a Buddha head … it seems like Rockstar inherits the “struggling China” decoration package from the bars at Houhai and Nanluogu Xiang, yet the high ceilings of the spacious bar create a distance between the different items and hold them back from over-intimacy and clumsiness. Although the bar is still in the process of planning schedules for regular gigs, one should expect some spontaneous shows by local Beijing Bohemian- style musicians like Guo Long (of Glorious Pharmacy) and Zhao Laoda, both of whom already make themselves at home at Rockstar. And on nights without live music, the bar still entertains itself with the murmuring of mantras from Buddha machines (not FM3’s).

Despite its status as a new hipster hangout, Rockstar also manages to get along with the old history of the hutong. Before the 1960s, the street was known as Jiu Cu Ju Hutong, as it was home to Jiu Cu Ju 酒醋局 (literally, the wine and vinegar bureau) – one of the 24 government departments in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The department, supervised by eunuchs of high rank, was responsible for procuring all wine, flour, sugar and vinegar consumed in the palace. There isn’t much flour or vinegar to be had at Rockstar, but there are big bottles of Tsingtao for RMB 5 and mixed drinks for RMB 15-20.

For more on Rockstar, check out the January issue of that’s Beijing.

Rockstar Gongzuo
Daily 1pm-1am. 8A Guowang Hutong, Guowang Xi Xiang, Dongcheng District (6401 3352)
东城区旧鼓楼大街国旺胡同国旺西巷甲8号