Three Distinct Gulou Brands Team Up for HOOD-tong, a Uniquely Gulou Event, Dec 11

Gulou and its immediate surrounding neighborhoods – think Andingmen, Jiadoukou, Yonghegong, etc. – are a distinct part of the city.

Sometimes derided as the hipster capital of Beijing (if normies can have Sanlitun, students get Wudaokou, and families get Shunyi, the humble hipster surely deserves their own space), it’s long stood as a bastion of quirky cafés, raw clubs, and authentic hole-in-the-wall dining; a unique refuge that’s largely managed to dodge the volatile invisible hand of progress.

Sure, new bars and cafés consistently move in, but they always do so in deference to the area’s history, character, and charm, never so much disrupting the scene as they are eager to join it. 

"I think anyone who has lived in the hutongs has experienced the special spirit of these communities," says Seda Sakaoğlu, manager of local mainstay Zarah. "It is something similar to village life in Europe, but in the middle of one of the biggest cities in the world. Your neighbors are like your extended family, everyone knows who is coming and going, and a helpful hand is always around the corner."

Now, Zarah is teaming up with Beiluoguxiang-based Italian restaurant and bar Nina and Fangjia Hutong rabble-rousers BBB to celebrate the inimitable neighborhood they call home, in order to pay tribute to its enduring ethos and legacy.

Dubbed HOOD-tong, the inaugural event will be hosted at Zarah this Saturday, Dec 11. It’s part happy hour, part dance party, part tattoo studio, and entirely Gulou. Sakaoğlu elaborates, "It’s a community collaboration project for our hutong venues to connect with each other, strengthen our ties, and really live up to the caring hutong spirit." 

Things kick off at 6pm with the Nina Happy Hour – remember though, this is all hosted at Zarah – which will see the aperitivo joint's bartenders mixing up some signature cocktails including their famous spritz and Negroni. Meanwhile, a trusty lineup of DJs curated by BBB including M.O.N.A, Tora! Tora! Tora!, Leo Furioso, Kongsent, and Pure will be behind the decks as an artist from BBB’s tattoo studio doles out free 4x4cm tattoos.

It’s worth noting, however, that this ain’t your typical pick-from-a-flash situation, so come armed (or legged, or shouldered, or foreheaded) with an idea conceived in sober clarity, lest you awake the following morning with something that was haphazardly chosen in a drunken fog.

Hood-tong takes place this Saturday, Dec 11 from 6-9pm. It’s free to attend, however, there is a cover for BBB’s afterparty that evening. For more information, click here.

READ: Events to Ring in the Merriest Time of the Year

Images: chinadailyshow.com, Flickr, Wkimedia, Yoho Mars, courtesy of Zarah