Gather your old stuff, artwork, barely worn shoes and impulse purchases and come buy, sell and trade everything this Monday! That's right, this flea market thing is going monthly and this time around Nuts is hosting the event!
Get down to Shazhong Lu in Shapingba district around 6pm and see if this doesn't turn into a drunken night market!
Nuts Club is right here if you're not familiar...

Get to Sigongli on the blue line, take a taxi up to Youdian Daxue (Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications) and that’s it. Yeah it sounds easy but most people wouldn’t bother. And that’s a shame.

Youdian seems to be something of a rock college, with a crazy amount of bands and the groupies who love them all living in close quarters, isolated in the mountains.

If you get dropped in front of the main gate of the university, dining and drinking options abound. From nice teahouses to shoddy street food, everything is within walking distance. And as soon as you venture too far away, sweet fuckall. In a back alley across from the gate, you’ll find Hitle Pub, which we are told has nothing to do with the famous Austrian painter and orator, Steve Hitler. Perfect for an ironic night out.

Better yet, if you walk down the small street lined with food stalls, fruit merchants and hotpots (on the left hand side of the giant sculpture fronting the school), you’ll be rewarded with what may be the coolest, indiest place to be in the city.

WWPW, is a name that doesn’t roll on your tongue, but try to remember it. The first floor is but a simple bar with three tables while the second floor has a full drum set, a few amps and barely enough space for 20 concertgoers to stand. Top that with an intimate lounge on the third floor and you get three different vibes for the price of one.

We had a chance to experience the Youdian Daxue rock n’ roll living as The Maples, whom we’ve been following with great interest lately, were playing with four other bands on a Friday some two weeks ago. A free show, mind you, these Nanshan guys don’t believe in tickets. We got to see some familiar acts, like Disorder, Number 2 Story and their spinoff project Doctor D, as well as young unknowns like Amelyz Diamond and The Day Shift.

Had the music sucked, the young’uns in the house would’ve still enjoyed themselves, but suck it did not. When some of the most promising musicians in town exchange banter and crude chongqinghua taunts with a sdown-as-fuck crowd between songs, you know you’ve stumbled into a real good show.

Don’t expect WWPW to give you too much of a heads up for events, just turn up on a weekend and hope for the best…

And hey, there’s always Hitle.

True respect for the deceased or strange attempt at turning profit? A Chongqing funeral salon is now offering a foot massage and hair wash along with the old cremation services.
With the prices of tomb sites reaching a whopping 30000 yuan in urban areas, folks will be glad to know only a little over 1000 kuai will gain them access to the ceremony, held about ten times a month.
Fetishists heed, say goodbye to your loved ones in what can only be the most awkward and uncomfortable way possible...
From kankan news

That's right, big week indeed and it starts today!
Monday the 15th is the beginning of the end for Da Rasta and they're putting together a flea market of sorts, with folks coming to buy and sell their stuff. It will also be a chance for you to leave with some Rasta history, as the owners are letting go of everything, breathing a sigh of relief and moving on to other adventures...
Da Rasta was the first foreign-owned dive bar in Chongqing and will be closing after more than two years of operation. To leave y'all with good memories, they'll be doing one last Movie Night on Tuesday (we're told Sexy & Wacky will be the theme), one last Trivia Night on Thursday and one last blowout on Saturday the 20th, starting a few minutes after 4pm. BBQ as usual, big kegs of beer and a buttload of baijiu, come say bye in style to the little bar that could...
Now if we say “big week”, we can't be just talking about Rasta right? Right you are!
Thursday is also the Chongqing station of Russian reggae star  Steppa Style's China tour. We are told by people in the know that Steppa's not only a singer but also a kickass reggae DJ, he will be bringing stuff like this to Nuts Club. Check it.
Other than the lack of advertising savvyness of the promoters, we know very little about the Water Rouge show that's opening on Thursday at Hongyadong's Bayu Theater, but it will be around long enough for us to have a look later. Nevertheless, if you're into the high arts rather than the arts high, check out this all-European troupe perform “water dancing”... 
Shanghai DJ/producer NiChiFanLeMei on Friday, read here.
And some rock-infused hip hop on saturday with CMCB, more details later...
Lazy entry over. Big week yo.

Teacher, student, slacker or expat-package bigshot, everyone is given a couple of days every week where they let themselves believe they’re in control. You call those the weekend (even on mondays) and on the weekend you should have fun, right ?

Now we’ve already made it clear how much contempt we have for the Jiefangbei lifestyle : clubs clubs clubs, the outside bar, get laid, repeat. Unfortunately, this lack of imagination seems all too common, as if five days of work in a row were enough to stifle the inquisitive spirit and desire to explore that brought you all here (supposedly)… 

Meet Keith Gardiner and Kevin Kreitz, longtime residents of Jiefangbei and, as you can imagine, pretty much over the whole club scene. A few years ago, they decided to actually get in touch with their surroundings. The stories of the outings that ensued are sure to summon back some of that adventurous spirit you had at first, long since castrated by fake Chivas and neon lights.

Last Tuesday, CQScene followed them on a boat trip down the river. Jolly Roger to the wind, bandanas on our heads and slingshot ready to inflict minimal damage, Jialing Pirates we…

"We bought the raft on a whim, about 4 years ago, from an outdoor store in JFB that has since been converted into a baby clothing store. If i had to buy one these days I'd just buy it on taobao." says Keith to explain the origins of this wild ride. Kevin continues : “We tried to get to that island on the Chang Jiang but our paddles broke halfway, we panicked and rushed back to shore. We hadn’t really used the boat since…”    

Three weeks ago, however, they decided to haul it up to Shuangbei station, on the newly finished section of the red line that now goes all the way to University City, and float down slowly to… uh… wherever.

That day, they drifted for five hours. That’s the time it takes to make it from the back end of Ciqikou (yeah the taxi driver that took them to the shore didn’t know a closer spot) to Huanghuayuan bridge in Yuzhong district. They had caught the boating bug.

Last week, they took me to Dazhulin station on line 6 (the new pink line), where there’s absolutely nothing to see. We hopped on a taxi and asked a guy with a dog (no one would bring a dog there if they didn’t live in the area) how to get to the river. An eight kuai ride took us through the Jingke construction site and almost to the shore. We inflated the boat and were on our way.

An hour or so into the journey, we realized how quickly our resources, a 24-pack of Shancheng, garlic peanuts and some guazi, would get depleted. This “journalist”, not knowing any better, had only brought a bottle of jingjiu and one miserable mixer to the party. “You don’t go on a five-hour boat ride with one bottle of jingjiu !” Keith berated me, so sure enough, we had to stop somewhere to fill up.    

A weird twist of fate occured as we approached the shore. Two weeks before, the Pirates had twice run into an english speaking middle-aged man whilst exploring abandonned factories in Shuangbei. He had worked on cargo ships, been around the world and was now down to his underwear, getting ready to go for a swim right where we had chosen to stop…

Knowing there was a trustworthy dude around to watch the boat, we went up to Lahongzui Yuzhuang (辣红嘴鱼庄), the two-floor restaurant with a wide terrace we had spotted from upriver. Was it the shock of seeing three foreigners come up for jingjiu or was it simply the generous nature of the boss, we’ll never know, but we managed to get a massive discount on the three bottles we bought without even trying to haggle. Mission accomplished, so with a reinflated raft, the trip continued.    

Quickly after that, we almost met our doom under a Shuangbei bridge nearing completion, when a giant steel pole fell from above and landed at least twenty meters away from us. Nevermind.

Next we ended up in Ciqikou, where we boarded a restaurant ship, commandeered their bathroom and sailed back out, our bellies full of liangmian. With the river currents dramatically slowing down after that, it took us at least two more hours to reach Shimen bridge but boring it was not.

Danger reared its head one last time as we drifted under Gaojiahuayuan bridge. The river police approached, slowed down and… just sorta waved at us, gave the boat a little shake and kept going. Pleasant.

As the Pirates put it, it’s kind of like sitting on a couch drinking beer all day, it's just that the scenery keeps evolving…

Couch flotilla anyone ?    

Pro tips for a fulfilling city life in Chongqing…

1-Be the first to find stuff

Keith : “Back when we first found out about Cici Park, we didn’t want anyone else to know, because we were certain it would go downhill if they did, and sure enough, it’s not what it used to be.”

While Kevin doesn’t agree with that last statement, one must admit any place is better when it’s fresh. Keep your discoveries for yourself (at least for a while) and you can always say you did something before it was cool. Sound familiar ?

2-Take a bus/train/subway to nowhere

The Pirates used to take a bus to wherever every Monday, this tradition took them whitewater rafting in Pengshui, bungee jumping in Tongjing and blacking out in numerous locations, among other things. Now, with the ever-expanding subway network, they pinpoint a station and explore the area. It’s a gamble and you might end up in a shitty technopark (hint : don’t go to Guangdianyuan on the pink line), but the more you try, the better your chance of finding the next Gongrencun…

3-Don’t drink where everyone else drinks

We get it, you like people and you want to be where other laowai are. But you’re in China, mix in a little ! No city is quite like Chongqing when it comes to nooks and crannies. Find your own and really choose who you drink with.

4-“Be the change you want to see in the world” –Kevin (or Gandhi)

If the rafting story isn’t proof enough, think barbecue parties on isolated Yangtze river islands, camping on Nanshan, construction site bonfires downhill from the ‘Bei or kickass block parties all around the city…

It's that time of year again! If Mother Nature is on our side, we'll be throwing the same kickass block party we threw last year: burgers, carne asada, beer, music and RUSTY NAILS a drink proposed by our friends at the Whisky Society meant to rival the ubiquitous Turbo Shandy this summer!
Bring your friends, musical instruments and best manners (no, maybe not that) and come down to the Chicken Lady corner, right downstairs from Helen's in Gongrencun (Shapingba district), Monday April 8th starting at 4:00PM!

That's right, our april calendar is out!
Our recommendations for this month are:

Queen Sea Big Shark at Nuts on Friday the 5th, 20:30.

Check out the CQFC battle it out with the CQ Lifan for the Chongqing Derby, Saturday the 6th, 15:30 at the Yuanjiagang stadium.

Monday the 8th starting in the late afternoon is the Annual Gongrencun Block Party, bring your instruments and come chill with us downstairs from Helen's, at the shaokao area. Burgers and Meizijiu punch on offer!

Nuts is having a Punk Fest Saturday the 13th at 12:30 with a skate competition and eight bands, local and from out of town.

A Flea Market is going down at Rasta on Monday the 15th in the afternoon, come buy and sell stuff, cold beer in your hand!

Russian reggae star Stepa Style is hitting Nuts on Thursday the 18th at 20:30, but if you're more the highbrow type, “water dancing” show Water Rouge is opening on the same night at Hongyadong's Bayu Theater.

Thursday the 25th is a Whisky Society open tasting at Easigar on Beibin Lu. 150元, 250元 if you want your whisky with a cigar...

and...

On Saturday the 27th check out the latest edition of HEAVY FLOW!!! This time, we're doing a 70's/80's throwback for the annual RETRO PARTY with DJs Afanti and Goodweed. Tickets 20元, only 10元 if you show up wearing 70's and 80's style clothes!

The calendar will be available at every bar, café or venue that's cool enough to have it. Start looking!

Slow news day today, so we thought we'd give you the long awaited results of the “Longfor Really Estate Summer Boozer Top 10 Awards Extra Royal” ceremony held last week in... uh... Dadukou? 
Yeah you got us, that didn't happen. We just wanted to write about Longfor. Best real estate company name ever. Regardless, here's a list of the stuff you should and shouldn't be drinking this summer:

Number 10: HOT BEER- Summer's coming and fruity hot beer with a bathroom mould aftertaste is out. So is lukewarm beer. Laobans, time to turn on your fridges and serve us something cold please.

Number 9: CRUMP/BOMB/GRENADE BAIJIU- With the post-chunjie I-can't-drink-this-shit-anymore vibe still in full effect, baijius are laying low for a while. Still, the Erguotou company is surprising everyone with a sleek design for their latest line of baijius... But it still tastes the same, because some things don't change.

Number 8: JINGJIU- It's hot and full of ginger, gets you drunk and it's good for a cold too. But even if you can drink it with ice or put it in the fridge, it's a winter drink. 

Number 7: GUOBIN- Yeah, the green Lao Shancheng is like five jiao cheaper and everyone drinks it but guess what: it's basically glorified tap water. Totally worth splurging for the level (slightly) above, chief.

Number 6: 151 SPECIAL- Bacardi 151, cranberry juice and a whole lot of ice in those giant Hideaway mugs. Cliff's got a nice terrace too, killer combo.

Number 5: PABST BLUE RIBBON- That's right, it's so hot right now. Get this: the worker district of Gongrencun is so gentrified even they think Pabst is cool (and we're working on getting them to like the Arcade Fire too). Maxwell convenience stores around town all carry it.

Number 4: MEIZIJIU- An ice cold bottle of plum wine while walking down your favorite shaokao strip is hard to beat. Get a Lipton red iced tea bottle, clean it up and bring it to a meizijiu vendor. You can get drunk and teach without anyone knowing. Great in a punch.

Number 3: CHONGQING SENLIN- What the hell is that? We found out about this classic cocktail just today at Moon Café in Huangjueping. This über-green tequila drink seems to be a favorite among the art crowd. No wonder, it's smooth and sweet and cold, perfect for dawang'ing in the art district...

Number 2: CERTIFIED PURE WHISKY- Dill and Lee might not forgive us for suggesting you put ice cubes in their delicious imports instead of the prescribed drop of warm water, but it's summer dammit. If you can't find a bar that sells their stuff, worm your way into one of their exclusive Whisky Society meetings and get plastered like a pro (or a drunk)...

Number 1: TURBO SHANDY- The fuck? How did that make it to number one? We don't know but one thing's for sure, this is the stuff cool people will be drinking this summer. Half vodka/rum cooler, half beer. Serve with ice and chill on a terrace. Day drinking rules.

In February the new British Ambassador to China, Sebastian Wood, visited Chongqing to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the British Councils operations in the South West of China.  With this in mind on Friday 19th at 6pm they will be bringing a double decker bus to Chongqing Tiandi to continue the birthday party, unfortunately the word is that it won’t be a red one.  Brits will just have to use their imagination.  Music will be from the Cotton Club’s inhouse band.   This will continue a year of related cultural events and any Chengdu readers will be glad to know their party is coming the following weekend, on the 28th.

Over the past decade the British Council has been involved in many Cultural and Educational events in the region.  Although the main basis of their work in is education and providing services like the Ilets exam, the Council also promotes and engages with all areas of the arts from bringing contemporary dancers here to setting up  exhibitions of emerging Chinese artists in the UK.  Most recently in Chongqing, the Council collaborated on the Flock project in October, staged in the Peoples Square and Chongqing Tiandi. 

Xintiandi already has areas in Shanghai’s old Shikumen houses, as well as ongoing projects in Beijing and Wuhan, and Chongqing’s new development is certainly one of the better looking areas in the city and is worth a look in its own right.  Situated between Shapingba and Jiefangbei on the river side it’s easy to get to.  Take bus 808 from Shapingba.   It’s pretty new so taxis don’t always know the way.

rosa k.

CQSCENE contibuting editor Sidewalkspew(aka Michael Bruce Weed) is now contributing to NEOCHAEDGE, "a daily-curated, bilingual website and discovery engine dedicated to showcasing leading-edge creative content and emerging youth culture in China."  So be on the look out for his contributions from CQ/Sichuan which will also be featured on CQSCENE.com.