Bright Lights, Big City
Han Li's cover is about to be blown!
The 25-year-old graphic designer from Fujian province says she would "never dare" tell her parents what she gets up to in Beijing after work.
"My parents were poor farmers; their lives were full of hardship," she says. "But I want a more glamorous life. I work hard and play hard, too."
Han's passion for the capital's bars and clubs might shock the folks back home, but she epitomizes China's young adults at the dawn of the 21st century.
The daily grind of chasing dreams and money brings an equally intense desire to "chill out", and Beijing's spectacular nightlife is a seduction few can resist.
A dissonant rumbling of dance beats and the glare of neon lights emanates from the hive of nightclubs flanking Beijing's Gongti Ximen.
A honking line of taxis, punctuated by the occasional Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Ferrari, creeps along the street in front of the chockablock strip of nightspots, while the sidewalk roils with crowds of clubbers.
It's a quarter to midnight on a Tuesday, and 26-year-old Sichuan native Chen Ye and her friends are here to "play".
Nightlife lovers find escape from the pressures of work in Beijing clubs. Photos by Erik Nilsson and clubzone.cn
"In China, we face so much pressure at work, pleasing our bosses, keeping good face and expanding client relationships, that we need to go out with friends and blow off steam," the advertising firm project manager says. "That's why I love nightlife; it's where I can escape and have fun."
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