70s Commune Bar Culture Study Centre

I ended up in the strangest bar I have encountered anywhere. It was on the second floor of a nondescript building on a main road. Climbing the stairs, we arrived in a reception area decorated with heads of Buddhas and a large wooden door leaning against a wall.

The place was in two parts. There was an office area to the right and to the left was the bar. The bar was decorated in at least three simultaneous themes. There were the traditional Chinese lanterns above the bar itself. Around the walls were various pieces of artwork, pottery, sculptures and photographs. There was also a selection of Cultural Revolution artefacts and military equipment.

The largest table was a converted longboat. The table I was at consisted of a large circle of glass perched on a truck tyre. No two tables were the same.

In the background, at a reasonable level, was playing some real jazz music (as opposed to the bilge farted out by Kenny G which most restaurants and bars play when they are trying to be laid back.)

We got chatting to one of the owners, then were joined by a photographer from the local rag (whose photos I regularly steal and post here ) They are planning to hold film evenings showing old movies from the Cultural Revolution. They even have an original, working 1970s projector.

A very pleasant evening ensued. The atmosphere was very relaxed and the place had the feel of a private club. Even the display of machine guns hanging just above my table didn't take away from the feel good.

Of course, you want to know the name of the bar. It is difficult to translate but it is approximately "70s Commune Bar Culture Study Centre."

There is more here (Chinese Site). 

tags: liuzhou  bars  art  pottery  sculpture  photography  cultural revolution  machine guns  longboat  tables  jazz  1970s  movies  

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