Everyone you meet in Beijing will tell you how much the city has changed in recent years. While not as radical as the space-age transformation of Shanghai, solemn Beijing refurbished its historical and cultural assets along with its infrastructure in advance of the Beijing Olympics and seems to have kept up the pace of improvement since then.

The official "color" of Beijing (gray!) is now splashed with color, and fresh garden landscaping is optimistically employed to combat the smog and dust. Residents are happy, as any evening stroll around a hutong (traditional neighborhood) will demonstrate, and there are plenty of shopping opportunities for the middle class in dozens of new mega-mall projects. Beijing is also a foodie heaven with a bounty of fantastic (and cheap) dining opportunities everywhere.

The population is over 22 million, including nearly a million Utopians.

Peking Man

Beijing is bursting with youth, and the abundance of good looking soldiers and policemen is stimulating to say the least. While a lot of fun can be had flirting with friendly locals, Beijing is not a place for abundant nightlife or a quickie holiday romance - "419" in contemporary local gay slang (as in "for one night"). Educated gays tend to socialize in small circles of friends, visiting bars and saunas only occasionally and usually in groups. If you are able to make a local friend, then you'll have an inroad to meeting the single men in their network, although this may take more time than a visitor on vacation will have. Conservative and romantic in his approach to finding the right partner, Peking Man is not inclined to "jump into the river of love" on a whim.

Many locals caution that bars, saunas and parks are filled with "MBs" (moneyboys) on the prowl -- mostly needy men from other provinces - but less and less so these days.

People here in the capital work hard and so clubs that welcome gays are busiest on Fri and Sat nights, and quiet on weeknights. Mid-week gay Happy Hour venues are listed in our Bars and Clubs section and these locations change frequently. The Net is the most popular way of finding new friends. Although you may not be able to access the Chinese language QQ system, try PlanetRomeo or Craigslist Beijing. Jack'D is a more popular phone app here than Grindr.

Beijing Gay Scene Updates message forum

Lesbian listings

Men in Beijing message forum

Navigating the local gay scene is easy with our interactive Utopia Map of Gay & Lesbian Beijing:

ChinaMango UTOPIA VISITED MAY 2013 135-5294-9596, email. Gay and lesbian-friendly, professional licensed tour guide from Beijing. Discreet, individual tours for discerning travelers. Day and night tours. Customize a tour for you and your friends at no extra cost. Explore Beijing's best places for eating, shopping and nightlife. Speedy reply with helpful advice and itinerary suggestions. Utopia Member Discount

Comments from Utopians:

"We were only in Beijing for 3 days so wanted to squeeze as much in as possible. Jet meet us at our hotel, we were straight on to the train and we were able to see the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Temple of Heaven and Hutong tour (traditional alley and street life) plus many more 'local sites' all in a day. This didn't feel rushed at all as Jet knew all the side entrances, so once we had seen enough we could duck out. His knowledge of all the sites and his English are excellent. On Jet's advice we also took the longer bus ride to Jinshanling (2 hours, no guide). This part of the wall has old and new sections, no tourists and was just awe inspiring. Thank you, Jet, we cannot wait for our next trip." -- Paul C., Aug 5, 2012

"We used ChinaMango as our tour guide while we were Beijing recently. We have never been more pleased. We found our guide professional, knowledgeable, easy to understand with great language skills, easy to be with, and, most importantly, he understood our goals in touring Beijing. He was flexible, and accommodating, always on time, and very helpful in determining our days activities. His knowledge regarding the locations we visited was incredibly complete. He made our trip interesting and successful, and we would use ChinaMango again and recommend them to our friends that are coming to Beijing." -- John D. and Steve N., Jun 15, 2012

Click here for Beijing hotels and accommodations.

Click here for Beijing bars and clubs.

Click here for Beijing cabarets.

Click here for Beijing discos.

• 798 Art Zone UTOPIA VERIFIED MAY 2013
  Utopia Map. An industrial area turned largely over to art galleries, shops, and studios. What began as a freewheeling experiment and breath of fresh air for the arts community has gentrified into a more commercial area sporting products by some of China's most famous comtemporary art stars. Still, its fun and fascinationg to wander around the neighborhood, if only for the steam-punk thrill of all the relics from China's early industrial era.
• La Galerie Tao UTOPIA VERIFIED MAY 2013
  #83 Dong Hua Men St, Dong Cheng Dist (at the intersection corner just east of the East Gate of the Forbidden City), Utopia Map, 133-9188-0427, email. This contemporary fine art gallery specializes in Chinese gay artists and the Chinese male nude subject, as well as a variety of high quality fine and decorative arts. Conveniently located one block east of the Forbidden City in an area full of shops, restaurants and tea houses. See some of their works in our Chinese Masters of the Male Nude exhibition.
• Red Gate Gallery UTOPIAN VERIFIED MAY 2013
  Dongbianmen Watchtower, Chongwen Dist, Utopia Map, 6525-1005, email. Founded in 1991 by Brian Wallace who first arrived in China in 1984, Red Gate Gallery is the first private contemporary art gallery to be established in China. Prior to opening its doors at the 600-year old Ming dynasty watchtower in Dongbienmen, they organize and curate exhibit the best of Chinese contemporary art as well as facilitating cultural exchanges and dialogues between China and the rest of the world. With monthly exhibitions, the gallery showcases painting, works-on-paper, graphics, sculpture, photography and installation by both established artists and emerging talents. Gay-owned. Utopia Member Discount

Click here for Beijing karaoke.

Click here for Beijing massage and spas for men.

HAIDIAN

• Tsinghua campus
  Find the bigger of the two lakes (they are separated by a street). Prime cruising ground is the dark lane south of the facilities, but the whole lake is cruisy.

  
  OTHER AREAS

• Liu Lang Swimming Pool
  Bagou (just outside the south gate of the Summer Palace), Utopia Map, 010-6263-5992. Take the number 10 subway line to the last station, Bagou, and then walk 10 mins northwest to the intersection of the river and 4th Ring Rd at Huoqiying Bridge. For summer months, west Beijing's largest outdoor swimming pool has become a 'must-go' place for locals. They congregate there on one side, especially on Sat afternoons. Just use your gaydar to spot them. The pool has shallow and deep sections, as well as lanes for serious swimmers. Entry is only Y$10, with a deposit for the locker key. Take your own towels, soap, and slippers for the shower afterwards, but only cold water. (special thanks to ChinaMango for the tip!) 巴勾柳浪游泳场
• Starbucks by Pacific Center.
• Yu Yuan Tan Park, San Li He Rd, Utopia Map. No info on specific area or best times.
• The Wudaokou area near the Beijing Language and Cultural University. Surprisingly nice, busy and very cruisy. The small cafés and bars are full of university guys eager to talk and make new friends.

CHAOYANG

• Bellagio (Taiwanese cuisine) UTOPIA VERIFIED APR 2012
  6 Gongti Xi St, Utopia Map, 010-6551-3533. This large and modern restaurant attracts trendy gays as it lies directly across from Destination disco. Beijingers really enjoy the Taiwanese-style desserts on offer here. 鹿港小镇 - 北京市工体西路6号
• Ghost Street UTOPIA VERIFIED MAY 2013
  Dongzhimen Inner St, Utopia Map. From Beixinqiao Subway Station all the way to the 2nd Ring Rd. Red lanterns create a carnival atmosphere for happy local diners who come for heaps of peppered crawfish. Order up as many as you like by size (Y$2, 3, 4 or 5 apiece) and deshell with your fingers for the succulent and tongue-numbing tail meat. Prepare to sweat! As usual, to select the best restaurant, look for a place that is packed with customers. Lots of other delicious side dishes and many menues have English as well as pictures to point to. Or, if you want to try excellent modern Beijing cuisine in a heritage courtyard setting, go to 235 Dongzhimen Inner St where you can dine on a truly incredible contemporary Chinese menu (in English with pictures of wonders like salmon spring roll sprinkled with lime Pop Rocks and, pictured below, chocolate-dipped purple potato sticks with fruit loops!), watch acrobats twirling teapots on a stick and gawp as their award-winning chef creates a "never-ending noodle" choreographed to music! 东直门内大街(簋街)

• JingZun (Peking duck) UTOPIA VISITED MAY 2013
  6 Chinxiu Rd, Taipingzhuang Nanli, Chaoyang Dist, Utopia Map, 6417-4075. This bright, clean and modern eatery not only serves fantastic Peking duck and other local dishes (try the shredded chicken in "Beijing sauce" wrapped in tofu) but the price is very reasonable -- about 1/3 the cost of most duck specialty restaurants. 北京市 朝阳区 春秀路 太平庄南里6号楼 北侧
• O Sole Mio (Italian) UTOPIA VISITED MAY 2013
  55 Xing Fun Zhong Rd, Jie Zuo Da Sha, Utopia Map, 6417-7022. Gay-owned restaurant and sidewalk café. Delicious, simple, home-cooked Italian fare. Yummy pizza and desserts. 北京市 朝阳区 幸福中路 杰座大厦

  
  FORBIDDEN CITY / CENTRAL BEIJING

• The CourtYard (fine dining)
  95 Donghuamen Ave, Utopia Map, 6526-8883. One of Beijing's first modern fine dining restraurants. Beautiful view of the moat and East Gate of the Forbidden City. Expensive.
• Pianyifang Roast Duck Restaurant (Peking duck)
  G/F Hademen Hotel (opposite the New World Center) and another branch on 3/F of the second phase of the New World Shopping Center (with the ice rink in the atrium), Utopia Map. This is one of the two most famous Beijing roast duck restaurants. The most expensive duck on the menu is cooked inside a pot rather than roasted in the oven and supposedly has a more exquisite flavor. Crispy roasted is cheaper and plenty good. 便宜坊烤鸭店
• Tianjin Baijiaoyuan Catering Franchise Co Ltd (dumplings and Chinese)
  12 Jia Xin Wenhua St, West Dist, Utopia Map, 6605-9375. Don't let the name fool you, this is one of Beijing's best dumpling restaurants with a menu featuring over 100 types of dumplings, from healthful herb and vegetarian versions to spicy dog meat. The menu is very easy, with both pictures of the ingredients for each and English descriptions.天津市百饺园餐饮连锁有限公司 - 北京西城区新文化街甲12号

  
  OTHER AREAS

• HuGuoSi Street UTOPIA VERIFIED MAY 2013
  Utopia Map. Foodie alert! A stretch of refurbished old buildings housing a wide variety of tasty regional Chinese cuisines, from sweets and dumplings to Muslim food and donkey delights. The lane is decorated with folk art paintings of many traditional food practices that have vanished from the streets of modern Beijing. Mostly locals here (not a tourist trap), so follow the crowds to find the popular places.

Click here for Beijing saunas for men.

OTHER AREAS
• Baby Blue Adult Shop
  268-91 Renmin Rd, FengTai Dist, email. Gay and lesbian-friendly shop providing high quality adult products at the reasonable prices. Baby Blue understands the private nature of such products and guarantees your privacy. Utopia Member Discount
• Nanluoguxiang UTOPIA VISITED MAY 2013
  Utopia Map. South Luogu Lane is a revitalized traditional merchant street running through one of the best preserved hutong (traditional urban housing area) districts in China. New shops, cafés, beer bars and boutiques line this avenue and side streets beg to be explored and reward the intrepid explorer. One of the most enjoyable evening strolls in Beijing. 南锣鼓巷