Nanjing´s large student and teaching population (foreign and Chinese) manage to create a pretty good nightlife for themselves, especially in a city of this size.

There are numerous "western style" bars dotted about the city but the best ones are around the Universities near Shanghai Lu. The small lane opposite Nandar (Nanjing University) Halls of residence is always a good place to kick the evening off in. Jack´s is a popular meeting place and although its pretty small, they do a great sweet and sour chicken and the beer is refreshingly cold. The staff here are extra friendly too, always willing to tell (or show) you where the latest hot spots are in town! The music however leaves a lot to be desired.

Down the road from here is where the city´s best music talent can be found in, Blowing in the Wind.The groovy owner of this bizarrely decorated bar has nightly jamming sessions in this spacious and comfortable place and at weekends, guest bands are invited on stage to perform.

Slightly further away from the Universities are three popular late night spots. The first is known as Scarlet Bar, situated on Zhongshan Bei Lu. This place is where the city´s foreign population tend to end up at the end of the night. This bar/ club is always bursting with people of all ages and the music is generally good- reggae style with a bit of everything else thrown in for good measure. Another popular place is Tequilla Bar on Shengzhou Lu. This club play slightly dodgy music but it´s a good venue and fun to watch the city´s gangsters and their "lady friends" at play! The other good bar/club in Nanjing is the Island Bar (a.k.a.Island Bob´s). The music in here is pretty good and fairly up to date (thanks to Island Bob!) and it´s growing in popularity as Nanjingers become more discerning in their taste!

There are also a few nice hotel bars offering a more relaxed and upmarket style of entertainment. The Sheraton Hotel has a nice Irish bar, serving up good pints of Guinness and The Jinling Hotel has something similar. Both these places are ideal for those looking for a pleasant drink in a peaceful but friendly atmosphere.

Nightlife aside, other entertainment tends to focus around the Fuzi Miao area. There are numerous arcades, bowling alleys, pool halls and cinemas around here and its a lively area especially when the street market kicks off in the evenings.

Addresses: Jack´s is opposite Nanjing xiyuan at 164 Shanghai Lu. Jack also has another place, Jack´s Two opposite the Nanshida gate on Ninghai Lu. Blowing in the Wind (aka The Answer Bar) is also on this road, at 13 Jinyin Jie. Scarlet Bar is near Gulou, turn right off Zhongshan Bei Lu at 29 Chenzhen Dong Xiang. Tequila´s is at Shengzhou Lu and The Island Bar is on the road which links Hunan Lu and Yunan Bei Lu.