The Yuyintang Live house can be easily found in the Changning district. Perhaps not the oldest, but it is one of the original live music bars in Shanghai and is still going strong after so many years of operation. Because of its accessible location, the place gets a lot of traffic and is usually packed with an energetic crowd looking forward to live music performances.
At its location between Yan’an Elevated road and Kaixuan road, it is very close to the West Yan’an road metro station. Both line 3 and line 4 of the Shanghai subway have a stop here and when visitors exit from gate 2, they will have Yuyintang bar within their sight. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, with neon light signs spelling out the name and a guitar shining from the top pronouncing its status as an underground music bar. The drinks inside are reasonably priced and the staff is friendly. The place opens its doors to patrons from 08:30 onwards till late into the night. The shows that take place are ticketed at times depending on the bands that are performing. These draw crowds from both the locals and the expat community so it’s a nice mix to mingle with.
Since its establishment, Yuyintang is known to be a place where new talent maybe discovered helping it to launch into the main stream view. Bands and performers hoping to make their mark will stop to make an appearance here among other performance venues as well. But that’s not the only attraction. International performances take place in the bar’s premises as well. On a set day of the week, the bar management arranges an open-mic event, much cheered and appreciated by attendees. However, the bar is usually closed on Tuesdays unless there is a special event planned.
The bar is not the only lure to the Changning district. A trip to other attractions can be combined with a wrap up of the day at the Yuyintang bar before finally hitting home. In fact, the underground music bar is settled within the Tianshan park with its spread-out green area and man-made lake inside. Shanghai Zoo, Zhongshan and New Town Central Park are within the district.