Hidden up some stairs at the intersection of Dongfengxi Lu and Kunshi Lu, is Halfway House. There's sure to be a good crowd on Friday and Saturday evenings but other days of the week are a bit hit and miss. Halfway used to host a truly memorable open mic on Monday night, where you could hear everything from throaty renditions of Nirvana songs to excited jazz solos, which would frequently snowball into full orchestras as other musicians got drawn in from the crowd. Inexplicably (although that word seems somewhat obsolete in China), the open mic night has recently been discontinued. Don't be too disheartened, however. Halfway's snug, if rather unexciting, interior and cheap, chilled Tsingtao beer on tap still makes for a good night. Music is provided by guest DJs or occasional live acts and who knows, by the time you read this maybe the open mic night will be back. Halfway House is definitely still worth a look, especially after the cafes and bars have all closed at midnight up the road on Wenlin Jie.
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