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Keep in mind that Shanghai has quite a lot more happening in terms of gay nightlife - take a look at my article on the gay Shanghai bar scene for details.
The go-to club on the gay Beijing scene is a cushy, black-on-black dance club and cocktail bar called Destination, which pulls in a mix of trendy young Chinese residents, corporate mavericks from points afar, and hip expats - it's a mostly male bunch, but plenty of women come here, too. The club consists of a handful of bars and seating areas, generally with plush, low-slung seating and soft lighting. A DJ spins the usual Western pop and club hits, and strobe lights cast a colorful glow upon the compact but busy dance floor (here's a view of the dance floor at Destination). Weekdays can be a little quiet here, but Destination kick into high gear Wednesday (for its popular midweek celebration), Friday, and Saturday nights.
The bar is just across the street from a strip of glam hetero nightspots by the West Gate of Worker's Stadium, a generally bustling neighborhood of eastern Beijing's Chaoyang area, close to the expat-infested Sanlitun Bar Street. You'll find several slick, gay-friendly restaurants within a 15-minute walk, including romantic Mare (for stellar Spanish tapas) and cozy Alameda (a fashionable, cozy bistro serving fusion Asia-meets-Brazil fare).
Most of the cute and friendly staffers speak a bit of English, enough to cheerfully fill drink orders. And cocktails are quite reasonable - about US$5 or US$6 for premium cocktails. Destination appears to be a promising sign of what lies ahead for gay Beijing.
