Should you visit West Street in 2024? Alas the answer to this is not all that nuanced and in fact is pretty much the same as it would have been between 2010-2020 and that is no, unless you like overpriced overhyped things.
West street for those not on the firm is the main tourist street of Yangshuo, an important tourist town on China. Much like any place like this one upon a time it was a truly artisan place, particularly as China first opened to capitalism.
Said innovation has now been eclipsed by big business, much as happens almost everywhere even at Cafe Apartments Saigon. Gone are the backpacker and in are the hipster yoghurts and the Disneyfication of China.
What the West Street?
This is the omg main street in Yangshuo and home to tourism. During major holidays you cannot move on the street, while parallel streets such as where I had the DMZ Bar reman empty. People really like to follow a crowd in these parts.
Prior to the pandemic there were coll bars off of West Street, like Bug Panda, as well as places selling weed. These have now gone, as have the expats. Sadly and due to the dishonesty of the locals so have the good Chinese tourists. In this respects West Street is like the epicenter for the new greed that dominate business in Communist China.
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Partying on West Street
For as long as I can remember nightclubs have dominated West Street and its nightlife. This is not only still the case, but said club and bars ahem now expanded further. Of these there tends rot be two choices “bars” that have really bad singer in them (I mean really bad) and nightclubs.
Said nightclubs used to have pseudo-pole dancers, as well as guys on the street helping to arrange massages with local lady entrepreneurs. Both of these have also largely stopped.
Another key facet of these clubs is the proudly ridiculous prices. While Tsingtao would cost 3-5 RMB in a shop and 20, or so in a bar like mine, in these clubs you would pay around 70. These were and are all about loud music and the face of being seen to spend your money.
Now said clubs still pump their music until late at night, with the vibrations knocking at the walls of hotels streets away. Amusingly he hotel rooms have signs in them that say “if it is too noisy after midnight don’t bother reception, just call the police directly”. Alternatively you could just tell people before they book that your hotel is too loud to sleep in.
So, do not book a hotel near west street, do not go to bars on west street and limit a visit to one walk through to look and transiting. Most importantly do not monkey see monkey do by walking through here during holiday…….