Shanghai’s nightlife spins around clubbing, loud music, expensive drinks and an air of pretension. What the city lacks are British-style pubs. Half is not exactly a pub, but it certainly has the friendly, chill atmosphere of a good boozer.

With reasonably priced drinks (Tsingtao ¥15, soft drinks ¥20, spirits ¥20), Half Bar is a more laid-back and less grotty option than C’s Bar to get drunk cheaply on a weeknight. The music is mellow and set at conversation volume. The ground floor is decorated like a street corner café, but most of the night-time activities go on in the larger area upstairs.

For fans of Wii and board games, there plenty of options and the owners encourage everyone to play. With its slogan–“Half Australian, Half New Zealand, Half Chinese, Half Extroverted, Half Introverted, Half Crazy, Half Normal, Half Gay, Half Straight”–the bar boasts of its openness to everyone and everything. What a refreshing change.

Xing Zhao