Changchun is the birthplace of the first errenzhuan theater, Heping Daxiyuan (Heping Theatre). The popular Dongbei entertainment is a mix of stand-up comedy and opera that is thoroughly vulgar and, for those who can understand Dongbei dialect, very amusing. Real fans head to the raucous, smoke-filled Heping Daxiyuan, a block north of the post office on Renmin Dajie (tel. 0431/893-4304), where tawdry performances get audiences roaring with laughter and keep them that way most of the night. Nightly shows at 7:40pm cost ¥30 to ¥180. The Longli Lu, near Guilin Lu and Remin Jie, is the "Bar Area," with a number of local bars. One of the two popular disco clubs is Mayflower (Wuyuehua Jiuba; tel. 0431/893-322), tucked underground on the south side of the Wenhua Huodong Zhongxin on Renmin Dajie. The club is so well-received that it opened its second branch in the city inside Shangri-La Hotel. SOS Storm (Qian Ren SOS Storm; tel. 0431/8564-6060) on Fujin Lu 9, organized the first international music festival in Changchun in late 2006, is popular with foreigners, and stays open late.

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