Glittering bars in XM
By Lily
Photo by Ulf

闽南人爱茶好茶, 大街小巷随处可见各种茶馆茶庄; 同时都市的夜晚也越来越多地被风格各异的酒吧装点得更加靓丽.



"Do to other people like you want them to do to you." With this aphorism, Ulf Wessman declares his appreciation for the Buddhist ethnic. It's a peaceful one, different from all other religions: no factional fighting, no bloodshed in pursuit of power, no massive wars in religion's name. In his newly opened bar me & you on Xiamen's bar street, Binlang Road, this Swedish adventurer has placed a Buddha statuette in a very conspicuous place.

For most westerners, a bar is a place to relax and have a drink with old buddies and new friends. In south Fujian, tea culture has been a part of people's lives for hundreds of years. Bars are a newer addition to Xiamen's leisure scene, but they are already gaining a devoted following. People from all walks of life are flocking to try out this new evidence of Xiamen's international credentials.

There are dozens of bars in Xiamen, but most of them are not very quiet. Besides snacks and drinks, KTVs and bars (karaoke and otherwise) also provide some musical entertainment. For those who want to find a place for a quiet chat, it seems a bit difficult.

Though not very spacious, me & you has already earned something of a name since it opened three months ago. Unlike many Chinese bar owners, Ulf always greets all his friends with his wide smile and introduces them to each other. "Presently the proportions of Chinese and western bar visitors here are 50 to 50. And in future I believe there will be more Chinese, as we've got in Yantai, Shandong."

Having lived in Asia for 26 years, Ulf finally decided to settle down in Xiamen with his Chinese wife, who is from Xiamen. From 1981-1991, Ulf was busy flying between Korea and Sweden, involved in leather garment trading. Before that he was a fashion designer for some Swedish fashion companies. In 1991, he sold his own company and set up his first Hard Rock bar in Yantai. It is still one of the best bars in town, now run by his son. "Having traveled to 62 countries in the world, I find Xiamen is a marvelous city, ideal for settling down in. It's not only because of my wife, but also due to the European style here, especially on Gulangyu."

Speaking seven languages (English, Swedish, French, German, Spanish, Korean, Italian), Ulf makes his bar more like the center of a web of international friends. When the Swedish festival "Midsummer celebration" comes, he hospitably offered free drinks and even cooked some special food for the visitors himself. "If an unmarried girl wants to find her Mr. Right, she should put seven wild white flowers under her pillow and make a wish. Pretty soon he will appear!" This was one of the customs Ulf explained as he handed out the drinks. "The annual Midsummer's Eve celebration, held in late June, is one of Sweden's biggest holidays. Swedes herald the end of the long winter by decorating their houses, churches, and other structures with flowers. In the afternoon a decorated maypole is raised, and everyone in the community dances around it until late into the evening. We often have round dancing, games and folk music in the afternoon. Herring, new potatoes, strawberries and a dram...These will be followed by a wonderful Midsummer Night: light, bright and possibly romantic if you are lucky on the dance floor."

Ulf has noticed some differences between Chinese and western visitors to the bar. Most Chinese like to come in groups, and mostly talk to their friends. It's rare for anyone Chinese to go to a bar alone; whereas westerners are more open to each other, getting familiar with new friends in minutes.

In the near future, Ulf plans to open another bigger bar in Xiamen. "My ideal bar will have three storeys. On the first floor there will be a normal restaurant with simple meals and good prices; on the second, a genuine bar with some bands or light music; and on the third, a piano bar, with guests sitting or standing around the piano with a glass of champagne."

Before his dream bar can be brought to life, Ulf hopes that the Xiamen government will consider making it easier: he'd like to arrange some outside seating and to have Binlang Lu closed to traffic. If possible, there could even be more bridges along Yuandang Lake, adding even more neon to the nighttime scenery.

 

 

Entertainment Gossip
娱乐"星"闻

Tom Cruise wants ten children
汤姆·克鲁斯想要十个孩子

Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise says he would be happy to father ten children following the arrival of his first baby girl with fiancee Katie Holmes. Cruise, 43, also has two adopted children from a previous marriage to actress Nicole Kidman, who is now set to wed country music singer Keith Urban.



Madonna: 'I'm not too old for H&M'
麦当娜代言时装不服老

Madonna has hit back at claims she is too old to represent fashion chain store H&M. The 47-year-old superstar was recently confirmed as the face of the Swedish company's Autumn 2006 range. The decision has been criticized by advertising experts, who claim Madonna is too old to represent the company, whose shoppers are mainly young women.



Hilton starts her own Neverland zoo
希尔顿筹建私家宠物园
Socialite Paris Hilton is following in Michael Jackson's footsteps after creating a mini-Neverland menagerie of animals in her back garden. The hotel heiress-turned-reality TV queen and pop star now has four Chihuahuas, two kittens, three ferrets and two monkeys all housed at her Hollywood home.



Aniston to ditch Hollywood for the stage
安妮斯顿好莱坞重现实力
Former Friends star Jennifer Aniston is desperate to prove her acting credentials by ditching Hollywood for a hard-hitting London theatre role. The actress, who has carved out a niche in romantic comedies since leaving her famous TV series, hopes a spell on the stage will show audiences she's a serious thespian, too.

 

 

Culture week

July 1: 9th anniversary of the return of HK to China
香港回归9周年纪念日

July 2: International Sports Day
国际体育日

July 4: American Independence Day
美国独立日

 

Vocabulary
heiress 女继承人
Chihuahua 吉娃娃宠物狗
ferret 白鼬
menagerie 动物园
credential 声誉
niche 特定角色
thespian 实力派演员

 

 

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