Special report: 2008 Olympic Games

　　By Qiu Lin

　　BEIJING， Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Dressed in tight tops and slinky black pants，the four members of the Chinese Britpop band Super VCon stage at Beijing'sYugong Yishan club performed their hit songs to a large crowd moving hands andbodies to the beat.

　　The band threw theatrical rock-star poses and the audience -- mostly hipyoung Chinese in their 20s and a mixed crowd of seemingly more mature foreigners-- loved it. In the end， the vocalist took off his T-shirt and the girls in theaudience screamed in joy.

　　Yugong Yishan club， a mainstay of Beijing's music scene， is named after aChinese proverb which means a foolish man succeeded in removing a mountain stoneby stone.

　　An unlikely location in the heart of Beijing for a Chinese rock music club，the historic west courtyard of the government of Duan Qirui， the warlord who wasthe provisional chief executive of China between 1924 and 1926， Yugong Yishanattracts a crowd for almost every live performance.

　　With chandeliers hanging from the ceiling， the space between the stage andthe bar counter has no seats and can hold up to 1，000 people for a liveperformance， according to bar owner Lui Zhiqiang.

　　"The music scene in Beijing is quite vibrant and a lot of interestingthings are happening here，" says Chris Hawke， a Canadian who teaches journalismin a university in Beijing.

　　About three blocks north of Yugong Yishan， M.A.O. Live house， located rightacross from the northern entrance of Nanluoguxiang， an old Beijing alleyway thathas evolved into a favorite destination for backpackers and the chic set， makesa statement with its iconic logo and the iron-riveted facade.

　　Backed by the Japanese independent music label Bad News Records， who signedBeijing's famous punk band Brain Failure， M.A.O.'s stage is sectioned off fromthe bar and lounge， just like Yugong Yishan.

　　"I like M.A.O. It's smaller and more intimate to the stage，" says MikaelSalomonsson， a Swedish musician living and playing his music in Beijing.

　　The cost of each concert -- 20 to 200 yuan (2.9 to 29.4 dollars) for avisiting foreign band and a 20-yuan (2.9 dollars) beer -- are nothing comparedwith Europe， Mikael says.

　　Through a hazy mixture of smoke and sweat and raw energy， the AutumnInsects， or officially called Fall InSex in English， an old school flash rockband going back a few years， performed with their exaggerated blond wigs andbloody gothic make-up In M.A.O. on a recent weekend. The audience raised theirhands in tribute.

　　"The music venues in Beijing has changed drastically，" says Niu Ben，guitarist of Fall InSex， who formed the band with the vocalist Ying Zi in 1998.

　　From the stage， to the lighting to the sound system， big changes have takenplace， he says.

　　Music lovers in Beijing today enjoy a wider variety of music than in thepast. In its heyday in 2000， Happy Paradise， among the very few venues for liverock music， in Wudaokou， was packed at weekends， according to Yan Jun， a Chineserock music critic.

　　With almost no seats and no decoration， the audience simply sat on the edgeof the stage when they got tired. In the dark， some were drinking， some weresleeping on the ground in this former roller skating rink when bands played lateinto early mornings， Yan Jun wrote.

　　Back then， most rock bands lived in Shucun Village， including Fall InSex，about 40 minutes bus ride from Wudaokou， where the cheap rents gave them a placeto stay. Some survived and thrived and even became big names.

　　"The few music venues at that time had a lot of enthusiasm in supportingChinese rock music but they lacked the professional equipment and experience，"said Niu Ben， the guitarist.

　　Mikael， the Swedish musician， and his friends who frequent rock clubs inBeijing said the top four venues for local rock music would be Yugong Yishan，M.A.O. Livehouse， 2 Kolegas on the Third Ring Road and D-22 in the universityarea in Haidian District.

　　In addition to local bands， big or small， world famous musicians have alsoplayed in Beijing's live music houses， including names such as Yann Tiersen， theGo! Team and Keren Ann. This year， the French electronic music duo Air isscheduled to perform in Yugong Yishan in September， according to the band's tourdates on its official website.

　　"The crowd who comes to see a live band today is quite different from thepast，" says Li Jie， a veteran gig goer of 12 years experience.

　　With the Internet， today's bands certainly have more resources such asMyspace where they can upload their music and share it with people all over theworld， says Li， admitting he goes to fewer concerts.

　　"But when there are good bands performing in Beijing， I will definitelygo，" Li says. "The feeling you get from a live performance is absolutelydifferent from hearing it on the stereo."