THE MAP
Every vinyl destination inside the greater Beijing footprint. Zoom in to see individual venues.
THE 1 RECORD SHOPS
Beijing is smaller than Shanghai, sharper on rock and punk.
Beijing's record scene is smaller than Shanghai's but has a longer memory. The Gulou and Sanlitun corridors carry a handful of shops and venues — Fruityspace, Indie Music Shop, DDC — that trace the city's rock, punk, folk and experimental lineage since the 90s.
The current focus is second-hand imports, Chinese indie pressings and reissues of the 80s/90s rock catalogue. A yearly record fair anchors the community. It's a compact scene worth a full weekend for anyone tracking Chinese underground music.
THE FIVE ROOMS
Record shop, venue and hangout — Beijing's experimental / noise / indie hub. The room that binds the scene.
The city's essential indie record counter — Chinese indie pressings, imports, cassettes and zines.
Venue that runs a small record wall and hosts the city's serious record swaps.
Small offshoot shop — punk, hardcore, noise. Curated by lifers in the scene.
Newer generalist shop — jazz, rock, reissues. A friendly introduction to the city's crates.