Where to Watch the World Cup: Beijing, Shanghai, Kunming
Friday, 11th June 2010 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (2)
Don't see your Chinese city on here? Want to tell us where you're watching? Leave a comment!The closest that China's favorite team is getting to the FIFA World Cup this time around is last week's warmup game against France, which underdog (understatement!) China won 1-0 on a free kick goal from Deng Zhuo Xiang in the 68th minute.
But this country has had plenty of time to adjust to its absence from the 2010 World Cup, and there are plenty of fans here supporting Italy, Argentina, England, Brazil and Spain—any team that's a contender has a fan base in China.
This is the biggest sporting event since the Olympics, and bars are looking to cash in with viewing parties galore over the next month. Here's a quick breakdown of some great sources of information on where to watch:
Beijing Boyce is the capital's most prolific eating and drinking blogger. Lucky for us, Boyce is also a sports fan. Here's his extensive list of place to watch the World Cup. He's also got recommendations on where to buy country flags and gear, and no doubt will be reporting on the viewing experience once the games start.
The Beijinger doesn't seem to have a direct link to a list of viewing options, but bars will upload their promotions here, and users will chime in on
the best places to watch.
City Weekend's Beijing and Shanghai sites both have World Cup pub guides. Charles Silverman (Beijing) highlights the best places to watch outdoors, the hidden sports spots, and some swanky joints for fans with deep pockets. CW Shanghai offers a quick list of bars, and tips on where to buy face paint and jerseys.
Finally Kunming, my Chinese hometown, seems to have come a long way in sports broadcasts in the past two years. GoKunming's list is evidence that Chapter One now has a lot of competition for fans who don't want to watch alone at home.
Tags: FIFA World Cup, football, soccer, sports bars
Beijing barstools
Friday, 3rd April 2009 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
The NCAA has finally gotten its act together, so you can now watch March Madness games online at mmod.ncaa.com. Unlike previous years, there's no waiting list and the quality is pretty good. This is good news if you are a college basketball fan in China, where the games don't air on TV. But there's something sort of sad about watching any major sporting competition at home alone in your pajamas, so we recommend getting up bright and early Tuesday morning to watch the finals somewhere like the Goose and Duck or Tim's Texas Barbeque (to be safe, call to confirm they'll be showing the game, as this is one of the harder events to get here).To get ready for Final Four weekend, China Sports Today caught up with nightlife blogger Jim Boyce, of Beijing Boyce. Boyce is more of an NBA fan--he's hoping against hope that his Toronto Raptors make the NBA playoffs this year--but he takes the job of keeping up with Beijing's watering holes very seriously. Here are his some of thoughts on sports bars in China's capital city:
China Sports Today: During your time in China, what were some of your most memorable sports watching experiences?
Jim Boyce: The past two Super Bowls--for both, I sat in the Goose & Duck. Both times had lots of people watching and last-minute heroics, plus beer. The (2006) World Cup also was very good. It seemed like everywhere, not just sports bars, had a screen up and both locals and expats were out watching.
And the Olympics, of course, especially the opening ceremonies. My friend and I went to I think 30 bars the night of the open ceremonies, and it was great to see people out and excited about it. There was a lot of negativity leading up to it, and people at this point were just thinking, "Here it is," and were really excited. It was a nice change of attitude.
CST: How do you feel about watching games over breakfast, instead of chicken wings and potato skins?
Boyce: I'd prefer to watch them at night, because I'm not much of a morning person. But I think a bigger issue than the time is accesibility. I can't udnerstand why there aren't more North American sports shown in Beijing. You can find rugby, Formula 1, soccer/football everywhere, but it's almost impossible to find the NFL, MLB and NHL.
As far as getting bigger crowds, I think it's more of a habitual thing; you need to build those things up. People go to bars to watch with other people, so if you don't know you can expect people to be there, you're less likely to go. I think it's also accessibility. Some things, like NHL hockey, you just can't get here unless you're getting it online. I think there's a market there for a place specializing in showing North American sports.
CST: Which Beijing sports bar has the best coffee?
Boyce: Nobody. No one wins.
CST: Who has the best breakfast?
Boyce: I like The Den's breakfast--the eggs benedict or the standard English breakfast, which comes on a cast iron skillet. I'm a huge fan of The Den for thier pub grub in general. If you ask me which sports bar I would choose if I had to eat at it every day, it would be The Den.
CST: Who has the most reliable coverage?
Boyce: The Den is pretty good. They'll not only show games, but make up giant score sheets, and have multiple sports showing at once. The Rickshaw did very well with the baseball playoffs, and they are the only bar in Beijing that I know had the NBA channel. And the Goose & Duck, because they're open 24 hours, is a good option for watching a game any time of day. Actually, The Den is 24 hours now, too.
CST: Where do you find the best company and atmosphere?
Boyce: For me it depends on the sport. During the World Cup, the deck at the Pavilion was amazing. For NBA and baseball, I like the Rickshaw because it's a nice place to get four or five people around a table to watch the game. And for the Super Bowl, it's the Goose & Duck.
We've seen quite a few additions to the sports bar options in Beijing lately. The Stumble Inn just opened. Glen Phelan, from Paddy O'Shea's, is taking over Stadium Sports and reopening it April 10. Luga's Villa is just a year old. Blue Frog is another place to watch sports. There's a lot of new places opening, mostly in the Sanlitun area.
CST: Why do think we see so few Chinese people out watching sports in Beijing's bars?
Boyce: It's not a big cultural thing here to gather at a Western sports bar. For one, Western bars are still pretty expensive for the average Chinese. There's also a language barrier. It was interesting at the Goose & Duck for the Super Bowl; it's a pretty big place, and they had one area with the English commentary and one with the Chinese commentary. But yeah, I'd lke to see many more Chinese coming out. The Chinese are crazy about sports--you know that there are some really big fans here.
For more on Beijing's eating and drinking scene, check out Jim's blog (Beijing Boyce).
Tags: basketball, Beijing, Final Four, March Madness, sports bars
Beijing Boyce's roundup of Super Bowl watching parties
Tuesday, 3rd February 2009 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Jim Boyce, aka Beijing Boyce, is Beijing's best-known English-language eating and drinking blogger. Unlike this CST editor, who enjoyed the entire game from the same bar stool at the Goose & Duck, Boyce scoured the city for Beijing's best Super Bowl watching experience. Luckily for me, he decided that the Goose & Duck was the best spot in town for watching the Steelers win their sixth Super Bowl.Boyce writes that he noticed an overall decline in numbers at Beijing's sports bars for the big game. He blames the matchup (last year's game featured the NY Giants and the New England Patriots, teams with bigger Beijing fan bases) and the fact that "there are fewer people around," in 2009. Beijing has seen a decline in its American expat population, which spiked in the Olympic year and has taken an additional hit with the slumping world economy.
Beijing Boyce's full account can be read here.
Tags: Beijing, football, NFL, sports bars, Super Bowl
CW's Olympic Guide
Friday, 18th July 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Check out the bar reviews and more at City Weekend's Beijing site.
Tags: City Weekend, Olympics, sports bars
More Madness
Friday, 28th March 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
The United States' NCAA Men's Basketball tournament is down to 16 teams, with more games being played this weekend; check out the updates to our March Madness sports bar listings, including several new locations in Beijing.Tags: basketball, college, March Madness, sports bars
March Madness in China
Friday, 21st March 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Don't see your city, favorite sports bar or sporting event below? If you know something we don't, contact us here
March Madness. Bubble Team. Final Four. Bracketology. If these words mean anything to you, you're probably American. And if you're in China, you're probably looking for a place to tune in to the first two rounds of the NCAA College Basketball Tournament this weekend. We have found a couple of spots in Beijing and Shanghai that will be showing the tournament. These bars are subject to the scheduling of their satellite providers, but so far it seems like most will have a live airing and a tape delay one. Call the bars below for details.
Shanghai
Bubba's Texas-Style Bar-B-Que and Saloon
2262 Hongqiao Lu, next to the Hongqiao Marriott
Telephone: 62422612
Beijing
Goose & Duck
Guanhu International Tower
No.105,Yao jia yuan road
Chaoyang District (East of Chaoyang Bridge)
Telephone: 5928-3045
Kro's Nest (乌巢)
Inside Gongti Beimen
工体北门
Telephone: 6553-5253
The Pomegranate 石榴园
19 Kaifa Lu, Xibaixinzhuan
Houshayu, Shunyi
后沙峪西白辛庄开发路19号
Telephone: 8046-2558
Rickshaw人力车
Corner of Sanlitun Nanlu and Gongti Beilu
三里屯南路滚石西门
6500-4330
Sunset Bar and Grill
Corner of Xingfu Yicun and Xingfu Zhonglu, Sanlitun
Telephone: 131-4133-3018
Tim's Texas Bar-B-Q and Roadhouse
27 Super Bar Street, Nuren Jie
星吧路27号
Telephone: 6461-1141
Hong Kong
Rumor has it that Skitz Sports Bar in Wanchai is airing games. We're working to confirm that rumor, but in the meantime check them out here.
Other sporting events around China this weekend:
Hong Kong: The Hong Kong Football Club will host a field hockey competition, the 2008 Easter Tournament, Friday and Saturday at its field hockey pitches in Hong Kong. Twenty teams of various talent levels will face off in short 18-minute games from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Beijing: The Good Luck Beijing 2008 Water Polo Open continues with games from 3:00 to 6:00 Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Shanghai and Beijing: International Pillow Fight Day. Ok, so it's not a sport. But you could definitely work up a sweat smacking people with down-stuffed pillows. The good times roll at exactly 3:03 p.m. on Saturday, March 22. Beijingers will congregate at The Place Shopping Mall at 9 Guanghua Road near the Yong'an Li metro stop. Shanghairen will meet at The Lawn at Shanghai Sculpture Space, 570 Huaihai Road.
Image: Sports Illustrated
Tags: basketball, events, March Madness, sports bars