Up your drinking game at Beijing's best activity bars

Draw, bat or shoot your way to a hangover at one of these Beijing bars

Whether you’ve got grievances to avenge, have run out of conversation with your nearest and dearest or simply want to hone a skill other than drinking on your night out, check out one of these Beijing bars with a difference – because what better way to bond than by shooting medieval weapons together?

Archery | Jian Club

The drinks may miss the target but your arrows hopefully won't. Located in the depths of Sanlitun SOHO, Jian Club's setup is much like bowling, but instead of a pair of fragrant clown shoes, 160RMB gets you an hour at one of the bar's shooting lanes, a bow for the group and a quiver of arrows to share. Macro darts, if you will. There's a brisk training session – we reckon 'point and shoot' is the best strategy – and you're off, fuelled by questionable cocktails and standard bottled beers to loosen you up. One of the most hazardous bars in Beijing, and all the more worthwhile for it – surely the spot to win over your dude or damsel in distress.

Jian Club B1-308, Sanlitun SOHO Building 3, 8 Gongti Bei Lu, Chaoyang district (5290 2981)

Ping-pong | Hatchery Arcade

We're not sure how long a culinary concept takes to hatch, but we are sure that the time can be well spent with a few rounds of ping-pong at Hatchery's latest CBD edition, Arcade. The gaming-themed space is replete with old-school arcade machines (and matching retro milkshakes), but the real tour de force is the pair of ping-pong tables: unleash your inner champ with a match of China's national sport, and refuel with a freshly hatched burger and beer afterwards.

Hatchery Arcade 5Lmeet, inside China World Hotel, 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang district (6500 2884)

Baseball | Mays Club

A night out in Wangjing might not sound like the most exciting, but stick with us on this one, because Mays Club is the only bar in Beijing where you can swing a baseball bat without getting arrested. It's also undeniably fun. 30RMB gets you an innings of 20 balls (a six-innings package is available for 150RMB), hurled towards you at speeds of up to 90km/hour by a mean, lean robotic pitching machine. Bottled and draft beers will keep you loose, and there's also a range of bar snacks available.

Mays Club 2F, Botai International Center, 122 Nanhu Dongyuan, Guangshun Bei Dajie, Chaoyang district (1005 6431)

Darts and pool | First Floor

This Sanlitun SOHO basement of mirth is actually one of the most sizeable pool bars in town. Two tables are yours for the taking, and there’s also an entire wall of darts machines to try your wrist at. We're sentimental for the old-fashioned board and arrows at Home Plate round the corner, but for guaranteed games, the glut of electronic future-darts will do just fine. Throw in beers starting at 20RMB and cocktails starting at 45RMB, and you can be sure you’ll be throwing off target in no time. 

First Floor Unit 6, Sanlitun SOHO, 8 Gongti Bei Lu, Chaoyang district (8590 0079)

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