GULOU, BEIJING

Beijing is a thriving metropolis that may seem overwhelming to some, but not to Hachi王悦伊, who calls it her home. Get to know Hachi王悦伊, and her hometown, as she takes us on a journey through the streets of Gulou.

School is established as the most vital rock-music venue in Beijing. The authorities’ city-wide “clean-up” operation has seen many nearby venues close, but it still stands proud, with new bands unfolding masterplans on its battered sofas while others let rip on the tiny stage.

Many people believe that the development of online streaming has fatally pierced the heart of music as a physical entity, but the skewer is yet to breach the walls of Beijing’s most beloved record store, Indie Music.

Tiger, set to mark its tenth anniversary next year, sources clothes from Japan, the US and Europe, as well as China, and the result is a mix as eclectic as the genre-mash culture the surrounding Gulou area demands.

Dusk Dawn Club, known simply as DDC to its regulars, is the most musically eclectic live house in Beijing. Cui Jian, probably China’s most high-profile rock star, has been known to turn up to perform at the venue’s free-for-all collaboration nights, and headliners are just as likely to be heavy rockers as they are acoustic guitar strummers, rappers or jazz heads.

There are no neon signs announcing Auto Space’s existence to the outside world, just an inconspicuous doorway that those not in the know would be likely to brush past without glancing twice.

Temple Bar remains the only venue in Beijing in which you can hear The Rolling Stones, Joy Division and Oasis being blasted from the DJ’s speakers at 4am, and still have 100 revellers dancing alongside you.

Record sleeves and gig posters for the likes of Scottish hardcore band The Exploited are taped to the venue’s walls, peering down at customers scoffing bowls of meat-stirred noodles and broth.