(That's Beijing)
Updated: 2006-08-07 08:57

Beijing's claim to being an emerging cosmopolitan and cultural center is so often betrayed by the multitude of tasteless clubs that constitute its nightlife scene. Happily, our grumbles have been temporarily quelled by the launch of the long-awaited Rui Fu.

According to owner Henry Lee (the man behind Vogue and Public Space), Rui Fu is a place to see and be seen, a meeting place without the distraction of neon, beer girls and the tack we've become familiar with at so many "high-end" establishments. Lee is true to his word. Drinks and music provide the ground floor's focal point: the bar is well-manned and well-stocked (beers from RMB 25-40, cocktails starting at RMB 50, and a selection of champagnes by the bottle from RMB 580-2,800), and behind it lies the elevated DJ booth.

The surrounding room incorporates thoughtfully arranged seating, providing revelers with the luxury of space so often lacking at other venues (a doffed cap to interior designer Han Qiang).

Upstairs offers quieter, cooler surroundings-creams and whites dominate, the ambience accentuated by the intelligent use of soft lighting. The second floor is complete with an outdoor terrace walled in by the former government office's ancient rooftops.

One can only hope that Rui Fu's introduction will help break the loud and lurid formula championed by the residents of Gongti Xilu, which hasn't changed for years. True, the current tacky trend has proved a surefire way to attract the nouveau riche: moneyed Beijingers who articulate their wealth with bottles of Chivas and private booths, like extras in some bastardized 50 Cent video. Rui Fu breaks the mould, but it's yet to be seen how long it takes the competition to follow suit.

Rui Fu
Location: No. 3 Zhang Zizhong Lu, (former Duan Qirui government building, east of Ping'an Da Dao), Dongcheng District
Opening time: Daily 7pm-late
Tel: 010-64042711