By Dan Stephenson (cityweekend.com.cn)
Updated: 2008-05-16 17:42

In growing Beijing industries like nightlife, security has been a focus over recent months as the city prepares to host and toast the rest of world.

As earlier reported in City Weekend, two of the biggest potential nightlife destinations for August visitors, Gongti North Gate stalwarts, Mix and Vics, will be closed during the games due to their proximity to Olympic venue Worker's Stadium. But recently other Beijing venues are shutting down before the Games in a more instant and irreversible manner.

For those drinking on Sanlitun back street one evening in early April, a remarkable scene unfolded as armed police and SWAT personnel descended on the Pure Girl bar across from Tongli Studios. Cordoning off the street at either end of Tongli Studios, the well orchestrated raid was clear in its objective, to stop the use of venues such the Pure Girl from becoming a haven for dealing illegal drugs.

The planning going into the bust was extensive, as seen in BTV footage documenting the bust that buzzed through laowai circles. (Check out the City Weekend Beat Blog for video.) According to a China Daily report, the police “apprehended the suspects and seized drugs including meth tablets, ecstasy and marijuana.”

The following week, in a meeting with Sanlitun venue owners, Chaoyang police officials and authorities discussed the results of the bust, reminding club owners to keep their venues free of drugs and those dealing them. Over 60 persons were initially detained in conjunction with the raid, according to a source who wished to remain anonymous. According to the source, “the meeting showed the amount of planning going into the raid was substantial and that the police knew what was going on in Pure Girl and who was involved.”

“They made it clear that ahead of the Olympics nightclubs and bars should be preparing themselves and be running a tight ship”, the source stated.

For Beijing clubbers, these changes could mean a kindler, gentler Sanlitun and a more hospitable environment in this nightlife neighborhood.