Drummer Raffy and his five band members have been living in Qingdao for five years. Performing at night at local bars, this Philippine band enjoys their days in Qingdao, too.

"Qingdao is fantastic!” one band member said in Chinese with a slightly Qingdao accent.

Since 2005, the six musicians — drummer Raffy, keyboard player Tony, bass Jojo, guitarist Michael and female singers Wenny and Kathy — have been doing the local bar scene. Their three-hour improvisational performance each night includes songs in both English and Chinese. Their Chinese accents regularly win applause from local customers.

"We are night owls. Usually we won’t go to bed until 6 am, and we always have our lunch after noon since we spend the whole morning sleeping.” Jojo told a reporter.

Except for their biological clocks familiar to musicians, they have already integrated into the life of Qingdao. “I really want to spend my entire life in China,” Jojo said.

Jojo said the kindness of Chinese people greatly touched him during the past five years. The band will hold a special performance in the New York Bar, where they play their music every night, on Oct 28 to celebrate their fifth anniversary in China.

The musicians now live in the dormitory of the bar, and they often cook their own food. Michael is the chief chef for the six. He can cook many typical Chinese dishes such as fried potato shreds and scrambled eggs with tomatoes, he said.

By Audrey and Chen Zhilin