Dusk settles over Qionghai Lake and the riverside parks fill with people walking off dinner. In Xichang, an evening out tends to start with food and a stroll rather than a fixed plan, and the city's mild, sunny climate means much of it happens outdoors.
Xichang's nightlife is low-key and spread out rather than concentrated in one club district. It suits visitors who prefer lakeside walks, teahouses, barbecue and rice wine to late-night dancing, and who are happy to move between a few separate spots over the course of an evening.
Where to go out in Xichang
1. Xichang Bar Food Street
This is the one area the sources identify specifically for drinking and eating out at night. It is a street of bar food, the kind of place where you settle in for barbecue and drinks rather than move from venue to venue.
It suits a group evening built around eating and drinking together. The source lists ¥500 for this street.
2. Haihe Park
Haihe Park is described as a good place for locals to take a walk after dinner. The riverside teahouses here are where you can sit with a cup of tea and let the evening pass slowly.
This suits a quiet night, either as the opening of an evening before dinner or as the whole of it. Because it is a park, plan around daylight fading rather than around a late finish.
3. Moonlight Style Town
Moonlight Style Town sits at the foot of Qionghai Lushan Mountain on Haibin Middle Road. It is built around moonlight culture and fishermen culture, and the sources describe it as a place to appreciate the customs of Liangshan.
It suits an evening where the setting matters as much as the food or drink, and where you want to see something of the local ethnic character of the area. It is a scenic spot, so expect to walk and look rather than sit in one place all night.
4. Qionghai Lake and the wetland park
Qionghai National Wetland Park is a plateau wetland reserve on the lake, with walking and views across the water. The park is listed as open 08:00–18:00 with an entry fee of ¥50.
This suits an early evening rather than a late one, given the closing time. It works well as the first stop of a night that continues elsewhere for dinner.
5. Small Fishing Village
The Small Fishing Village is the most important natural fishing base on Qionghai, reached by bus 111. It was named for the fishermen who once lived and worked here, though most no longer make a living from fishing.
It suits a slower evening around the lake, with the fishing heritage as the draw. Check bus times before you commit to it as your last stop of the night.
6. Barbecue and rice wine
Two things the sources single out for an evening in Xichang are Liangshan snow yogurt and Xichang special rice wine. The yogurt is described as the local specialty, paired with barbecue to cut the spice and refresh the palate.
This suits anyone building a night around food rather than venues. Barbecue with yogurt or rice wine is the pattern the sources point to, and it fits naturally with the bar food street.
How a night out unfolds
The sources describe Haihe Park as a place locals walk after dinner, which suggests eating comes first and the walk follows. Beyond that, they give no fixed hours for bars or restaurants, so treat the evening as flexible: eat, then walk or sit over tea, then move on to barbecue and drinks if you want a later finish. The wetland park closes at 18:00, so anything on the lake belongs to the early part of the night.
Festivals and events worth timing a trip around
- National Day and the National Day Golden Week holiday — early October
- Double Ninth Festival — October
- Christmas Day — December
- New Year's Day — January
- Spring Festival Eve and Chinese New Year — early February
Frequently asked questions
Where do people go for a drink in Xichang?
The source names Xichang Bar Food Street as the place for bar food, with a listed figure of ¥500. Xichang special rice wine is also listed as a local drink.
What is there to do in the evening besides drinking?
Haihe Park is described as a good place for a walk after dinner, with riverside teahouses. Moonlight Style Town and the Small Fishing Village are both evening-appropriate spots for local culture and lake views.
What local food and drink should I try at night?
Barbecue paired with Liangshan snow yogurt, which the source says cuts the spice and refreshes the palate, and Xichang special rice wine.
How late can I stay out at the wetland park?
The park is listed as open 08:00–18:00, so it is not an option for a late night. Plan it as an early stop and continue elsewhere.
Decide whether your evening is a lakeside walk or a long table of barbecue and rice wine, then plan the rest of the night around it.