1949 Rises From the Ashes as the Lavish and Sprawling Jing Yard

原创 Joey Knotts theBeijinger

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Before moving into the hutongs, Jing-A was sitting pretty in a corner of the giant Sanlitun courtyard in 1949 The Hidden City. In fact, the space was so large that it easily housed multiple venues – Okra, Duck de Chine, Traitor Zhou’s, and Taverna, among others – before management pulled out, and tenants found that they were unable to renew their contracts. As we all know too well, each beloved haunt was forced to close in rapid succession early last year.

Those days already seem far behind us, but boozy half-memories are likely to come flooding back when you step into Jing Yard, the sprawling and repackaged red brick space with its new round of dining, drinking, and shopping venues (as long as you are in the market for novelty gifts and have some spare cash to splash).

The yard has changed a lot since its Jing-A days

Upon walking through the (now guarded) gate, the first building to the left holds The Tasty House, a white-tablecloth fine dining establishment serving twists on Beijing and Cantonese classics. Plentiful seafood dishes like the Jiangnan drunken crab and fermented yellow croaker top the tables, and diners wash it all down with fine wines and Maotai.

In addition to seafood, The Tasty House tries its hand at the classic Peking duck

On the other side of the yard, lounge bar Amid welcomes late-nighters with couch seating and a hodgepodge of bizarre art. Lava lamps and spear-collared shirts would feel right at home in Amid, where potted palm trees stand erect in the dull orange-red light and a cylindrical screen displays a video of nude women in nature.

Amid is unabashedly '70s in its decor

If its aesthetic doesn’t send you spinning, the drinks (RMB 90-plus) just might. The smoked vermouth in the Casablanca has both the pungent flavor and smoky consistency of wacky tobaccy, and is quite heady to boot. Those who prefer something a little slower-going can opt for the unique matcha tea-infused gin of the Homesick or the scotch, Campari, and egg white of the Phantom. They don’t slack on the presentation either, with many of the drinks served smoking from dry ice or in a glass jewelry box. Snacky? The food is a bit pricy but certainly well prepared, with high-end plates like honey strip beef, fried olives, and baked scallop as well as more Chinese-leaning options like spiffed-up gong bao fried chicken wings.

Smoke bellows from the very fuggy Casablanca cocktail

Amid may take you back to the 1970s, but Monopoly, its sister bar to the rear, will take you back another 40 years to the '30s. Here, whiskey and cocktails are served at a premium. For especially long nights, elevators are available to whisk you into the basement karaoke bar, or you could simply exit through the gift shop, where albums, clothing, and accessories are sold with phallic branding.

A grab-bag of designer accessories and clothes as well as jewelry and music await in the adjacent buyers store

But don’t forget, this is a yard after all. When the weather is nice, not only is there a huge ground floor terrace, but also an upstairs balcony from which to admire the yard from above.

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Jing Yard from above

It is quickly apparent that a lot of time and money has gone into crafting the several lavish venues at Jing Yard and the result is a luxurious nighttime playground that is sure to attract high rollers looking to entertain, woo, and splurge on a good time. And while it may be a different kind of crowd than Jing-A previously brought, it is attracting a crowd nonetheless.

Jing Yard

1945 Courtyard, Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District

朝阳区工体北路4号院1945小院