Livin' In The Chonx

KTV

Perhaps you have heard that Karaoke is all the rage in Asian countries. Well, China is no exception. But before you venture out for a night of off key 80s Greatest Hits, know that Karaoke in Asia is not like the Karaoke night at your local bar back home. Here people book private rooms where everyone lounges comfortably on long couches around a giant television that plays your musical selections. Going along with some Chinese friends or at least someone who can read Chinese may be useful since the computer selection screen is mostly in Chinese. Most locals prefer to sing without the original vocals, but with a push of a button at the selection screen you can turn those back on. You pay for the room up front, by the hour, and drinks and snacks can be ordered at a premium. Prices are higher in the evening and weekends than during the day, after all, this is local nightlife. There are KTV joints all over town, but here are a couple of the more affordable spots.

Haoledi 好乐迪
A huge nationwide chain, this place is popular because it offers the best bang for the buck. They have a wide selection of songs that is regularly updated, and a relatively decent selection of English songs. The rooms are quite posh, and as an added bonus they usually provide tambourines. There are three locations. One in Jiefangbei, located above Cotton Club. One in Shapingba, west side of Three Gorges Plaza, near Chongqing Normal University. And one in Jiangbei, in the walking plaza northeast of Carrefour.

• Check out their official website (Chinese only)
• Pricing breakdown (prices vary according to size and class of room)

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MusicDragon KTV-Yinyue Long 音乐龙
This is a very popular place for students and those on a budget. The hourly prices are slightly cheaper than Haoledi, and they also have specials where you pay a set price for a certain length of time. For the night owls from Sunday-Thursdays midnight to whenever the last guests leave (or get kicked out) it is buy one hour, get one free. They have two locations, which can be a bit tricky to find. One is in Shapingba, between Three Gorges Plaza and Chongqing University (near Trust Mart). The other is in Jiangbei, on the southwest corner of the Guan Yin Qiao traffic hub.• Visit their official website for maps and phone numbers (Chinese only):