On October 15, curfew notices went up at Guangzhou’s hippest, booziest entertainment area: Party Pier. The announcement, posted in both Chinese and English, states that a closing time of 2am will be strictly implemented – as per ‘Decree of the State Council No. 458, Rule No. 28.’
So what does this mean for Party Pier patrons and Guangzhou F&B folks in general?
The mandatory closing time is not new
It turns out the recently publicized 2am closing time is not actually a new rule. In fact, it has been on the books since March 1, 2006 (with an amendment on February 6, 2016). According to the Regulations on the Management of Entertainment Place, Rule No. 28: “Everyday from 2-8am, entertainment venues are not allowed to operate.”
As best we understand, this rule applies nationwide.
Anyone who regularly hits the town for a night of drunken debauchery in Guangzhou can probably agree with us that this particular rule has seen a gross lack of enforcement in the city, which brings us to our next point…
Enforcement has previously been lax
There is no shortage of establishments that operate into the wee hours of the morning. Heck, up until recently Guangzhou had a number of 24-hour bars and restaurants, so it's clear Rule No. 28 has not been properly enforced.
2am closing times are being enforced at Party Pier
According to several sources familiar with the situation at Party Pier, the F&B slash entertainment slash arts zone is implementing the 2am closure time to comply with a request from police. The notices posted around Party Pier were printed and posted by staff at the request of local authorities.
One Party Pier staffer told That’s the F&B curfew will remain in effect until authorities inform them otherwise.
Other areas of Guangzhou appear unaffected
We spoke to a number of bar, restaurant and club owners outside of the Party Pier zone and were told by all of them that they had not been informed of the mandatory closing time by authorities. This means your favorite late-night hangouts in Zhujiang New Town, Yuexiu, Liwan and even other parts of Haizhu will likely still be open.
Things may go back to normal in the coming weeks
There is ample speculation that the recent enforcement of the 2am closing time is related to the current Party Congress, or the upcoming Guangzhou Fortune Global Forum, or a combination of the two. We can neither confirm nor deny this, but we can report that several people we spoke to told us the rule would expire on October 25, although we found nothing on the State Council’s website to back this up.
As previously mentioned, Party Pier will continue to enforce the F&B curfew until told otherwise by authorities.
Other major cities are also seeing the enforcement of 2am closing times
While 2am closing times are a bummer for those Guangzhouers that enjoy a late, late-night drink or snack, we are admittedly having a breeze of a time compared to what Beijing is undergoing in terms of restrictions during the Party Congress (with the mass closing of music venues, delayed deliveries and increased security checks on the subway). We have also learned from our colleagues in Shanghai that bars and clubs there have also been ordered to shut down by 2am this weekend.
Check back regularly for updates on this developing story.
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