By Caleb March (City Weekend)
Updated: 2007-12-26 10:13

There is a place beyond the city's comfort zone where factory chimneys loom in the night sky and the lights of the Yangpu bridge flash overhead. It's an area perfect for anyone who wants to escape the omnipresent predictability of Shanghai's Western conveniences. This is 021 Bar, a 20-minute bus ride from Yangshupu Lu subway station, out in east Shanghai, where the curious and the brave have been making their pilgrimage to see live rock music for nearly two years. While it may occupy one of Shanghai's less accessible locations, 021 Bar offers a genuine underground rock atmosphere that can't be matched.

"I started 021 because I love rock music and I wanted to have a place where my band and my friends' bands could play. When I first came to Shanghai [from Xiamen] there was hardly anywhere to play," says Guang Hui, owner and manager of 021 Bar. "I found the [building] by coincidence, but I was looking for an old factory space." The bar occupies a second story room in a renovated factory building that Guang says was once owned and run by the Japanese in the 1930s. Visitors must navigate a long hallway past several red light parlors before reaching the high-ceilinged loft space. Hui has poured his heart and savings into creating a venue he believes is perfect for live music. "We offer a free atmosphere where people who love music can communicate," says Guang.

021 Bar hosts one or two shows a week, featuring bands from the deep end of the Chinese underground, including Guang's own band, Old Street. "I don't want fame or reputation, I just do this because I love rock," says Guang. "021 represents the purest heart of underground rock, but because this is the furthest bar in the city, there aren't always many people here."

While not for the faint of heart, 021 Bar has a genuine character that instills the tingling aura of an undiscovered gem. Inside, the layout is comfortable, with a large stage, a long, stocked bar and café-style seating. Other features include a shelf of CDs that functions as a manual jukebox, a walled-off area reconstructed into a hostel and a prowling stray cat.

"We are open to anyone who understands music and we have many new bands playing shows and practicing here," says Guang. Amongst the collection of knick knacks adorning the interior, the first thing that jumps out is an enormous American flag hanging from the ceiling. When questioned about the flag, Hui thought a minute before answering, "Because it's pretty." 

021 Bar
Location: 2/F, North Bund Commercial Center, 2925 Yangshupu Lu near Dinghai Lu
Tel: 021-6580-1185