Andrew Aigner-MuehlerChapter 26...Being attacked in Beijing.
November 15th 2009 05:56
I was told when I first came to China, not to mess with a Chinese person, which is true, but how about when they attack you for no reason.
Like many of us expats do on the weekend, we head into Sanlitun for a night out, and have a few beers with our friends.
It was the week of the National holiday celebrations for People’s Republic of China 60th birthday, and most people had the week off. This time was very sentimental, precious and was of value to China. It meant a lot to the Chinese people. So, you thing they would be proud to have foreigners here and show off their country and their hospitality to the world. Not get me wrong, but most of the Chinese actually do that, but when you the odd Chinese who do not like foreigners and attack them for no reason, it ain’t right.
It was a Wednesday night, my mate and I just finished a night at Paddy O’Sheas for their renown quiz night, which is always a big night there, and we decided to head out to Sanlitun for a couple of beers to see what was happening as neither of us had work the next day. Yeah, my mate was sought off tipsy, but he was not wasted at all, he still knew what he was doing, and I was sober as anything, I just had the pint at Paddy’s. We headed out to Sanlitun around 11pm and visited Kai Bar and Shooters but they were not attracting us that night, so we went to Bar Blu which wasn’t full, no way as busy as the other two but we were able to relax have a few games off pool. I had another two bottles off beer over the next 2 hours or so, my mate may have had 3 or 4 drinks. We left there at closing time at 2am and headed back to Kai bar to have a look but settled in buying a drink and sitting outside. We sat down on chairs in front of the bar ‘The door’. One of the bar staff came out with a menu, and we said we were alright for the moment, obviously in Chinese, he persisted in asking again, what we wanted, we again said we were alright for the moment, then my mate just opened up the menu and looked at the cocktails and said he will have a sex on the beach, just to the right thing and buy a drink, to get the bar staff member away, he then persisted to ask my mate for the money upfront, but my mate was saying bring the drink first and then I will pay, the bar staff member did not like this and just said go, obviously in Chinese, but we both just sat there, next moment, the bar staff member just pulled the chair out from under my mate, my mate went flying, his drinks that he already had went flying. A Dutch guy saw what happened and came over and said to the Chinese guy “would you like to do that to me?” next minute at least 10 Chinese guys came out from ‘The door’ and attacked the Dutch guy, my mate and myself. I had not said nor did anything. A Chinese guy took a swing at me, and got a cheap shot to the side off my face and I fell through the open doors into the bar opposite, still holding a bottle of beer that I hadn’t started to drink and almost a empty bottle of beer. I was able to defend two guys off from pulling me outside or to the ground to give me a kicking thankfully two patrons in the bar a black African guy and another Chinese guy helped me, and I avoided a kicking. My mate was not so lucky he said he had three or four Chinese guys kicking him in the back and the head while he was down on the ground outside. He said he was thankful to the Dutch guy who after defending himself away from the guys who were attacking him was able to get the Chinese guys away from him. My mate lost his jacket as well as prescription glasses.
That Wednesday night at 2am in the morning was still quite busy. I just hope the people who were there that night, saw what happened and never return to that street and definitely that bar. With me, I have not been to that street since, and I was a regular there. It just ain’t worth it. You don’t deserve to be roughed up or beaten up in my mate’s case just for wanting to sit down. I am a guy who will never lay a punch. I have never hitten anyone. No one has ever hitten me. Yeah! I have been involved in fights, but only to break them up. But, that night was the first time in my life I have ever been hitten. It could have been much worse for me, if it was not for the patrons who helped me. I owe a big thank you to them. Now, I just head down to Paddy O’Sheas on a Saturday night maybe a Sunday or a Friday or a Wednesday and watch the football or join in to their quiz night. I know there, that I am safe, no one will attack me.
I hope that the word gets around about ‘The door’. I heard a few days later my workmate at work was telling me, that bar and the manager of the bar have a bad reputation, they are always picking fights with foreigners, so if you, as a foreigner do not want to be the next one, stay away from ‘THE DOOR’ in Sanlitun, Beijing.
People that work in that place 'The Door' give China a bad name. The majority of Chinese are quite pleasant.
So boycott 'The Door'. I just hope like many before us, that places goes out of business.
Like many of us expats do on the weekend, we head into Sanlitun for a night out, and have a few beers with our friends.
It was the week of the National holiday celebrations for People’s Republic of China 60th birthday, and most people had the week off. This time was very sentimental, precious and was of value to China. It meant a lot to the Chinese people. So, you thing they would be proud to have foreigners here and show off their country and their hospitality to the world. Not get me wrong, but most of the Chinese actually do that, but when you the odd Chinese who do not like foreigners and attack them for no reason, it ain’t right.
It was a Wednesday night, my mate and I just finished a night at Paddy O’Sheas for their renown quiz night, which is always a big night there, and we decided to head out to Sanlitun for a couple of beers to see what was happening as neither of us had work the next day. Yeah, my mate was sought off tipsy, but he was not wasted at all, he still knew what he was doing, and I was sober as anything, I just had the pint at Paddy’s. We headed out to Sanlitun around 11pm and visited Kai Bar and Shooters but they were not attracting us that night, so we went to Bar Blu which wasn’t full, no way as busy as the other two but we were able to relax have a few games off pool. I had another two bottles off beer over the next 2 hours or so, my mate may have had 3 or 4 drinks. We left there at closing time at 2am and headed back to Kai bar to have a look but settled in buying a drink and sitting outside. We sat down on chairs in front of the bar ‘The door’. One of the bar staff came out with a menu, and we said we were alright for the moment, obviously in Chinese, he persisted in asking again, what we wanted, we again said we were alright for the moment, then my mate just opened up the menu and looked at the cocktails and said he will have a sex on the beach, just to the right thing and buy a drink, to get the bar staff member away, he then persisted to ask my mate for the money upfront, but my mate was saying bring the drink first and then I will pay, the bar staff member did not like this and just said go, obviously in Chinese, but we both just sat there, next moment, the bar staff member just pulled the chair out from under my mate, my mate went flying, his drinks that he already had went flying. A Dutch guy saw what happened and came over and said to the Chinese guy “would you like to do that to me?” next minute at least 10 Chinese guys came out from ‘The door’ and attacked the Dutch guy, my mate and myself. I had not said nor did anything. A Chinese guy took a swing at me, and got a cheap shot to the side off my face and I fell through the open doors into the bar opposite, still holding a bottle of beer that I hadn’t started to drink and almost a empty bottle of beer. I was able to defend two guys off from pulling me outside or to the ground to give me a kicking thankfully two patrons in the bar a black African guy and another Chinese guy helped me, and I avoided a kicking. My mate was not so lucky he said he had three or four Chinese guys kicking him in the back and the head while he was down on the ground outside. He said he was thankful to the Dutch guy who after defending himself away from the guys who were attacking him was able to get the Chinese guys away from him. My mate lost his jacket as well as prescription glasses.
I hope that the word gets around about ‘The door’. I heard a few days later my workmate at work was telling me, that bar and the manager of the bar have a bad reputation, they are always picking fights with foreigners, so if you, as a foreigner do not want to be the next one, stay away from ‘THE DOOR’ in Sanlitun, Beijing.
People that work in that place 'The Door' give China a bad name. The majority of Chinese are quite pleasant.
So boycott 'The Door'. I just hope like many before us, that places goes out of business.
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