On our unyielding quest for money, fame, status, wealth, precious gems, expensive automobiles, and X-Box’eses, SmartShanghai tends to concentrate on covering the big events, the big new restaurants, the big dance clubs. Yeah, you’re welcome. In "My Local”, we’re straying away from that focus to highlight great neighborhood bars that aren’t necessarily new, don’t splash out on hyped-up events — or really any events at all — and simply exist in the real world of Shanghai, just as nice places to go and have a drink with some friends.

Area:

The official address, and thus our listing, will tell you that Time Passage is down a numbered alley that spurs off of Huashan Lu near its intersection with Fuxing Lu. But as time has passed, that alley seems to have been promoted to road status. It now has a name, so just keep an eye peeled for Caojiayan Lu. Turn down that, and you'll see Time Passage, or at least the tennis court it shares an entrance with, straight ahead.

What is it:

A bar, a cafe, a live music venue, a metaphor for the ephemeral nature of existence, perhaps? The English name is merely a snappy abbreviation of something deeper in Chinese: zuo tian, jin tian, ming tian jiu ba (昨天，今天，明天 酒吧), which means "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow Bar." The caption on the sign out front muses:

"Yesterday, I was rich and handsome. Today, I am drinking, dreaming... Tomorrow, who knows?"

That's pretty deep, man.

Incidentally, I usually know what's in store for me tomorrow when I drink at Time Passage: A McDonald's #2 Value Meal and a shitload of aspirin chased with lemon-lime Gatorade.

Indeed, as George Harrison taught us, all things must pass. Yet in spite of this universal axiom, Time Passage has been around since 1994. That's nearly an eternity in Shanghai bar years. Nice work, guys!

Why it’s good:

It just is, man. Beer is reasonably priced and cold. Fried snacks are abundant. It's open late, and it's got a long happy hour every day. That meets most of my criteria; I'm pretty easy to please. Also, it's a thinking man's bar. They screen documentaries and host talks on occasion. There are chess marathons every Friday through Sunday from 3.30 to 7pm. I've never participated. I don't even play chess. I just take comfort in knowing that this goes on here.

Atmosphere:

Rough around the edges and totally devoid of any pretension. The walls are festooned in iconic album covers, drinking slogans, communist heroes, prints from famous artists and assorted bric-a-brac. The crowd is a friendly mix of slightly older locals and foreigners (early-to-mid-30s), most of whom are probably as nauseated by the club scene as I am. They just want to sit down and have a few drinks and laughs without some douche nozzle at a lap top fisting their ears with the LMFAO and Ke$ha all night. There is also live music on most nights. It varies in quality throughout the week, but a couple quarts of beer will fix it so the intonation does not offend the ear. Some nights, though, it's pretty good. On my last visit, I saw a power trio belting out Pink Floyd covers. It was awesome.

Prices:

On one of the walls there is a caption saying something along the lines of never, since its inception in 1994, raising prices. It clearly isn't true. 30rmb for a bottle of Tsingtao would have been a hard sell 19 years ago. So, yeah, prices have gone up over the years. What can you do? Even dive bars have to keep the lights on. That said, prices here are still relatively reasonable. Bottled beers are 35 to 50rmb. Drafts range anywhere from 25rmb for a 300ml mug of Kirin to a 145rmb for 1250ml jug of Guinness.

The hard stuff is similarly priced. Most one-ounce shots are anywhere between 35 and 50rmb. They don't even fleece you on their single malt collection. Those are all 45 or 50rmb an ounce, 780 to 880rmb per bottle. Shooters, like the Jäger Bomb and the Kamikaze, are 25rmb each or 120rmb for half a dozen. Most mixed drinks go for around 50rmb. A couple of them top out at 70rmb, and they contain weird stuff like a cocktail with "truffle wine" (no idea what that is) and Martini Rosso. You probably need not concern yourself with this.

Ordering Recommendations:

You don't go to a place like this to expand your horizons in the world of food and drink. Just stick with the basics. How about a frosty draft beer? That's a fine proposition. Don't mind if I do. They pour Kirin for 25 for 300ml, 40 for half liter and 90 for a jug (1250ml). That's a pretty sweet deal. It's even sweeter between 5 and 8.30 when it's happy hour, when they pour them at two for the price of one. After three or four of those, a plate of potato wedges, or anything else that comes out of their deep fat fryer will do you just fine.



For a listing of Time Passage right here.