Live houses in Chengdu gain popularity with cozy atmosphere, high performance quality

In the world of live music bars, innovation and atmosphere are key to success, as demonstrated by entrepreneurs of many live houses in Chengdu City in southwest China's Sichuan Province during the May Day holiday.

Dedicated to quality sound, intimate settings, and innovative features, these venues are thriving and transforming how people engage with live music.

"I started working in music education in 2015. I was teaching for so many years and felt like it couldn't stay that way forever, so I left my job without any plan. When I opened the store, the very first thing I considered was ensuring the singers could comfortably sing, and the people listening could actually understand and enjoy those songs," said Deng Wenxuan, founder of a local music bar.

"The atmosphere here is excellent. Everyone understands what you're singing, and they can interact with you," said Liu Xuanxuan, singer of the bar.

According to Deng, gradually, the bar started attracting some excellent customers. They came and loved the place. Even though the number of people wasn't significant, they brought him a lot of emotional value.

Reservations are made via WeChat, which now has nearly 30,000 people, but we only have 20 tables.

"We missed the booking, so we have to wait for a table on-site," said a customer.

"I'm always trying to get a spot. I try every week to grab a spot," said another customer.

While the bar dives deep into a niche market, CD Concert Live focuses on offering high-quality live music to a broader audience.

"The biggest investment is in sound, lighting, and stage equipment. Our entire sound system is concert-level quality. The 'clap light' concept in here is a unique feature. If you support a singer, you can clap a button to light up your table, and our artists will interact with you. 60-percent of our artists are graduates or current students from music academies. CD has always maintained a deep collaboration with universities, addressing both the employment issues and our talent needs. In the future, we will continue to explore more innovative features," said Liu Xiao, co-founder of CD Concert Live.

The experience of the next entrepreneur also highlights the importance of innovative products.

"About half of our customers are post-00s. Price is a key factor in attracting young people. We position ourselves as a small tavern but strive to improve in areas like music, decoration, service, playfulness and the quality of our products," said Xie Mingjun, co-founder of Erma Tavern.

The 2025 Meituan Bar Guide says niche spots like live houses and social pubs are growing over 30 percent year on year. Whether it's 20 tables helping people unwind or 100 lights creating a buzzing vibe, live houses are bringing fresh energy to cities through innovative service and digital upgrades.

Live houses in Chengdu gain popularity with cozy atmosphere, high performance quality

Live houses in Chengdu gain popularity with cozy atmosphere, high performance quality

The United States cannot legitimize an operation that attacked Venezuela and captured its president, a Chinese scholar said Sunday.

On Saturday, the United States launched a large-scale strike on Venezuela, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were 'captured and flown out of Venezuela' according to a post by U.S. President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account.

Teng Jianqun, director of the Center for Diplomatic Studies at Hunan Normal University, said in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) that the aim of this operation is to take full control of Venezuela’s natural resources.

"I don't think the United States can legitimize this operation to take custody of the president of Venezuela. And also I don't think the United States can legitimize its any action in taking the oil reserves of that country. This is actually a very dangerous game played by the Trump administration. And of course, the United States would like to take full control of that country and to take full control of the natural resources, especially the large reserve of oil in Venezuela," said Teng.

Teng said Venezuela is not an isolated case but a common practice by the United States. The United States launched an invasion of Panama on Dec. 20, 1989, which continued until January 1990, with the stated objective of capturing Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega on charges of drug trafficking and organized crime.

"We still remember the so-called sentence of the former president of Panama in the late 1980s. And this time, the president of Venezuela will be under some judicial condition (judicial proceedings) for the so-called drug trafficking and some other crimes. So I think this is not a single case for the Venezuela country, but also this is actually a practice by the United States -- to use force, to use so-called justice under law against any leaders in Latin America and the Caribbean waters," he said.

US cannot legitimize operation against Venezuela: Chinese scholar