Liyuan Road in the central district is Xining's main bar and nightlife street, with a stretch of music bars, clubs, and outdoor seating areas that stays lively into the early hours on weekends. The clientele is predominantly young local residents — university students, young professionals, and the growing tourism-industry workforce. The bars are mostly Chinese pop-and-rock venues rather than Western-style bars, but several serve good Qinghai barley beer (qingke jiu) alongside standard Chinese beers.
The strip becomes most animated around 10pm and stays busy until 2 or 3am on weekends. It is a useful reference point for navigating Xining's nightlife, though the specific bars change regularly. Weekday evenings are quieter; come Thursday through Saturday for the full effect.