Have you ever wondered what your average fragrantly-challenged Beijing taxi driver would look like dressed up in glam drag? If yes, now it’s time to stop wondering. Little known TenBar, a gay drag and male escort bar, has just upped itself from its old digs near Beijing Zhan and has sashayed down to Temple of Heaven East Gate. With nightly shows from 10pm to midnight, TenBar could be a pre-game destination if you have a hankering to watch Chairman Mao-looking drag queens and muscle-boys dressed in slinky leopard outfits. Prices are reasonable and a fully stocked bar is available, but we won’t vouch for the quality of their booze.
Last weekend, your correspondent joined a rather large and bumbling group to check out the new location and the quality of the shows. Now easily accessible by subway, TenBar is a short ten minute walk from Tiantandong Lu subway station. Descending the darkly lit stairs into its subterranean location, we seated ourselves in a big booth and ordered a round of beers and waited for the show to start. The head drag queen, who seems more joker than queen, was the host of the show by singing off-key songs and chugging beer, all the while stuffing tips down her bra – all class this girl. The following shows included drag queen belly dances, more chugging of beer, and a performer who looked like Chairman Mao meets Whitney Houston from the Bodyguard.
After we couldn’t take any more of the smoke filled room, we got up to leave after the show just as the male hookers were being paraded about for individual (or group) performances back stage. In the end, TenBar is one sleazy but fun joint and is perfect for a group pre-gaming it before heading to classier locales. One group member summed up perfectly the level of sleaze after I placed my mobile phone on the table: “Don’t put your phone on the table, this place is crawling with gonorrhea”.
