It's Drive-in Me Crazy
by Li Dianying
Her lips trembled with emotion as she leaned close to whisper in his ear. Shifting nervously in the driver's seat, he involuntarily clutched at the gearstick. Pulse racing, she grasped for his hand and tried to keep her voice steady.
"Here's 50 kuai. Go buy yourself a drink, and don't come back until the film's over." The taxi driver pulled his hand free and escaped into the night; the young couple settled back to enjoy the entertainment at Beijing's firsta and only drive-in cinema.
For nostalgic Americans and never-had-it Englishmen, this is a dream come true. Opened in March, the drive-in is destined to be a must throughout the summer. It sits in the middle of an apple orchard just a few hundred meters east of the Lufthansa Center -- the location by itself makes it worth a visit just to enjoy the juxtaposition of countryside and downtown skyline looming over the treetops.
"I thought it was strange that foreigners were coming," said creator and manager Wang Qishun. "I doubted that they could understand the films since they're all in Chinese, but it turned out they were just coming to play. This is the nearest place to downtown where there's green like this."
This is a lot more than just a parking lot with a big screen (130 square meters) at one end. Wang has built a large Western-style bar and an outdoor barbecue area, both of which can be visited separately from the drive-in. He opens for dinner at 6 and puts the films on as soon as it's dark. There are three movies a night ?an eclectic mix of old and new, Chinese and foreign, with cartoons thrown in for the kids as well.
If you tire of the cinema, the bar turns into a disco after nine o'clock and you can literally dance the night away -- there are no neighbours to complain about the noise. The bar prices compare very favorably with Sanlitun, with a half-liter draft beer coming in at just 15 yuan.
You can't booze all night under the stars in a quiet orchard in Sanlitun, either. There's space for more than 100 cars in the drive-in. It costs 60 yuan per car, and you use the car radio to pick up the movie soundtrack.
For some, the best touch of all is that the drive-in area is paved with old flagstones from Tian'anmen Square. For me, well I just hope it's here to stay. It's bloody brilliant. If you're got a car, get in it and get down there; if not, beg, borrow or steal one and do likewise.