Today, I want to show you what life here

is really like for single woman living

alone in China, living in Shenzhen. I

think it allows me to really not sleep.

It sometimes feels like we are not

limited by time at all, no matter how

late it is. If you want food,

entertainment, or just feel like going

out, you can pretty much get up and go.

So, tonight [music] I'm just going to

bring you along with me and show you how

people in Shenzhen spend their evening.

What it feels like to be alone at night,

and the little things I [music] love and

sometimes don't love about life here.

This video might complicate your picture

of life in China. Let's go find out.

Hi, I guess it's me. Yep, you guessed

it. I'm back in Shenzhen. Right now it's

7:00 p.m. We're in the middle of evening

rush hour.

I almost can't believe it's only August,

and the streets are already decorated

with Christmas decorations.

And I don't really know if they did this

before, but there are so many cameras

watching them passing. Like four or five

scattered around. Honestly, whether you

believe me or not, unless something

actually happened, these cameras have

zero impact on your everyday life. You

know, if I stood here and said something

bad about the Communist Party directly

into the camera, realistically, nothing

would happen.

After work hours, it's the best time for

hot pot because we finally have enough

time to sit down, take it slow, and

enjoy the whole meal.

The entire place is decorated in a

traditional Chinese style.

And even the servers are wearing Hanfu.

Look at this decor. It feels like you

just stepped into an old school period

drama set.

That's why so many people come here in

traditional outfits so they can take

photos. In China, many restaurants are

more than just places to grab meal.

People come here to snap photos for

social media and get their emotional

fulfillment.

The restaurant you can enjoy is both

tasty and comfortable. It's pretty

common to see a place booming one month

and completely shut down a few months

later. So, to survive, owners have to

come up with their possible way to

attract customer, whether it's through

the food, the service, or the interior

design.

Honestly, if a restaurant in Shenzhen

doesn't have a whole lot going on during

peak dining hour, it probably won't be

around for long.

This place is very famous for its

dessert. Not only are they super

delicious, but they also look amazing.

This place looks super fancy and

expensive, but it's actually pretty

affordable. We ordered a massive ice

cream and the total came out to about

$30. That's pretty standard for hot pot

here in Shenzhen.

Fuse beads or Hama beads are currently

the hottest trend among young people and

students in China.

First, I need to pick out all the colors

I'm going to use.

All right, let's get started.

The idea is simple. I follow pattern,

place these tiny color beads onto board

one by one until they form a complete

picture.

Hama beads are ridiculously popular with

young people in China right now. Studios

like these are popping up on almost

every corner.

They charge by the hour, about 3 hours

are $1.50 an hour. Or $10 for 40

minutes.

Since it's summer break, the shop is

packed every single day with hours from

primary schoolers to college students

spending their entire day here.

My food delivery has arrived.

They say it's awfully so addictive. Once

you start, you just can't stop.

Parents literally have to drag their

kids away.

Oh, I really feel how children this is

all. There are way too many similar

shapes.

Can you tell the difference between

these two colors? My daughter is

starting gluing tooths on me.

I hope I finish this before the shop

closes.

Finally, I'm done.

Now I have to carry this over to the

front desk.

I have to be extremely careful because

one tiny bump could destroy 2 hours of

work.

I can't just leave my weight on this

project. I'll wait for the staff to

finish it.

They'll use a hair dryer to melt and

fuse the base together into a solid

piece.

This is our freshly ironed finished

products.

Here's what I spent 2 hours working on.

I'm making town out of it.

It's already 10:30 here at night, but

the streets are still totally packed.

I want to take advantage of this moment

to show you guys Chinese bar and chill

lounge.

It's bar time.

To be honest, drinking culture is a huge

for most Chinese people. So, going to

bars isn't really a necessity.

When we go out, it's really less about

the alcohol itself, and more about

enjoying that slightly tipsy, more the

atmosphere.

Because of that, bars in China invest

heavily in interior aesthetic [music]

and atmosphere. Most places feature

large screen bars, and the music is

usually pretty loud.

>> [music]

>> So, you can fully immerse yourself in

this sophisticated cozy environment.

>> [music and singing]

>> Look how fancy this cocktail is. And of

course, the price tag is pretty fancy,

too, about $15.

This guy basically lives here. The

waitress told me he gets pestered

[music] by at least 20 people every

single night.

It's 12:30 a.m. now. The crowd

performance next door is starting. So,

time to head to the next spot. I'm going

to unlock shared bike and ride a while.

This is fully dedicated to nightlife.

And you actually have to go through

security before walking in.

>> [music]

>> You don't actually see that many

foreigners on the street in China on a

normal day. But the moment you come to

another lively area like this, Chengdu

suddenly feels very creamy and

international.

>> [music]

>> There are security patrols everywhere,

so you never have to worry about safety.

Once they told us everything must get

through our car ourselves.

>> [music]

>> As you can see, everything in China,

ordering food, paying bills, taking the

bus, getting your cab, renting a

charger,

the entire city runs on your smartphone.

You almost never see anyone use cash

anymore. The good thing is that it's

incredibly convenient. One phone can

take care of almost everything you need.

The downside is that money stop feeling

real. It's no longer cash in hand, just

numbers on a screen, which is why buy

now, pay later and use that are steadily

rising here.

>> [cheering]

>> Honestly, I almost never go to bars or

clubs. Living in a city where everything

is on your phone,

I didn't even realize how long it's been

since I had real talk with a real

person. All this convenience actually

disconnecting me from the real world and

made me pretty asocial. So, I decided to

get out of my comfort zone. I want to

try things I've never done before, build

that real human connection again, and

get myself back into [music] the world.

I have a roommate. 10 years ago, a woman

going to bar alone was very risky.

Spiked or drugged spiked tea definitely

happened back then.

>> [music]

>> But nowadays, that's practically unheard

of. It's safe to the point where you can

leave your phone and personal internet

at table, go to the bathroom, and nobody

will touch them.

>> [cheering]

[cheering]

[music]

[music]

[cheering]

>> It's 3:00 a.m. now, and this area is

totally jam-packed with people.

The street is also lined with taxis

waiting for passengers.

For most of us, don't really want to

take a regular taxi because you're going

to cost around 1.5 times than

ride-sharing apps. So, we'd much rather

wait 2 minutes for a cab car than jump

straight into one of those taxis.

Unless we're in a hurry and can't get

red.

Finally back home. Time to make a quick

late night snack before bed.

These tiny electrical cookers are super

popular in small apartments and dorms.

I just plug it in, and it heats up

instantly to cook. It's super convenient

and ridiculously cheap.

This cooker only cost about 6 US

dollars.

These are homemade dumplings my dad

packed for me the last time I was at

home.

Now life in Shenzhen is slow, otherwise

hustling. But no matter how late you

stay out, coming home to a warm bowl of

these dumplings make everything feel

worth it.

If you enjoyed this peek into my

midnight routine, don't forget to like

and subscribe. I'm Mia, and I'll see you

in the next video. Good night.