Chengdu City, southwest China - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of customers in bar, entrance to bar; singers performing, staff working
2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese, dubbed in English) Deng Wenxuan, founder of local music bar (starting with shot 1/ending with shot 3):
"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."
3. Various of Deng working, talking with singer Liu Xuanxuan
4. SOUNDBITE (Chinese, dubbed in English) Liu Xuanxuan, singer of bar (starting with shot 3/ending with shot 5):
"The atmosphere here is excellent. Everyone understands what you're singing, and they can interact with you."
5. Liu singing
6. SOUNDBITE (Chinese, dubbed in English) customer (name not given) (ending with shot 7):
"We missed the booking, so we have to wait for a table on-site."
7. Customers waiting outside
8. SOUNDBITE (Chinese, dubbed in English) customer (name not given) (starting with shot 7/ending with shot 9):
"I'm always trying to get a spot. I try every week to grab a spot."
9. Lights in bar
10. Singer performing
11. SOUNDBITE (Chinese, dubbed in English) Liu Xiao, co-founder, CD Concert Live (starting with shot 10/partially overlaid with shots 12-13/ending with shot 14):
"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."
++SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
12. Various of tuning equipment; light
13. Various of customers, performers
++SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
14. Various of bar, customers
15. SOUNDBITE (Chinese, dubbed in English) Xie Mingjun, co-founder, Erma Tavern (starting with shot 14/ending with shot 16):
"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."
16. Various of customers, performers

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.