Sing Me A Song

Karaoke is huge here. HUGE. But it isn't the typical setup many of you are accustomed to. Karaoke (or KTV as it is known in China) consists of long corridors, filled with private rooms where you can belt out your favorite tunes. The rooms vary in size, depending on how many friends you have brought along for the fun, and some even have private bathrooms (I highly recommend that feature!).

(photo stolen from my friend Lesley's blog)

A waiter will come when beckoned to fill orders for drinks and food. While most venues are open 24/7, Friday and Saturday nights are usually the most crowded.

Once inside your room, you use a touch screen to select your tunes. The system is generally in Chinese so it's best to have someone along who can read a few characters. Or just press buttons and hope for the best (that's usually what I do). Most places will have songs in English though the selection will vary from spot to spot.

Once you've made your selection, you simply sit back and sing along. Microphones are provided in each room and if you are lucky, so are musical instruments (think tambourines and maracas). 

And sometimes strange things happen. Like the time Michael Jackson impersonators randomly crashed our room.

At least they let us keep the gloves.

There are KTV spots all over the city. Seriously. Almost every corner has one. A few of my favorites are:

Shanghai Gechang

688 Huaihai Middle Road (near Sinan Road)

Mago KTV
98 Huaihai Middle Road (near Longmen Road)