Not many foreigners realize it, but for Chinese tourists Lhasa is a city renowned for its loose, anything-goes attitudes - there are reputedly more brothels here than in any other Chinese city. A wander in the western half of the city at night reveals rashes of karaoke bars doing brisk business. Perhaps more accesible to foreigners are the discos , of which JJ's, opposite the Potala on the southwest side of People's Park, is the biggest. There's a ¥30 cover charge, for which you get two performers and a mix of slushy love songs and techno-lite. The place for Lhasa's bright young things to be seen, however, is just next door, to the south. Stroll in and go upstairs - there's no cover charge, but beer is ¥10 a can. Foreigners who think Tibetans ought to spend their time swinging prayer wheels tisk with disapproval, but anyone who thinks they have as much right as the rest of us to wear sunglasses on the tops of their heads and swing their baggy pants to the Beastie Boys will love this friendly, boisterous place. It's open every night, but it's at its most raucous on Saturdays. Performers with natty hair and PVC trousers take the stage at ten, followed by half an hour of slushy love songs, during which the crowd mostly dance in same-sex couples, after which things really kick off.

There's also a scattering of bars , mainly aimed at the well-off Chinese; most are on Beijing Zhong Lu, close to the Lhasa Hotel. Drinks in these places are at Western prices. Cheaper and more interesting is the Listen Bar on Nyangrain Lu, opposite and just south of the CAAC office. It's fairly dead during the week, but on weekends they have live music by local bands, sometimes Tibetan, sometimes Chinese.

Traditional Tibetan music, dance and opera, on the other hand, seem virtually extinct in Lhasa, unless you happen to be here during a festival. There are occasional shows put on for tourists; ask in your hotel or check for notices in the Lhasa Hotel or Tibet Hotel or look in on the Mad Yak Restaurant (see "Eating"). In season, shows of Tibetan opera are sometimes held at the Potala Hotel, at the base of the Potala in Shol village. Performances begin at 8pm and 9.30pm and last one hour. Tickets cost ¥100, and should be bought in advance. The cinemas have some films from the West, but check whether they've been dubbed in Chinese before you bother. Other than that, it's the staple fare of kung fu movies. Western videos are shown nightly at 8pm at the Pentoc Hotel and occasionally at the Third Eye Restaurant and Barkhor Café.