Around the train station there are plenty of small dumpling canteens , all much the same, and enormous numbers of shops selling travellers' nibbles - walnuts, oranges and dates - which testify to the great number of people passing through here every day. The Greenland Hotel, by the station, has a revolving restaurant on the twenty-eighth floor - go for the view rather than the food, though, and don't trust anything it says in the English menu.

The best food in town is available from the dense concentration of stylish restaurants on Jinshui Lu. Though they look a little intimidating on the outside, prices aren't as expensive as you might expect, due to fierce competition, and a meal for two should be around ¥100 at most. The Guotai and Shaolin are both good, and the Caolaowu, which serves Muslim cuisine, is a little cheaper than the others, and worth checking out at lunchtime for the buffet. The Muslim Restaurant on Erqi Lu is a little more upmarket, at around ¥50 per person. For something unusual try the tofu in toffee. If you're missing Western food, go along to either the Holiday Inn or Novotel, both of which have reasonably priced coffee shops.

For a fun night out try the Jump Disco (daily 8pm-midnight; ¥30), in the southeast of town on the corner of Dong Dajie and Cheng Dong Lu. The facade, a relief collage of the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower and a good sprinkling of neon, sets the tone nicely. The music is a mix of Chinese ballads with a techno back beat, the sort of 1980s pop you thought you'd never hear again, and, of course, the Village People. A mostly student crowd that never seems quite big enough does its best to fill the huge interior with enthusiastic bopping. Dancing big noses can expect to be the star attraction. Should you fancy a Canadian beer (¥30), head to the Richmond Brewery, which also serves food.