An Underground Music Venue in Beijing: fRUITYSPACE

This text addresses fRUITYSPACE, a live music venue in the centre of Beijing founded in 2016 by the experimental musician Zhai Ruixin. Zhai’s vision for fRUITYSPACE is that it should demonstrate an underground and DIY approach to its activities, and this text outlines what this means in the current socio-political context of China. A number of live performances and other activities taking place within the space are described in order to understand the space, its audience, and its surroundings and the relationship between them. This provides insights into the practical aspects of such activities, as well as suggesting the importance of Zhai’s approach in creating a space for non-mainstream ways of life in China.