Friday night is the high point of a week for many students — time to take a break from the daily grind of lectures and homework. There's shopping, movies, what else?

Well, there's going to a bar, or pub, as some people call it, a good choice for many.

A recent survey of 2,000 university students in Nanjing found that nearly 40 per cent of them visited bars at weekends, and that they spent 300 to 500 yuan per month on this.

Relaxation is the biggest pull for the visitors, since many of these student bars provide a cozy laid-back atmosphere.

"Here is the perfect place to forget about the test you have later, where you can just sit down with friends, listen to music, play pool, or watch the game on TV," said Yuan Wei, a Nanjing University student.

Shanghai is another city that has seen a growth in the popularity of student bars. "Heaven", a bar near East China Normal University, has more than 100 students every Friday night chatting, partying and watching sports.

Today's students specialize, so the atmosphere of pubs that also have a theme draws them in.

There are a dozen pubs near Yangzhou University in Jiangsu Province and they attract customers in different ways: "Blue Sky" plays campus ballads while "No 5" has its walls decorated with memorabilia and campus T-shirts.

"Bars that reflect a strong school spirit are definitely hot spots," says Yang Xiaowen, a junior.

But, one common complaint uttered by bar visitors is that this is "a luxurious lifestyle", even with a 20-per-cent student discount. In the Nanjing university survey, 800 people said they couldn't afford it.

"A can of beer can cost you 15 yuan and a glass of apple juice 20 yuan," complained Jiang Li, a junior, "That's incredible to me."

Security is another concern. "Alcohol and the crowds can make a bar dangerous," said Zhao Qing, a member of the student affairs department at Nanjing University, "Students should see the bar as a place to have fun and relax, not to indulge themselves in alcohol."

In the US, bars are a very popular weekend destination for some college students. Some schools have their own bars on campus.

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