Received email today from the US Embassy, which sends warnings and notices out to all citizens who've registered with them. Repeated verbatim:

"In the early morning hours of Saturday, June 9, a group of local
nationals assaulted an employee of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing inside
the Element nightclub, located on the west side of Workers' Stadium near
Sanlitun. The employee, who was out with some colleagues, was hit in
the head with a sharp object as he was dancing away from the group.
According to witnesses, the employee fell to the floor and was
repeatedly beaten and kicked in the head by individuals serving as
bouncers for the nightclub. By all accounts, the attack was unprovoked.

This is not the first report of violence directed at U.S. citizens in
the nightclubs outside of Workers' Stadium. In September 2010, another
employee of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing was assaulted inside a different
nightclub at the north end of Workers' Stadium in another unprovoked
incident. Private U.S. citizens have also reported being victims of
crime in the nearby area.



U.S. citizens are reminded to use caution when enjoying the nightlife in
Beijing. Maintaining an awareness of your surroundings and keeping a
low profile are critical to avoiding potential problems.



The U.S. Embassy can be reached 24 hours per day. During business
hours, call 86-10-8531-4000 or email [email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]> . For emergencies after hours or on
weekends, call 86-10-8531-3000. The Embassy is located near the Line 10
LiangMaQiao subway stop at 55 An Jia Lou Road, Chaoyang District. The
Embassy's website is http://beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn
<http://chengdu.usembassy-china.org.cn/beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn> .

If you are residing or traveling in China, we recommend that you enroll
with the U.S. Embassy's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program at:
https://travelregistration.state.gov
<https://travelregistration.state.gov> . You should also regularly
monitor the Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet website at
http://travel.state.gov <http://travel.state.gov/> while living or
traveling abroad."

Watch yourselves, and that goes not only for Americans but for all foreigners. Unlike other such incidents, this one might actually get the attention of the regular police and diplomatic police (there is a special force that deals with crimes/incidents against diplomatic personnel). I will try to keep my ear to the ground as to what happens to the perpetrators, if anything.