Chinatown
471 Zhapu Lu,
Hongkou
near Haining Lu
乍浦路471号
近海宁路
6258-2078
www.CHINATOWNshanghai.com
boxoffice@chinatownshanghai.com
Open Wednesday to Saturday 8pm-2am
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- City Weekend says
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Shanghai's first burlesque club--well, the first since the founding of the PRC--is housed in a former Buddhist temple and offers music, dancing girls, tease shows and lacy, racing, revealing costumes over three floors. Two shows a night aim to titillate while historical drinks are poured at the bar.
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wednesday night - fantastic - many thanks
IMOHO They give out free drinks to their friends at City Weekend and Thats Shanghai just so they can host this party or that party. im sure this place will be closed by xmas. drinks are expensive, the show is average and i think the mc charlie loves the sound of his own voice. went twice, never again
I was at Chinatown last night for a friend's birthday. There were about 10 of us in one of the upstairs boxes, and we had a great view of the stage. The service was great - drinks and food arrived promptly, and the staff were friendly.
I was impressed with Frank Bray the suave jazz singer, who sounded like a latter-day Old Blue Eyes. The Chinatown Dolls were great entertainers, especially "Raina Sunshine" from Uzbekhistan who has one of the most amazing voices I've ever heard. However, the stage-show was rather gimmicky and "panto" at times. The master of ceremonies was a humorous chap, but they should do away with the silly "audience up on stage" malarkey which is cringeworthy, especially when the participants consist of drunken British hen parties.
But all in all a fab night, and a great concept. I'll be back!
Been there again. Glad with the experience this time. Just need a little more fine tuning but overall is much better than last time.
Cheers
HI Hosana,
Thank you for your review - its important we know the good and bad of what people experience. Our staff, cast and crew come from all over the world - including not only Asian but also European and American descent. Together we make a great mixing pot of cultures who would never and do not ever discriminate.
I would like to invite you and a table of guests (please let me know) to come back to the club - as our guests (on a complimentary basis) for the night and enjoy the show, sample some of our cocktails and our food.
We take a lot of time, pride and also courtesy with our guests, and whilst not every interaction or experience can be perfect, if there is a problem we always like to remedy it. Problems arent solved until there is a solution.
Please drop us a line to info@chinatownshanghai.com - with your contact details and then our team can book you in for a special night at Chinatown.
We are sure you will have a great time and we look forward to giving you a really great "Chinatown Welcome"
Cheers - Chinatown Management
Hi lee, yeah, it's true, but I don't know, sometime it happens. you can feel from their attitude toward you, their lack of appreciation, etc.
It's a lesson for all of us Asians.
@Hosana: I don't get it, why would their staff (almost entirely Asian) discriminate against Asians? Some people, when they go into a place they are not entirely familiar with are instantly defensive...is this the case here? I am a regular patron at Chinatown and always see Asian people of all shapes, sizes and colors having a great time. I'm amazed when I hear these comments that Chinatown is rude or dangerous (haha)...it's only a great little nightclub! relax!!
Last month we were here, very rude customer service (look out the female supervisor with large earing!!). Left this place before the show begin because we did not have appetite anymore.
Non caucasian (read: asian looking) beware! I feel discrimination here!
Will not spend more time giving this terrible business one moment of truth for them
BTW I am using my real name as my ID
Singaporean? Loosen up dude.
The management of a club attacking former guests on a website in this kind of aggressive fashion is highly inappropriate. The same hostile and rude style („Get a life“) was used by the management attacking another person on this site (who only brought up some reasonable arguments). This is not refreshing, but nonprofessional and unacceptable. The constant crude behavior makes it very likely that the complaints over an unwarranted bad treatment of guests at Chinatown seem at least being close to the truth. If already in several written statements a very aggressive temper cannot be controlled, it is not hard to imagine how any argument with the management at Chinatown might end up in very uncomfortable or even dangerous situations for guests. A risk we will not take with our clients, everybody else has to make this decision for himself.
Every city has variety and none so much as Shanghai - isn't that what we love about it? ShanghaiLife - new user who joined today? why don't you wait and actually go to the venue until passing judgement in a public forum! I give most venues a chance and repeat visit before i make a call. i have had great nights at many venues and not so great nights as well... Thats Life!
Not safe for hosting guests? They are adults, right?? It's perfectly fine, and your guests will love the decor - probably the most authentic and thoughtful design in town. They just don't suck up to obnoxious guests who have had too much to drink and think they are 'special' because they have a bit of money...it's refreshing actually!
Checking out Chinatown on this website for a company event the contributions of the management made us now choose a different venue. The inappropriate statements reveal enough to wonder about the qualifications and the character of the management in charge and Chinatown seems not a safe club for hosting guests.
will try to check it out myself with friends instead of seeing all those comments flying back and forth...
Jolly good show on New year's Eve, felt that it was worth every penny. Didn't manage to have sex afterwards as the old punter said, but did manage to rescue my marriage! So thanks to Gosney and Kallman!
To Xanniex (sounds suspiciously Sino-French) I really don't get your last line at all, and you obviously never worked in the F&B industry or nightlife. Because they had an altercation (based on bad manners by one of their party) they shouldn't pay the bill? That's ridiculous even by Shanghai standards!
Xanniex,
What's your point?
You think I sound like an a**hole? - Your opinion
I didn't like their attitude or costume - My opinion...
Just because she's no ruder than other rude people in this town.. um, makes her what? not rude?
Get a life
Who cares if you didn't appreciate the woman's costume? It's Halloween, there are no rules. Why be petty and mention it here?
Based on your version of the story, the woman wasn't any more rude or obnoxious than patrons I've encountered anywhere in this city. You're pissed because she "burst" in (past your door monitor and partner) and didn't RSVP? You demanded an apology for that? It is at worst a discourtesy that is par for the course in your industry. On the other hand, if they were blocking the view of other audience members, you should inform them of that fact and let them know that should they continue to do so, they will be asked to leave. But going up to the woman and insisting on an apology is just demonstrating your own hubris.
And if you rudely oust somebody from your establishment, justly or not, I wouldn't expect them to return the favor with good manners and actually settling the bill.
Watched the whole show last night and I give the managers/owners/organizers a hearty congratulations for attempting something different in Shanghai. It's a great start. Everyone who walks out of there is talking about what they just saw. Shanghai Lil sketch was great, Miss Amelia's Bride of Frankenstein was almost genius.
Tim,
Congratulations on your new place!
We had a blast in Halloween, great venue, ambiance, crowd, hospitality, we loved it!
Hopefully more and more people will use their energy to create a more happy, happy world!
Tim my boy...you do go on! But I agree it needs to be (in a slightly less long-winded way perhaps) said to all the 'Don't you know who I am?' people in this vapid city. Get over yourselves. All most of you have propping you up is money, not 'cool factor' at all. Be happy that you got in to such a genuinely cool place and behave. Alas, this is Asia, where the customer is ALWAYS right, so assholes (asian and western) abound. But giving someone as arrogant as Pamps the bum's rush is a welcome breath of fresh air!
Tim, while this was quite an amusing story and totally needed to be said to a lot of the pompous, self-serving-little-nobodies that populate this city...
...you didn't need to say it publicly. Yes, this guy sounds like a bumhole, but now you do too. Which is a shame, because a friend of mine was at the show and said they had a fab time, which given my friends' hard-to-please nature, is a minor miracle.
Tim, I and everyone wish you all the best in your continued endeavours to bring amusement to the city, but please don't waste any more time with people like this: it could end up taking up your whole life, and then who'd run the club.
Good luck and don't take it too much to heart ;)
Dear Shanghai 888,
Thank you for your comments, I was wondering when I would next get the opportunity to speak with you after you left without paying for your bill on Saturday night… It was actually a bottle of Kettle One vodka and it was RMB 800, the cheapest on offer – Go you big man!
Now that you’re here, and I am guessing somewhat sober, though I’m not too sure given that you think it’s a good idea to make a public spectacle of an embarrassing incident such as this…. Let’s talk, or maybe you should just listen!
I would also like to take the opportunity to award you with a prize!
The First Person Rude Enough To Be Kicked Out Of Chinatown!
I’ll send you the certificate on email, perhaps you can print it and frame it for your doting girlfriend…
Oh, and on that topic of being a doting partner… Perhaps I can recommend that when your better (or worse) half is being confronted about being rude and obnoxious, perhaps you should step in and defend her as apposed to slinking into the background like the little man you are…
Come on, I don’t bite, but yes you’re right 6 foot 3 inches to be exact and Ohhhh so intimidating!!
Also I should take this opportunity to introduce myself. Unlike you, I am man enough to name myself and not hide behind some pathetic “pen name” Shanghai888…??? Trying to get lucky??
So, My name is Tim Clark and I am one of the founding partners of Chinatown. I have been working incredibly hard for the past 14 months to bring this project to life as I like many others out there believe Shanghai needs some diversity in it’s nightlife mix… If you would like to look through one of the hundreds of articles published on us both in Shanghai and Internationally I think you will find that the general consensus is that we have done just that… So proud!
Are we perfect? NO! Is the service to the standard that I want it to be? NO! Would I be happy if I waited a prolonged period of time for service in a club? NO! If I did would I take it upon myself to detail it to the rest of the world (like they care) NO!
So let me just touch on the service side of things…
As you could see by Saturday night’s attendance, we’re in high demand. There are a great number of people that want to come and experience the venue and I couldn’t be happier about that, it’s serendipity though as I will now explain.
Given that people are excited and eager to get inside and be a part of the action, we are finding MANY people are over filing their tables and therefore making the task of serving people in a timely manner even more difficult that it is with a manageable crowd. Therefore when we get to capacity we only allow those in who either have a reservation or who have been invited by management.
And this is how you “girlfriend” rolls…
Woman dressed as what? Someone geared up to Run The Bulls in Pamplona?? Um, it was Halloween, not a Spanish fiesta.. In any case I know the GFC has just been around and costume re-cycling would seem to make sense… Though here’s a tip for next time.. DON’T DO IT!!
So Miss Pamplona burst through the door and when asked politely by our door host and one of my business partners if she had a reservation this came out of her mouth:
“No, (roll of the eyes and tilt of the head, such a common and annoying move) I’m a friend of Amelia’s…. and BARGED her way through into the club where she joined you and your mates who were annoyingly STANDING in front of table 14 rudely blocking peoples view of the stage… Classy.
Is this entirely your fault? No. I should knock more people back at the door, it’s just a case of trying to make everyone happy so the club being over capacity is something I will deal with… Leave it with me champ.
Side note: Amelia has hundreds of friends in Shanghai and thousands of people as part of the Miss Amelia Fan Club, yet she defiantly does not know your girlfriend and I think she perhaps used Amelia’s name as the email instructions were something along the lines of:
When you email Anna for your RSVP, tell her Miss Amelia sent you… Um, RSVP, I think you will understand that’s somewhat like a reservation system… And did you?? Um, clearly not!! It certainly does not mean, barge into the venue and grunt Amelia at the door staff to get access to the club… Just wanted to clear that up.
When it was bought to my attention what had transpired at the door (and given this was an isolated incident given that 99% of my audience are decent well mannered guests) I decided to approach Miss Pamplona and ask her why she had been rude and request an apology… Well, that’s when the fun began!!!
Miss Pamplona (we’ll call her Pamps from here on in) firstly looked at me in horror and then gave me the “excuse me… Who do you think you are” line… Oh what a winner that one is! Pamps then put her hand up in the air and called “Security” again rolling the eyes and looking oh so unattractive…
Um, she was calling security???? I think you’ll agree that I would have been a little surprised at that comment…
I then asked who this girl was to one of my regular patrons who instead of telling me her name decided to tell her that I was one of the owners (in a kinda shut up you’re making a fool of yourself kinda way)… And as I continued I got another “Security” (to paint the picture she put on one of those tones that’s straight out of Clueless, you know the really ditsy whinger tone. again, classy manoeuvre!!) …and that was it… She was out…
As I walked her to the door, you followed (yes ladies and gents he was dressed as Mr Pamps) and we confronted my partner and door hostess who I was trying to get you to apologise to. After a few words we decided that there was perhaps a misunderstanding, we all bit our tongue and decided that we would let you stay…
It was shortly after when you decided to split without paying your bill… Nice touch..!
All in all, a real embarrassment for all involved but mainly for yourself and Pamps.
I’ll fix your bill champ, no need to come down, I think we’ve seen and heard enough from one another.
Sincerely, Tim Clark Managing Director CHINATOWN
I have been there and will go back for sure, this place is unique in shanghai. it is simply a breath of fresh air compared to the standard Bund places - excellent drinks, a great singer, cute fun girls and a cool setting that brings you back to the '30s. and I actually think that the service, if not superfast, was still good
I want to say a big congratulations to Chinatown for doing something different and providing people in Shanghai with a truely "Paris of the East experience" the decor is sexy and stylish, the shows are fun and i have been there twice now over the past few weeks and enjoyed myself very very much.. The staff are very nice and hardworking - still having a few service issues but they are obviously working hard to get things right and it shows...
Shanghai888 - you sound to be honest like a bit of an idiot. Halloween was a family and friends party only and they still werent open to the public - and you needed to have a table booking and RSVP to attend. Saying a name at the door - wasnt the deal it was the code for the RSVP for the email booking confirmation..
Read your email again and get it right before you SLAM somebody who is probably a friend of yours OR whomever told you about the party anyway...
Gosney and Kallman's Chinatown bringing DOWN the town!
You would think at a venue called Chinatown (Gosney and Kallman) that staff would be hospitable to Chinese people in China?? Unfortunately at this establishment they are not. On Halloween night a group of us decided to celebrate at Chinatown, which what we thought, would make for an exciting evening. We arrived to meet friends who had a table around 10ish. Upon entering the hostess asked if we had reservations, we told them Amelia sent us (which was the playful supposed password to enter as per request of the promoter) and the name of our friends for which had the table. We continued into the venue in normal fashion.
Truth be told, we enjoyed the look of the place, even the 5 minute skit we saw was somewhat entertaining. But then came the RUDE and Inhospitable service, after looking for a waitress for 30 minutes we finally flagged one down to our table. We ordered a bottle of Vodka and mixers, which took another 20 mins to arrive. Worst of all, after the 1000 rmb bottle arrives the Manager approaches my girlfriend who was speaking to him very politely and asks her to apologize to the hostess? APOLOGIZE to the HOSTESS??? Apparently the hostess either didn't like her costume or the accent in which my girlfriend pronounced the name to enter. Long story short, the 6 foot plus manager continued to pick on and attempt to humiliate my petite GF by having security escort her to the door and eventually saying "If you apologize you can stay".
We left without apology to the many other venues in Shanghai that do treat their paying customers with respect. Appalling!
CHINATOWN Shanghai is the latest creation by entertainment veteran Norman Gosney and dancer/actress Amelia Kallman. British-born Gosney is credited with transforming nightlife in New York and L.A. over the past 25 years by rekindling the thrill of live variety performance at his world famous clubs, including The Slipper Room, Show and The Blushing Diamond Revue. The pair will bring the same formula to Shanghai, which is swiftly regaining its crown as one of the world’s hippest cities.
CHINATOWN will be “like stepping into a Hollywood movie that is set in pre-war Shanghai,” says Gosney. It will not only add a welcome dose of diversity to Shanghai’s nightlife scene, but is destined to become a must-see Shanghai attraction and one of the most memorable nightlife and event venues in the world.
The Venue
CHINATOWN occupies an extraordinary piece of Shanghai’s architectural heritage – a 1931 Buddhist shrine in atmospheric Hongkou District, just three blocks from Shanghai’s famous Bund waterfront. The structure’s elaborately arched ceiling and original Hindu exterior detailing seem perfectly suited to its present incarnation as a unique music hall. Its interiors shimmer in rich ruby tones and dark woods, with brilliant gold balconies and velvet draperies.
The three-storey club seats around 200 people, making it big enough for extravagant stage productions yet small enough to feel intimate and allow interaction between the performers and audience. The first level hosts the stage, with tiered banquettes and low tables, plus a main bar. The balcony level consists of seven exclusive boxes for four to 12 people each, with privileged views of the stage or curtains that you can close for private gatherings. These are serviced by a balcony bar, as well as liquor cabinets in each suite featuring premium spirits. On the third level, under a sloping roof, is a cosy, invitation-only Observatory Bar, looking right over the stage.
CHINATOWN boasts a unique audio profile. It is the first club in China to feature the world's most cutting-edge sound system, specifically designed for the venue and sponsored by Sennheiser Microphones and K Array Audio Solutions. Coupled with an exceptional lighting and AVl configuration, the venue will not only come magically alive during evening performances, but is also generating attention and bookings for feature film shoots, runway shows, private concerts, and corporate events.
The Show
Vivacious dance and variety performances are held every Wednesday through Saturday at timely intervals throughout the evening. Choreographed by Matt Mohr, New York’s premier producer of Off Broadway and Burlesque theatre, the show combines Cabaret, Moulin Rouge, Neo-Vaudeville, Broadway and Classic Vegas performed by a chorus line of extravagantly costumed showgirls. There are also flamboyant musicians and specialty acts from around the world, including The Twins from Shanghai.
Headlining the evening show is star singer Frank Bray, described by Gosney as “the Number One lounge singer in the world today, who can sing, dance and charm the pants off.” The show will be predominantly in English but with witty cross-cultural references that will amuse and delight all audiences. In the performance intervals, there will be cigarette girls, dessert trolleys and people selling hot dogs to the second floor boxes on stilts.
Check your coat only if you DON'T want it back.