China clubbers

A LITTLE more than a stone's throw from the centre of Chinese socialism and sprawling symbol of egalitarian ideals, Tiananmen Square, another stride is being made away from the classless society that tried to be but never was. Floor by private and exclusive floor, from the tennis courts, pro-shop and massage rooms to the card rooms and golf simulators, the Changan Club speaks volumes for China's new social order. When it is completed in December, the nine-storey businessmen's club will be a home away from home for China's financial, industrial and political elite, along with foreign company executives who want to rub shoulders with the mainland's entrepreneurial muscle-men. On land which was previously occupied by basketball courts open to the masses, the creme de la creme will drink, dine, dance, swim, sing, play poker, work out, shoot pool and get their hair done in the ambience of cool marble and plush carpeting - and in the knowledge they are surrounded by fellow masters of the universe. 'No outsiders will be allowed in,' said Chiu Yung, the general manager of the club, a joint venture between the Beijing Sports Commission, which owns the land, and Hong Kong-based Fu Wah International Enterprises. With entrance fees of US$28,000 (about HK$217,000) for a corporate membership or US$20,000 for an individual membership (plus monthly dues), the riff-raff are unlikely to get near the place. But does Beijing really have so many corporate barons pining away for gilded playrooms at such sky-high prices? Wouldn't they rather buy a second Mercedes-Benz or send their children to Harvard instead? Is this simply an idea way ahead of its time, a multi-million dollar white elephant lumbering towards the scrap-heap of financial fiascos? Sceptics, be warned. At least two other companies are already gearing up to compete with Changan and still more are on the way. Old boys' clubs may not exist in China, thanks to more than four decades of socialism, but these companies believe the day of new boys' clubs has already dawned. On the upper west side of the capital next to the Beijing zoo and tucked away down a tree-lined lane, a villa which once belonged to the Qing emperors has just about been refurbished by the Malaysia's Magnum Corporation and China Aerospace Corporation. Designed by a Viennese architect and completed in 1898, this protected cultural asset and erstwhile tourist attraction has a turret fitting a damsel in distress, glittering chandeliers, gold-painted Greek columns, a European style garden, a glass dome extension (seats 160 for dinner) and, the club claims, excellent geomantic conditions. Money may buy a lot of things in China these days, but even if one can afford the US$25,000 for a basic membership of the Royal Club plus deposit, that will not necessarily guarantee membership. This certainly is not what Mao Zedong meant by class consciousness. 'Some of the new rich don't have the profile,' said Beijing Magnum Entertainment international sales manager Andrew Hogue. 'The business licence is important in the application process. We want to be convinced that people are going to be doing business as members of the club, instead of people who have this money from somewhere and are joining the club to continue not doing business.' A separate recreational facility with all the de rigueur trimmings is due for completion next year. But the emphasis is not fun for its own sake, but rather, said Mr Hogue, 'business, and membership, which is a new concept in China - and that's part of the problem we have in educating our clientele'. Mainland Chinese appear to be fast learners though. Magnum believes that by the time it caps its membership at 1,500, 70 per cent of its clientele will be locals. 'A lot of Chinese clients. Once they decide they like the club, the money and membership fees are all details,' said Mr Hogue. 'I think people like it. Face is everything, and to be a member of such a club will bring a lot of face.' For masters of the universe who want to keep an eye on the world while they unwind, the Capital Club, located on the 50th floor of the Capital Mansion in Beijing's diplomatic quarter, may be just the answer. Workers are still busy laying the floors and putting in the dark wood panelling, but by the middle of this month, the Capital Club, which offers impressive views north, south, east and west, should be finished. Care has been taken in the design to make members do what they are paying to do - rub elbows. For example, the Western dining room, where continental breakfast is offered free of charge, has just one big round table. A separate recreational facility is already in operation, with a 20-metre-long glass-domed swimming pool, a tennis court, two squash courts, six bowling lanes, a mahjong room, billiards tables, a golf simulator, a ballroom and a video room. THE Capital is a joint venture between Club Corporation International, a division of Club Corporation of America, and CITIC, China's biggest investment company. CITIC president Wang Jun, the son of deceased hardline elder revolutionary Wang Zhen, is the club's chairman and the board of governors includes the likes of Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing. The US$7,500 corporate membership or US$5,000 individual membership also gives members access to more than 200 associate private city, country, golf and resort clubs in 14 other countries. 'My company is willing to pay for the membership,' said Ivy Chow, chief Beijing representative of head-hunters Norman Broadbent. 'But I bought it myself as an investment.' Capital Club general manager Richard Bruner said: 'Clubs are just the next level of Western-style hospitality that the Chinese are embracing.' In Beijing, 'there's a bankers' association and chamber of commerce, but no single place could bring people from different countries, regions and companies together', added membership director Lucy Zhao. Already private clubs are spreading beyond the confines of the capital. In nearby Tianjin, for example, the TEDA International Club pledges to offer not only 'noble, refined, romantic, elegant cultural atmosphere' in a tower that looks like a piece of Disneyland, but also 'satisfactory service'. Also on offer is a sports facility that will 'offer you all the convenience to experience the vigour of the lion, the alertness of the falcon, the swiftness of the cheetah and the nimbleness of the dolphin'. Of course, the companies behind these clubs are hoping to be profitable. But clubbing is not just about making a fast buck. It's about profile, for the club-makers as well as the members. With US$32 million invested, it will take years for Magnum to start making a profit. But, Mr Hogue said: ''I'm not even sure that a club like this is about profit. . . the catalyst that it will be for Magnum and for other Malaysian companies, and the high profile it will give to Magnum in China, are things that can't be measured in dollars.''