Another cavernous, kitsch, costly club. That’s exactly what we need on Gongti Xilu, where nightspots are already crammed next each other like shiny stilettos on Imelda Marcos’s shelves. But who cares, right? Spend it, flaunt it – buy another pair.
And here we are. Months after opening Cutie Club (which we diligently reviewed in May), self-proclaimed ‘Leaders of Chinese Entertainment’ Nuoya Fangzhou (‘Noah’s Ark’) Group, have finally officially launched Liv, their flagship store, upstairs from their pilot branch. (We visited Liv before at an awards ceremony inside its pitch-dark industrial innards at 4pm on a blazing summer’s afternoon)
This new one’s less Noah’s Ark and more the SS Titanic, and not just for the size of it – Jack and Rose would probably have gotten lost before ever meeting. The decadent performances, which seem to involve skimpily dressed girls and robotic moves, are the kind of things that Studio 54 stopped doing because they went out of fashion. Nevertheless, there’s no door cover – some might consider it an absolute bargain to pay a visit.
My friend and I look inside. In the middle of the main room there lie four U-shaped sofas, each large enough to hold one middle-aged Chinese businessman, his belly, and at least 12 bored sanpeinü – pretty much the regular crowd. Amazingly, these seats are controllable. They can rise and fall, and can thus offer you (and your companions) a better view of the club (perhaps more importantly, though, the club gets a better view of you) – a privilege that lasts as long the bottle of L’Or de Jean Martell (RMB62,080) this gimmick requires.
Now everyone has seen and stared at you, it’s time to complain bitterly about the lack of privacy and retreat to a private room – each named after a different animal and with a 50”-screen flat-screen for KTV.
None of this is new, says my friend, a veteran party animal and events-planning manager. Then she saw the multi-tiered fruit platter with giant gold dragon rearing over it (pictured, right). The manager assured us they have the entire zodiac collection.
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