Trans RINA, Vol 157, Part C1, Intl J Marine Design, Jan –Dec 2015
2.2 DESIGN OPPORTUNITY FOR PRIVATE MEMBERSHIP CLUBS IN CHINA
Country clubs in America were founded by the upper- class elite between 1880 and 1930, membership tended to be self-selective with people joining clubs where they could network and associate with people
from
similar socio-economic and cultural backgrounds [8]. Private membership clubs in the US have seen a sharp rise in recent years and represent a 23bn Dollar industry [9]. At the higher end of the market, private membership clubs have become lifestyle management services offering concierge and global luxury experiences. They often work in partnership with innovative charities, adding to the sense of being a member of an elitist organisation, with philanthropy being a key activity of the American wealthy upper classes [10]. In 2005 fractional resort real estate
emerged as the fastest
growing segment of the resort real estate industry in North America, with private membership clubs the fastest-growing segment. While not
all private
membership clubs, offer their members an ownership stake in the clubs’ properties, these clubs represent the top tier of luxury vacationing, with members paying a one-time initiation fee of up to $4 million, annual fees of up to $67,500, for the use of multi-million dollar hotel suites in some of the world’s most exclusive locations. [11]
Exclusive Resorts a Denver-based private membership club offers its 1,600 members a portfolio of real estate valued at over $750 million. Membership consists of a $395,000 deposit and a annual membership fee
of
$30,000. The Yellowstone Club World Membership offers access to ten properties worldwide, including a golf course in St. Andrew’s, Scotland, two yachts and two Gulfstream jets costs $4 million. Private membership clubs operate on a variety of financial models. While Yellowstone Club World Membership will not
offer
fractional ownership or an equity stake of any kind, a major draw for some potential members is the chance to own a stake in the club itself. California based Solstice Homes operates on an equity-sharing model, offering members the
upside appreciation of the cost of
membership should they choose to exit the club after several years. [11]
Private membership clubs in China were first established by the British Empire for the British Empire, such as the Hong Kong Club founded in 1846, and the Shanghai Club founded in 1861. These were gentlemen's clubs popularised by English upper-middle class men, based on the principles of the members-only private club originally set up by and for British upper class men in the 18th century. At the time, membership
remained
exclusive to white British subjects, who were merchants and civil servants, at the exclusion of Chinese men and men of Chinese heritage, irrespective of their social or business standing in the community. The Hong Kong Club was the first private business and dining club in
Hong Kong. Its members were among trading firms, and many the most
influential people in the city, including senior government officials, senior local businessmen, the heads of the major
legal and
accounting professionals. The Club was often described as the seat of real power in the former colony: "Here the Governor and senior civil servants would sit in regular, informal sessions, usually over breakfast or lunch, with members of the commercial elite".[12]
The Shanghai Club was the principal gentlemen's club of Shanghai. During the 1920s and 1930s, the Club was the most exclusive club in Shanghai. The second-floor was famous for the 34m long L-shaped bar, which was the world's longest
bar.https://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Clu
b_Building - cite_note-Jackson-1 It was subject to a strict hierarchy: the prime Bund-facing end of the bar was the territory of the tai-pans and bank managers, with the social scale falling as one moved down the length of the bar. It had all the requisites of a gentleman’s club, namely: smoking room; library; billiards room; dining room;
guest rooms for resident members.[13] The
Chinese Club was a private business and dining club established in 1897 as a parallel club for Chinese to meet and socialize, and to raise funds from wealthy local businessmen for the revolution. Its members included senior local business people and those holding the high level, and exclusively Chinese, position of comprador in Western trading firms. It was established by Australian born Tse Tsan-tai, a social and political reformer, a merchandiser and a report, together with Cheung Tsoi, Luk King-fo and Leung Lan-fan. [14]
The China Entrepreneur Club (CEC) formed in 2006, in response to
community in China, consists of 46 of China's top business leaders. They are joined
the uncertain status of the business by
politicians,
academics and other advisers. Several of the members are billionaires. The club offers a forum where company founders can meet and share ideas, and offer advice to each other. CEC members have also travelled the world together, meeting presidents and prime ministers keen to learn more about China's business elite. Applicants need to have an exemplary track record of business success, and must share the club's values.
Given that
entrepreneurs are often extremely competitive people, the club works as members come from different industries, so they are not competing with one another. Currently Chinese society sometimes mistreats entrepreneurs, and has a lot of misconceptions about them. A key aim of CEC was to promote greater acceptance and understanding of the private sector. For decades under Communist leader Mao Tse Tung, the state controlled the economy. The private sector disappeared almost completely. The violent and chaotic Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and 70s damaged the social fabric, and trust between people was often lacking. This would have made doing business very difficult, even if it had been possible. Anecdotally in the 1970s and 1980s many
C-52 © 2015: The Royal Institution of Naval Architects
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