The Ambassy Club was the first

private club A club is an association of people united by a common interest or goal. A service club, for example, exists for voluntary or charitable activities. There are clubs devoted to hobbies and sports, social activities clubs, political and religious ...

established in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

since the founding of the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. It is located on Central

Huaihai Road Huaihai Road or Huaihai Lu (; Shanghainese: ''Wahae Lu'') is a road in Shanghai, China. The central section of Huaihai Road is one of the two major shopping streets in central Shanghai; the other is Nanjing Road. Compared with the more touristy ...

across from the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Consulate, the Consulate of

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, and near the

Shanghai Library Shanghai Library (with a second name as the Shanghai Institute of Scientific and Technological Information) is a municipal public library in Shanghai, China. It is owned by the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. The li ...

. Although it has many local members, the Ambassy Club has a large number of American and European members. The managers are required to know English. The club has several restaurants, each offering a different type of cuisine. There are two upscale restaurants. One offers Japanese cuisine prepared and served in traditional methods. The other offers gourmet Chinese cuisine. There is also a café-type restaurant, which serves American and European style food, as well as snacks, desserts, pastries, and coffee. The club also has a unique “piano” bar, which has an exclusive, jazz-club feel. There is live music nightly, plus a selection of some of the finest liquors and cigars available in China. The club has both an indoor and an outdoor pool. The outdoor pool has a unique waterslide, and a deck for sunbathing. A rock-climbing wall, basketball court, and children's’ playground are also located on the grounds. Located within The Ambassy Club is Ambassy Court, a condominium complex of three medium height buildings, and underground parking. Owners of condominiums also have membership at the club, and access to the club's “guest house,” where out of town guests can stay in hotel-like accommodations (complete with housekeeping) on the grounds of the club. The name Ambassy Club comes from an alternate spelling of Embassy, and refers to the proximity of the club to the U.S., French and Iranian Consulates. The Chinese name for the club is ''Hong Yi''. A new Ambassy Club, with similar offerings, opened in

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

in the fall of 2006. The club's board members include the following: *

Vincent Lo Vincent Lo Hong-sui, GBM, GBS, JP (; born 18 April 1948) is a Hong Kong businessman. He is the chairman of Hong Kong–based Shui On Group, a building-materials and construction firm. He graduated from the University of New South Wales, Aus ...

, the Hong Kong business man who developed

Xintiandi Xintiandi (, Shanghainese: ''Shinthidi'' lit. "New Sky and Earth",Warr, Anne: ''Shanghai Architecture'', The Watermark Press, 2007, fig. "New World") is an affluent car-free shopping, eating and entertainment district of Shanghai. Xintiandi n ...

. * Maurice Fung, a former

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

restaurant owner, who moved to China to become the general manager of Ambassy Club, Shanghai City Center, and a major property developer in Shanghai, Beijing, and various other upcoming cities throughout China. * Peter Neumann, shareholder in the Shanghai office of

Greenberg Traurig Greenberg Traurig is a multinational law firm, law and lobbying firm founded in Miami in 1967 by Mel Greenberg, Larry J. Hoffman, and Robert H. Traurig. As of 2025, it is the eighth-largest law firm in the United States. The firm has 49 locati ...

LLP. *

Stanley Ho Stanley Ho Hung-sun (; 25 November 192126 May 2020) was a Hong Kong and Macau billionaire businessman. He was the founder and chairman of SJM Holdings, which owns nineteen casinos in Macau including the Grand Lisboa. Ho was nicknamed variou ...

, the 84th richest man in the world in 2006, according to

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, and owner of eight

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casinos. * Nora Sun, granddaughter of

Sun Yat-sen Sun Yat-senUsually known as Sun Zhongshan () in Chinese; also known by Names of Sun Yat-sen, several other names. (; 12 November 186612 March 1925) was a Chinese physician, revolutionary, statesman, and political philosopher who founded the Republ ...

, and noted Shanghai socialite.Stars shining in Shanghai_life_English_SINA.com
/ref> * J. Norwell Coquillard, President of

Cargill Cargill, Incorporated is an American multinational food corporation based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, Minnetonka, Minnesota, and incorporated in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded in 1865 by William Wallace Cargill, it is the largest privately held c ...

Investment (China) Ltd. Prior to her death in April 2007, Nina Wang was also a member of the Board. She was the "Chairlady" of Chinachem Group, and the richest woman in

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

, with an estimated net worth of almost $4 billion.

References

{{coord, 31.2089, 121.4455, display=t Organizations with year of establishment missing Buildings and structures in Shanghai Culture in Shanghai Organizations based in Shanghai Clubs and societies in China