Anyone frequent the Bars and Clubs in Guangzhou? I didn't post this in the Q&A section this may or may not be mongering related.

Just trying to get an idea of how bad it gets there, are there incidents involving fights practically every week? I had tried to convince 5 grown Canadian men to with me to party in Guangzhou when we were there, but one of them, from the advice from an uncle was told to stay away because it is highly violent.

Of course I was told not to drive alone in New York or Toronto after 10, but still seemed fine to me.

Just curious if anyone had an previous experience on this.

I don't know how dangerous but some of them have metal detectors.

Older HK people living in Toronto typically don't know how much China has changed. When they visit the end up in some village somewhere in Guangdong where nothing has changed.

haha, that is hilarious. Violence like that simply doesn't happen much in china. Sounds like you are chinese, and had some elder "uncle" warn of the ills and evils of partying clubs.

The worst violence that happens in GZ is petty crime and pickpocketing.

Especially if you grew up in canada, you should be bigger than the average guys in china.
Normal people will not want to mess with you.

If you know how to 'relax' in NYC and are street smart about it 24/7 in NYC, then bring that same attitude to China.  In HK because it is so safe, crawling with cops, and civil, it is easy to get sloppy and not be completely aware of your surroundings.  I have passed out on the streets of HK and woke up with my stuff still on me, imagine that happening in NYC!

There will always be fights in the clubs and bars in China just like in every clubs and bars around the world.  Where there are alot of attractive women, macho guys, petty guys, and alcohol, you will have the ingredients for a potential misunderstanding.  

Don't underestimate the 'will' of the local guys to 'save face' in his willingness to strike at you if you should offend him in some way.  Even if you are physically bigger than most of the guys there, it means nothing there as GZ is not your hometown.  That guy can call a number of his boys to help him teach you a lesson.  

Don't depend on the few security guys in the clubs and the metal detectors to save your ass.  The metal detectors are there for show only.  The security guys will most likely just watch as you are getting your ass kicked, they are not going to step in right away like it is done in HK.  This especially true should you happen to offend the local heavy (triads), a shareholder, or VIP customer.  

And if I happen to offend another, I quickly say 'sorry' and explain the accident.  But when you apologize, do not grovel or beg for mercy as they will push you further, just treat them as a buddy who is on the equal level with you and there will be no more problems.  In fact they may treat you to a drink or introduce their friends (guys and girls) to you because you were nice and respectful to them and didn't show fear of them.  

Every time I go into a club in China, I have to use my spidey senses that I refined in NYC to evaluate the overall 'feel'.  Some places felt so dodgy that I left right away even if the places had alot of cuteys.   

Those above reasons are why I don't go into China with most ABC guys as alot of them don't know how to defuse a situation: they only know how to escalate it, thinking the club staff will keep them alive.  

So actually for the OP, the first concern is can you trust your buddies to stay cool in the situation?  Can you trust your buddies not to act stupid and cocky when drunk?  And finally can you trust your buddies to keep their mouths shut and not talk about all the girls you guys paid/got free at the clubs?

Fair enough, thanks for the responses.

In New York I'm pretty much walking to the streets after dawn alone, Brooks and Bronx and it seems fine.

The only thing that I'd be concerned about it the jumping the drunk guy mentality for cash or so, not so much the triads as most of them are business people, but the punks who are attempting to bring the excitement to their night. The only reason I brought this up was because when I was in Beijing at the Holiday Inn, there was a fight at the KTV bar, and it looked like a 9 man brawl, EXCEPT ... no one was landing any punches ...

As for the growing up in Canada, definitely have the size advantage on most people, but size matters little with the gang mentality.

Yea, I agree with you on the part about ABC / CBC guys. (although I myself am a CBC!).
The north american attitude is macho and violent, and with the gangster rap influence here too. That shit encourages fights and confrontations.

On the whole, the chinese culture is non-confrontational so you usually don't have any problems. Of course, there are always exceptions. But overall, its much harder to be intimidated at club/bar in china compared to some clubs in north america where you got steroid-pumped, aggressive, hot-headed, 220lb guys, which might even be packing heat!!

I feel totally safe in china, of course, as long as you use your common sense and awareness.

But in north america, there are some parts of some cities where you're not even recommended to walk through.

Very true about the heat that some wackos would carry in the USA.  

But you should also be aware of a different kind of heat in China.  Fires!  I always check where all the exits and entrances of a club because as everyone knows the enforcement of fire codes is very lax or subjected to corruption.  Every often or so, there is a report of a club that caught fire and many ppl killed in the stampede.  At least in this case if you are larger than the avg Chinese, you can fight your way to safety.  

Some of the interesting characteristics of those macho ABC / CBC guys are that most of them like to think they are superior to the mainlanders, are whiners, and can't fight for shit which makes them very much a liability for me when visiting China.  

True dat.

Hmm, actually since we're on the topic, I've seen numerous chick fights outside clubs especially in at the late night restaurants, I'm sure chicks would fight anywhere in the world, but here in North America, most guys just seem to sit back and enjoy it, dunno if anyone's caught any chick fights in China at a club ... I'd imagine guys would step in to stop it, no?

In all of asia, the girls are much more protective to keep their man, since they're so marriage-focused.
I dunno if chinese girls resort to violence in their arguments but they certainly do get into some heated arguments!
In mandarin, it sounds sexy as hell...... in cantonese just downright annoying!!

When guys fight or are about to fight, there are always buddies or security nearby to immediately pull apart the guys.  But when girls fight, no guy, not even security, wants to interrupt girls fighting.  

There is something about girls who are angry enough to fight another girl that makes us guys (globally) very reluctant to break up the fight.  I don't think it is because of the enjoyment factor, I think it is more like no guy wants to suffer the aftershocks from his girl should he stop her from finishing off her opponent.  

I think i am secretly wishing them to rip each other's clothes off.

Well, what if say it was your girl that was getting finished off ... would you risk stepping in to stop it?

Speaking North American wise, I've seen group brawl stem from such miscommunication where the other party reacts unappropriately believing that the person who is entering trying to be the 3rd man in with a girl fight when infact they are just trying to stop their girl from taking any further damage.

bmberman ... it's more just hair pulling, slapping and low kicks, usually the clothes getting ripped is when they are being held back and are still forcing an advance.

It would be cool to see a not-too-violet catfight between two hot chicks at a ktv!  

Mmm... because more often than not, the guys don't interfere when girls fight.  So if one guy does step in to break up the fight, it has a very high chance of being misinterpreted by the opposing party's guys as you mentioned with brawls breaking out.  So the guy who steps in has to be a neutral party (male stranger, another girl, or security).

So far all the girls I dated have been the sweet, tough type.  They never get in a cat-fight.  The type that is charming in a situation yet respected by the others for her fairness and standing her ground.  

Usually the girls I see fighting are the jealous, crazy types...you know the types who doesn't mind stirring up trouble with her bf by flirting with another guy and these girls do attract those insecure, overly protective type of bfs.

[ Last edited by  doghead at 9-4-2010 12:41 ]

That's very true.

Although, you have never been in a situation where you accidently "flung" with a crazy girl maybe say a week ago and you ended up bumping into her at the club with your new girlfriend? That's a very common scenerio, and if your new girl is the protective type, then stuff happens there.

I almost took a crazy local hk girl home for an one-night stand.  If we went straight from the club, I would have done it.  But we went for a 'siu yeh' with my bud and her friend and she showed me some pics on her phone.  There were some porn, pics of her in her underwear, and quite a number of naked white guys, guys she shagged.  Ding, ding - red flags were popping in my head.  Is she playing me?  I am Chinese.  Is she so psycho she doesn't mind showing me that shit?  

Anyway I sent her home then went home as I had concluded she is too psycho for me and ignored her sms to meet up the week after.  She turned out to be a player as she would always deliberately bump into me at the club with new, different guys.


I do remember an advice that an old master of club pickups (a master shark) gave to me years ago.  He told me to never get into fights over trivial matters as it can get one banned from going back to the club again.  There have been times, my friends and I have tried to get some girls into some popular clubs but could not because the door bouncers confided to us that those girls are crazy and always causing fights and hence are banned.   

HK only has a handful of clubs at any time with the best girls, there is no long-term gain to getting banned because the door bouncers of the various clubs do get together for drinks and talk shop.  Once you are banned at once place by some bouncers and they move on to another place, you will be banned at the other place too.

doghead, remind me to hook up with you and your girlfriends when I make it back to Hong Kong.

Sure, send me a pm when you get back.

What I have witnessed in HK is the security and bouncers will step in if you're fighting inside the club or bar but once outside they can care less, I saw 2 guys and 1 girl beat the crap out of a drunk guy while he was on his knees apologizing for something right outside the bar.  Not sure what happened all he kept on saying was sorry and was getting kicked or hit.  

I was in a nightclub once and managed to pick up a chick (a singer at the club) I think 1 guy was after her and next thing you know 3 guys surround me when i was heading to the washroom and says I gave 1 of the guys a dirty look I said I was sorry smiling and said I don't give dirty looks I may have smiled at you, then luckily a manager of the club I know see this and whispers something to the guy and the guys says Ok and left me alone.  

I think the manager told the guys I was with my brother who is a brawler and 3 other guys it so happens 1 of the guys in my entourage was connected and when I told them what happened they made me show them the 3 dudes I didn't want to but they made me and all three guys was on their knees bowing and apologizing our night ended up to be free. LOL

So the moral of this story is :

1) Don't stare at someone for too long especially dirty looks.

2) Apologize first even if you're not at fault.

3) Make sure if you try to pick up someone ask if they have a BF or is not there with another guy.

4) If you get into trouble inside try to disappear in the crowd but definitely don't leave the bar or club unless you know no one is following you or watching the entrance.

5) Even if you have buddies watching your back you don't know how well the other guys are connected the 3 guys that went after me could've been seriously hurt if they weren't able to appease the connected guy.

I'm not much of a fighter more of a lover I believe in diplomacy and using common sense.

[ Last edited by  kenli at 9-4-2010 15:19 ]

beware... the average tiny men in china know Kung-Fu... and they especially like to pick on bigger guys.
u need to watch more chinese kung-fu flicks.