Review: ShanghaiExpat 11th Anniversary Party

Fashion and glamour filled Kathleen’s 5 restaurant as expats and Chinese alike gathered to celebrate this landmark occasion, Hollywood style.  As guests entered this trendy hotspot they were greeted by beautiful young ladies, whisked down the red carpet, and photographed as they struck a pose.  But this was just the beginning. 

Guests begin to arrive Kathleen’s 5 just before 9pm

The walk to the party itself, which was through an all glass hallway on the rooftop of Kathleen’s 5, was particularly noteworthy.  The Pearl City at night is always a thrilling sight, and on this particular Friday it was the perfect backdrop for a star-studded evening.  To complete the atmosphere, there were cardboard cutouts of famous movie scenes in which you could put your face into to take an interesting picture.  I could not resist the Titanic “I am the King of the World” scene cutout. 

Shanghai Expat and its 400 or so closest friends partied the night away as the DJ played all the hits from Akon to Adele.  The bartenders were busy all night pouring all kinds of drinks from red and white wine provided by Shanghai9 to three varieties of Grand Marnier cocktails in little red orbs.  These little red orbs had a little light inside that was very endearing.  So endearing that one guest told this author that she “had to have one”, and indeed now has one.  The waiters passed around some delicious h’orderves, including a pepperoni and melon combination and spring rolls which were gone quicker than a New York minute.

A diverse crowd made for fun company and great conversation

The guests mingled and drank late into the night.  In fact, the party roared until its announced end time of 1 AM, with some guests needing the gentle reminder of the staff that the party was over.  The crowd was a varied group, which provided a fascinating cross section of Shanghai.  There were people who worked in all industries, from teaching to importing and exporting businesses.  There were plenty of foreigners alongside born and raised Shanghainese.  As a result of this diverse life experience, the party beamed with intrigue, conversation, and opportunity.  Many, many business cards were given out, phone numbers were exchanged, and potential relationships started (for both business and pleasure).  There was a sense of possibility and potential in the air, which represents some of the best qualities of Shanghai itself.  Happy Birthday ShanghaiExpat.

Even Santa Claus was able to fly in for the SHEX 11th Anniversary! (PS - We are told that Santa is also for hire! These are hard time for everyone, and even Santa needs a second job!)

ShanghaiExpat would like to thank all of the people who made this possible, most importantly all of our sponsors: Kathleen's 5, Toni&Guy, Grand Marnier, Shanghai 9, Fiji Water, Greenwave, Kerry Hotel, ETM Travel, CGV Cinemas, Element Spa, Helen Nail Spa, Sherpas, and QBake.

If you would like to see all the fun we had, check out this cool video!!

Cory Kutcher is a Contributor for ShanghaiExpat.com.  If you have any questions or comments about this article, you can reach Cory at: ckshanghai@yahoo.com.