I’d heard of KTV on my previous trips to China but thought it was just a chain of nightclubs. This year I got to experience it for myself. I knew that the Japanese were big karaoke fans but I didn’t know that the fanaticism extended into China. How wrong I was!

After a traditional Miao meal (see my Goat Poo Soup blog post) our group took a mini-bus ride into the centre of town. There had been discussion in Chinese about where we were going, but my lack of linguistic skills meant I knew nothing of our destination. Pretty soon someone pointed up at the LED sign and I realised I was going to experience KTV for myself.

Auto-generated description: Vibrant, colorful neon signs illuminate a nighttime urban street scene, featuring prominent KTV lettering.

We were whisked up to the third floor in a lift, then where the world became surreal with painted mannekins, mirrorball animals and a variety of other trendy nightclub things on display. As this was all planned ahead we were quickly shown to our music party room…

Auto-generated description: A vibrant music party room features a bar with colorful lighting and decor, including a section of illuminated bottles and stained-glass window designs.

The room was pretty blinged out with loads of place to sit and big TVs on most walls.

Auto-generated description: A cozy bar or lounge area features shelves filled with books, a large screen displaying a program, and tables with drinks and seating for patrons.

Beer and snacks were put on all the tables so we started drinking and snacking. Chinese drinking is very sociable…pour a drink for your friends, say the obligatory ‘ganbei’ (cheers) then down your drink in one!

SideNote: Ganbei is only one form of cheers. On my first visit to China I thought it was the only way to say it, so said it all the time. It was only on my second visit that I was told it’s the equivalent of ‘down your neck’, i.e. drink the whole glass at once. This is more serious with strong spirits like Maotai, but fortunately my large size compared to the average Chinese person means I’m affected slower than my drinking partners :-)

After everyone arrived the karaoke started…for everyone but me! Being a reserved Brit I wasn’t keen on showing my bad singing voice off, but my Chinese friends loved to join in. Song after song was put on with a constant trail of people grabbing the microphone to sing solo or in duets, or more at once. I’m not an expert on Chinese music but I got the impression that the songs were from multiple genres…old traditional songs to the latest hits.

Everyone seemed to have a great time singing and joining in with others singing. I was asked numerous times if I wanted to sing, but I managed to avoid causing a major diplomatic incident due to my weaponised voice causing mass hysteria. It was still a good night watching my friends, old and new, have fun. There were also a few Chinese there who spoke some English, so despite the noise, I learned a bit more about the local area and other interesting topics.