In an age where nearly every person can be a ‘VIP’, the term has all but lost meaning. Patrick Brzeski speaks to some of Hong Kong’s most venerable denizens to find out what distinguishes the bona fide big guns from the rafts of pretenders, and what – if anything – money just can’t buy

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If you’ve never been called a VIP in this town, you’re nobody. Not nobody as in nobody important, but literally, you can’t possibly be a walking, breathing, Hong Kong-residing human being. Every mall, restaurant chain, supermarket and coffee shop in our city boasts a VIP programme, it seems, and the barriers to entry are few. So far, so egalitarian. But if everyone can be ‘very important’, how do the upper echelons of our society distinguish themselves? Just what is it that sets the EIPs – extremely important persons – apart from the plain old VIPs?

Prominent philanthropist, Sovereign Art Foundation founder, and all-around multi-millionaire about town Howard Bilton supports the notion that ‘VIP’ just ain’t what it used to be. “I agree that the idea has been diluted,” he says. A lot of people in Hong Kong like this VIP tag and like to think they’re treated a little special. But these days, even if you aren’t a VIP, you’ll probably find that your helper and your cleaner are.”

The colour of money

Wealth and social status have always been largely synonymous, perhaps nowhere as much as in Asia’s financial capital. “In Hong Kong, 99 per cent of being a VIP means money, money, money”, says Sir David Tang, founder of Shanghai Tang and The China Club. “If you have money, you are regarded as an A-list person and presumed to have style, taste and everything else – even though that’s often not the case.”

While Sir Tang generally reviles the rank materialism and superficiality of Hong Kong high society, others admit a begrudging respect for Hong Kong’s unrepentant worship of wealth. A prominent hedge fund manager, who asked to remain anonymous out of professional courtesy to his clients, told us a story about a friend who had recently purchased a new Lamborghini, even though he had sold his previous Lamborghini not long before because he seldom drove it. The moneyed acquaintance explained his recidivistic Lambo ownership by saying, “Well, I realised it’s important for people to know you have a Lamborghini, even if you don’t drive it.”

“That cracks me up”, says our hedge funder, “because in New York or London, the situation is exactly the same, but you can’t say that. There are lots of people who own cars or pieces of art in New York simply to show that they’re members of the club, but you could never be so open about it; whereas here, people are totally frank. And in a perverse sense, there’s something kinda cool about that.”

Join the club

Although money clearly helps, sometimes there are doors it can’t open, no matter the size of your wedge. “I don’t play golf, and I’m not much interested in private clubs,” says our hedge funder when asked if there is anything that is out of reach even to Hong Kong’s wealthy elite, “but some of the top clubs have waiting lists you simply can’t get around.”

“The Hong Kong Club attracts a lot of VIP personalities,” confirms Ben Brown, whose Ben Brown Fine Art gallery sells some of the most expensive modern and contemporary art in the city, and whose family has resided on The Peak for the past 50 years. “It’s perceived to be very exclusive and easy to get blackballed. You are likely to see top judges, top politicians, top businessmen there. It’s a very discreet place and has been for years.” Membership to the Hong Kong Club is by invite only and new member approval comes by secret ballot. The list of current members, joining fees, and details of the approval process are all opaque.

The Hong Kong Golf Club is known as another private institution of un-purchasable prestige – its waiting list for membership stands at around 20 years, with openings arising only upon the death or unlikely voluntary retirement of current members. “If one has old family status, perhaps they won’t have to wait as long, but I think that’s the only way around it,” says Bonnie Gokson, former Image and Communications Director of Chanel Asia and the creative impresario behind the ever-popular haute hangout Sevva.

However, Sir Tang, owner of one of the city’s most tasteful member’s clubs, is less impressed by elite social access than the affiliation with true power. “The ultimate in Hong Kong VIP status, I suppose, would be being able to say I have Hu Jintao’s mobile number. Now that’s a connection to real power. But how do you think all these so-called ‘patriots’ in town get their connections in Zhongnanhai? Can you name me one of them who is poor? Again, it’s all about money. And isn’t that ironic – that the Communist Party only deals with our rich people?”

Different class

Ben Brown is keen to point out that while it’s more permissible to talk about money in Hong Kong high society, there are plenty of old-fashioned prejudices about how those of money should behave, which exert a considerable influence on the social currents of the upper crust. “Those of second, third, and fourth generation wealth disdain brand new wealth, or at least new wealth that behaves like brand new wealth,” explains Brown. “If you spit at the dining table, people with sophistication will still do business with you, but you’re not going to get the social invitations to the nicest drawing rooms.”

Gokson agrees that money isn’t necessarily everything. “I come from a home of good values and good breeding myself, and so I respect education and being well-mannered. I’ve seen so many friends go from being billionaires one year to down to nothing the next,” she says. “Money comes and goes, but where is the refinement? That’s what impresses me.”

Behind the velvet rope

Mention the term VIP and access to exclusive parties is one of the first things that springs to mind. But according to Bilton, any club, event or company that’s trying to sell you on your own VIP status is doing so simply to tap the upper-middle-class market or gain media attention, rather than to appeal to true elites. “If they’re telling you you’re a VIP at the door, they’re trying to remove money from your wallet, basically. But the irony is, a lot of the real upper elites are too posh to get their wallets out anyway. It seems that the richer you are, the more you expect to get for free. And the more you value privacy.” True elites are seldom seen at the omnipresent clubs and events that aggressively trumpet VIP status.

“The Hong Kong Art Fair comes to mind,” says Bilton, “where they had a ‘VIP Preview’ that literally everybody in town attended. There also was a super-collectors pre-VIP viewing, which I attended, but even that event isn’t necessarily relevant to your social standing – they just know you have a bit of money and are liable to spend it.”

A private affair

Apart from the ready abundance of liquid capital, one thread seems to unite the elite of all Hong Kong circles: the value of privacy. “One of the ultimate snob issues,” says the hedge fund manager, “is how much you live out in public versus how much you live behind closed doors. There are all sorts of classical music concerts that happen behind closed doors. And I’ve heard that the big tycoons would never go to a restaurant unless they can get a private room. And it’s true, the idea of seeing K.S. Li, or David Li, or the Kwok brothers in a restaurant instead of in a private room – it would be shocking.”

Ben Brown and Sir Tang both agree that one of their greatest privileges is entertaining at home, where comfort, style and privacy are all under their curatorship. “My greatest luxury is being able to skip all those insufferable balls and dinners,” says Tang. “Being able to stay at home with the people I actually like and care about.”

Gilbert Yueng, owner of dragon-i and scion of Hong Kong media tycoon Albert Yeung, is happy to flout high society expectations, to some extent. “If you’re a known character, and have some VIP reputation you’re supposed to behave a certain way, which I don’t,” he laughs. “I still go out in public and have a good time and do a lot of normal things. But the true VIPs hide behind closed doors. And I’ll tell you, a lot of them – I won’t say what – but they do much naughtier things behind closed doors than we normal people would ever do.”

On the up

So what advice from those in the know, and what hope, for all those social climbers with grand ambitions and keen prospects? Bilton supplies the most practical instruction: “Work hard, it’s the only way. If you’re determined and dedicated, big things will happen for you, and someday the journalists will come seeking you out. If you chase them, seeking attention, you’re probably going to end up looking rather stupid.”

Sir Tang’s council is coyer, but perhaps no less sagacious. “If you want to become a social mover and shaker in this city, you’ve got to be an absolute toad. Be prepared to have a brown nose, long tongue and incredible Hoover suction power in your mouth. And good luck to those people!” 

Take a look at our flowchart to find out if you're a VIP