This Week in History, 1966: The Shanghai Junk sails into Chinatown

On Feb. 18, 1966, a full-page ad in The Vancouver Sun announced the opening of Vancouver’s newest nightspot, the Shanghai Junk.

“Vancouver’s smartest and most sophisticated nightclub,” declared the ad. “A new era in nightclub entertaining, presenting the finest imported floor shows (and) exquisite Oriental and Occidental foods.”

Opening night entertainment was by The Surfettes of Hawaii, “a spectacular singing, dancing and musical revue from the Islands with five lovely ‘gals’ and a ‘guy.’ ”

Owner Jimmy Yuen said he had put $40,000 into refurbishing the space at 442 Main at Pender streets in Chinatown, which had been several nightclubs in a previous life: the Kublai Khan, the El Mocambo and the Mayling.

Yuen had taken over the club in 1960 when it was the Kublai Khan.