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Would your children pay $38,000 to join this Hong Kong club?

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Maggie & Rose club in Kensington

Hong Kong is a city of private clubs, partly because of its colonial history, and now even mollycoddled toddlers can become exclusive members of one.

Maggie & Rose, a club originally created in London which features eat, play and learn spaces, opened its doors at the Pulse in Repulse Bay last Sunday.

And as with many other exclusive clubs, it isn’t cheap: the joining fee is HK$38,000 and the monthly charge for classes ranges from HK$1,800 (for four classes) to HK$8,000 (unlimited).

At the end of the first year, those interested – and who can afford it – will pay around HK$134,000, a much higher price than in some of the oldest clubs for “grown-ups” in the city.

For instance, to join and have access to the Foreign Correspondents’ Club, those not employed in the media industry pay a joining fee of HK$25,000, with a monthly subscription fee costing HK$950.

To join the Maggie & Rose Beach Club, one has to be recommended by an existing member. The membership fee covers a family of up to four children, and Hong Kong members get 10 passes to go to the clubs in London.

Dr Cecilia Lam, educational psychologist at the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children, noted that “parents often look for children with similar background. For instance, quite often children play with other children from the same building and that creates good social bounds”.

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