Chinese Paradise (Montreal)

1. Overview

The Chinese Paradise emerged on Montreal’s nightlife scene in the mid-1930s, at a time when the Chinatown district along De La Gauchetière Street was both an important restaurant district and a natural extension of downtown cabaret nightlife. Listed in the Lovell directories as the Paradise Cafe, the establishment is first documented at 51 De La Gauchetière Street West in the 1935–1936 edition. ^[1]

The cabaret subsequently moved to 57 De La Gauchetière Street West, where an establishment operating under the business name Chinese Paradise Café was registered in late 1936. The new location officially opened on March 27, 1937 and quickly became a restaurant-cabaret offering entertainment, music, dancing and alcoholic beverages. ^{[2], [3]}

Advertisements published throughout 1937 reveal an especially active venue: open 24 hours a day, serving Chinese and American dishes, the Chinese Paradise offered as many as three shows per evening, vaudeville performances, a dance orchestra and amateur contests on Sunday afternoons. ^{[4], [7], [8]}

During its years of operation, the Chinese Paradise therefore occupied a space somewhere between a restaurant, cabaret, dance club and live entertainment venue. Its history illustrates the vitality of Montreal’s Chinatown before and during the Second World War, as well as the close connections between dining, jazz, vaudeville and nightlife culture in 1930s Montreal.

2. Origins: the Paradise Cafe at No. 51

The Lovell directories make it possible to trace the emergence of the Paradise Cafe with considerable precision. In the 1932–1933 and 1933–1934 editions, 51 De La Gauchetière Street West was occupied by Chai Leong Kwong. In 1934–1935, the address was associated with the International Chop Suey House and the Sun Yuen Social Club Inc. The Paradise had not yet appeared. ^[1]

The change appears in the 1935–1936 Lovell directory: the Paradise Cafe is listed for the first time at No. 51. The same address remained associated with the Paradise in the 1936–1937 edition. During this period, Wong Y. A. appears at No. 55, immediately nearby. ^[1]

This documentary sequence places the appearance of the Paradise between the 1934–1935 and 1935–1936 Lovell editions. The year 1935 can therefore be regarded as its earliest documented year of operation, although it does not necessarily represent the precise date of its official opening.

3. The “new” Chinese Paradise at No. 57

On December 1, 1936, Le Devoir listed among its new business names the Chinese Paradise Café, at 57 Lagauchetière Street West, with Peter Wong. A few months later, Le Petit Journal reported the official opening of the new restaurant-cabaret, held on March 27, 1937. ^{[2], [3]}

The article published the following day described a banquet attended by several prominent figures, including MLA Gérard Thibeault, legal adviser Bruno Nantel and Chinese consul Y.-P. Yuto. It also identified Mr. and Mrs. Wong You Ark as the owners of the “new cabaret.” ^[3]

“You are welcome at the new Chinese Paradise”

The use of the word “new” therefore appears to refer to the new establishment at No. 57, rather than to the original creation of the Paradise, which was already documented at No. 51. The 1937–1938 Lovell directory confirms this transition: the Paradise Cafe was now located at 57 De La Gauchetière Street West.

The April 26 advertisement also describes the nature of the establishment: beer, wine and dancing, Chinese and American cuisine, 24-hour service and stage entertainment. The advertised telephone number was PLateau 9940. ^[4]

4. Programming and entertainment

From its first year at No. 57, the Chinese Paradise developed an entertainment program that extended far beyond dining. On April 26, 1937, an advertisement featured DON, DONNA AND DON, described as well-known comedians and dancers. ^[4]

On May 7, 1937, The Montreal Star advertised two floor shows each evening, performers described as coming directly from New York, as well as JIMMIE RICARDO’S PARADISE ORCHESTRA, providing the evening’s “Hot Rhythm.” ^[5]

By the summer, the establishment had further expanded its entertainment. On July 21, 1937, the Chinese Paradise Grill advertised three shows nightly and music by the PARADISE MANDARINS. The advertisement described it as “Montreal’s finest cabaret in the heart of Chinatown.” ^[6]

On October 29, 1937, a Halloween advertisement confirmed the formula: three vaudeville performances every evening, dancing to the MANDARINS ORCHESTRA and an amateur program every Sunday afternoon. ^[7]

At Christmas, the cabaret continued to advertise an ambitious program. In the December 24, 1937 edition of La Patrie, BERT AUSTIN appeared as master of ceremonies, while BOB EVERLEIGH’S SWINGARGEES were advertised as coming “direct from Harlem.” The establishment also continued its Sunday amateur contest. ^[8]

5. Jazz, Black performers and nightlife

The Chinese Paradise also occupies an important place in accounts of the early history of Montreal jazz. Archival documents notably associate American musician HERB JOHNSON with the Chinese Paradise as early as 1936, before the opening of the new establishment at No. 57. This is consistent with the earlier existence of the Paradise Cafe at 51 De La Gauchetière Street West. ^[9]

Retrospective sources on jazz in Montreal also place the Chinese Paradise Grill among the clubs that employed or welcomed Black musicians during the 1930s, alongside venues such as the Clef Club, the Hollywood, the Terminal and Chez Maurice. ^[21]

A distinction must nevertheless be made between the general history of the jazz scene and individual engagements: some retrospective sources group several clubs together without specifying at which venue each musician performed. The case of Herb Johnson remains particularly important because he is directly associated with the Chinese Paradise in archival records.

An article in Le Petit Journal dated March 5, 1939 provides another indication of the presence of Black employees at the venue: it reported the sudden death of Joe Bernetto, 62, identified as the Black doorman of the Chinese Paradise Grill, at 57 Lagauchetière Street West. ^[12]

6. The Wong family and operation of the cabaret

The Wong family was closely associated with the Chinese Paradise throughout its history. As early as the 1934–1935 Lovell directory, Wong Y. A. appears at 55 De La Gauchetière Street West, immediately next door to the future Paradise. This listing remained in place for several years. ^[1]

The new registration of the Chinese Paradise Café at No. 57 in December 1936 mentions Peter Wong, while the article covering the March 27, 1937 opening identifies Mr. and Mrs. Wong You Ark as the owners. ^{[2], [3]}

A Montreal Star article dated June 15, 1938, covering a violent fight that had taken place at the cabaret on May 26, explicitly identifies Pete Wong as the owner of the Paradise Grill. The doorman was identified as George Mayer. ^[11]

The Wong family’s continued involvement is still evident in the early 1940s. The 1943 Lovell directory lists Paradise Cafe — Wong Y. A. at No. 57, while a collective advertisement published in La Patrie on August 21, 1943 states unambiguously: “Chinese Paradise — 57 Lagauchetière St. W. — Wong You Ark, prop.” ^{[16], [17]}

Another name appears in June 1943: Willie Wong, who filed a complaint for property damage following an altercation at the Paradise Cafe. His exact role in the operation of the establishment is not specified in the article. ^[15]

7. The war years and closure

Contrary to some approximate dates placing the disappearance of the Chinese Paradise around 1945, the surviving sources now make it possible to narrow the period of closure considerably.

In 1941, Le Devoir published a new business-name notice for the Chinese Paradise, still located at 57 Lagauchetière Street West. ^[13]

In June 1943, the establishment appeared several times in the press. On June 11, the Paradise Cafe was fined $20 for failing to maintain its premises in satisfactory sanitary condition. One week later, on June 18, the Montreal Star reported an altercation at the establishment in which Willie Wong sought compensation for property damage. ^{[14], [15]}

On July 5, 1943, the Chinese Paradise was still being used as a meeting place, according to a report published several months later by L’Événement-Journal during the trial of Bernard Héroux. The newspaper stated that Héroux had met a man there several times and described the Chinese Paradise as a “not very reputable place in Chinatown.” ^[19]

The latest evidence currently known, however, dates from August 21, 1943. A full page in La Patrie, devoted to the Chinese War Relief Fund, included the Chinese Paradise among the participating businesses and identified Wong You Ark as its owner. ^[17]

In the 1944 Lovell directory, the Chinese Paradise had disappeared: No. 57 was now occupied by the Chungking Restaurant, operated by Hung Yuee Teng. ^[18]

The closure or change of ownership of the Chinese Paradise can therefore be placed after August 21, 1943 and before the information recorded for the 1944 Lovell directory. This conclusion is consistent with the recollection of columnist Al Palmer, who wrote in 1967 that the Chinese Paradise had “went out of business during the war.” ^[22]

8. Legacy and remembrance

After its disappearance, the Chinese Paradise remained sufficiently prominent in the memory of Montreal nightlife to be mentioned regularly in the press. In 1959, The Gazette recalled that the establishment had held Chinatown’s last beer and wine licence before a new licence was granted to the Lotus Garden. ^[20]

Ten years later, columnist Al Palmer described Chinatown as Montreal’s former late-night district: performers, musicians and cabaret regulars went there after the clubs closed to eat late at night or have breakfast in the early hours of the morning. He remembered the Chinese Paradise as a club featuring a chorus line and popular acts. ^[23]

“It also had a club called The Chinese Paradise which boasted a chorus line and popular acts and just about every night was New Year’s Eve.”

This recollection neatly summarizes the venue’s place in Montreal nightlife: a Chinese restaurant, dance club, vaudeville cabaret, jazz venue and after-hours gathering place, the Chinese Paradise occupied a distinctive position at the intersection of several communities and entertainment traditions.

Its history, long reduced to a handful of references in accounts of Montreal jazz, can now be reconstructed with remarkable precision thanks to the Lovell directories and a series of advertisements, news reports and columns published between 1936 and 1969.