LEON DURUPT, a Canadian musician who also sings in Chinese, has been successfully managing his bar, The Terrace, in Shenzhen with his partners, in part based on the popularity won by his unique performance.

Durupt opened The Terrace in Shekou with friends in December 2005, after two years of preparation. He found that Shekou, with a large expatriate community, was a good place to run a bar.

The Terrace became popular among foreign and Chinese guests and sales started to take off in March 2007 after the first year of modest growth.

Durupt attributed the success to the combination of live music and good food. Chinese songs performed by himself is also a unique feature of The Terrace.

“I realized that I would have a good future if I could learn to speak and sing well in Chinese when I was in Qingdao in 1999,” said Durupt, who was performing in the Hai Tian Hotel at that time.

He began learning Chinese songs using only a notebook and a dictionary. He had a genuine desire to learn the songs perfectly and tried to learn the exact meaning of the words to put the right emotion into the songs.

Many people went to hear him sing Chinese songs out of curiosity at first, and after hearing him, they felt his approach gave the songs a distinctive sound, leaving a lasting impression, he claimed.

He has always wanted to be a top musician and writes his own music.

“We met many difficulties during the process of opening and operating the bar, and I am always learning,” he said.

Although Durupt can speak fluent Chinese, he met some language barriers while applying for the correct license. There were so many departments to communicate with, and he had to find what they were and what documents were needed. He also found it difficult to understand some documents that were only Chinese versions and had to refer them to his Chinese employees for help. In addition, he found that the rules changed from time to time, which made staying on top of these issues more troublesome.

Durupt hadn’t any business training or experience before he became general manager (GM) of The Terrace in January 2007. However, he vowed to double sales in 2007 after he became GM. He was not used to the change from a musician to a GM at first, and he found it difficult to put on a serious face in some situations.

“Now I have to pretend to be angry sometimes and I can do it well because I am a musician and we are supposed to be good at acting,” he said.

Durupt discovered that he has the potential to become a good manager. He’s taken his passion for music and channeled that into his role as GM. He can stay in the bar for 12 hours or more, watching daily operations and singing at night without feeling tired. His passion also influences his staff.

He is planning to open more The Terraces in other districts of Shenzhen and other cities such as Guangzhou and Zhuhai.

Cui Xiaoli

LEON DURUPT, a Canadian musician who also sings in Chinese, has been successfully managing his bar, The Terrace, in Shenzhen with his partners, in part based on the popularity won by his unique performance.

Durupt opened The Terrace in Shekou with friends in December 2005, after two years of preparation. He found that Shekou, with a large expatriate community, was a good place to run a bar.

The Terrace became popular among foreign and Chinese guests and sales started to take off in March 2007 after the first year of modest growth.

Durupt attributed the success to the combination of live music and good food. Chinese songs performed by himself is also a unique feature of The Terrace.

“I realized that I would have a good future if I could learn to speak and sing well in Chinese when I was in Qingdao in 1999,” said Durupt, who was performing in the Hai Tian Hotel at that time.

He began learning Chinese songs using only a notebook and a dictionary. He had a genuine desire to learn the songs perfectly and tried to learn the exact meaning of the words to put the right emotion into the songs.

Many people went to hear him sing Chinese songs out of curiosity at first, and after hearing him, they felt his approach gave the songs a distinctive sound, leaving a lasting impression, he claimed.

He has always wanted to be a top musician and writes his own music.

“We met many difficulties during the process of opening and operating the bar, and I am always learning,” he said.

Although Durupt can speak fluent Chinese, he met some language barriers while applying for the correct license. There were so many departments to communicate with, and he had to find what they were and what documents were needed. He also found it difficult to understand some documents that were only Chinese versions and had to refer them to his Chinese employees for help. In addition, he found that the rules changed from time to time, which made staying on top of these issues more troublesome.

Durupt hadn’t any business training or experience before he became general manager (GM) of The Terrace in January 2007. However, he vowed to double sales in 2007 after he became GM. He was not used to the change from a musician to a GM at first, and he found it difficult to put on a serious face in some situations.

“Now I have to pretend to be angry sometimes and I can do it well because I am a musician and we are supposed to be good at acting,” he said.

Durupt discovered that he has the potential to become a good manager. He’s taken his passion for music and channeled that into his role as GM. He can stay in the bar for 12 hours or more, watching daily operations and singing at night without feeling tired. His passion also influences his staff.

He is planning to open more The Terraces in other districts of Shenzhen and other cities such as Guangzhou and Zhuhai.