In the French Concession there were two French clubs, but the acknowledged winner was the lovely and lively Cercle Sportif Francais on Rue Cardinal Mercier. The word "sportif" in the title is perhaps misleading; although it did have a popular indoor swimming pool and a number of tennis courts, its focus was thoroughly social. It was also more egalitarian than its British
and American counterparts. It did admit women, even if only forty at a time and with hundreds wait-listed. Alhough late, it was also the first club to admit Chinese to its membership. Its spectacular white verandahed club house in Frenchtown's fashionable westend still dazzles today.