Chinese Culture and Ktv

I went with a few friends to a Ktv venue Friday night (Ktv is the Chinese term for Karaoke).  When they told me that we were going to a karaoke bar, I instantly though of suffering through a bunch of drunk renditions of "Don't Stop Believin'" in a small, dinghy bar.  I found something much different when we arrived at the Ktv building.  Instead of the traditional bar, the established offered private rooms that seated roughly 8-12 people.  Our room contained its own person karaoke machine and screen, and a private attendant to deliver our drink orders.  The people that I went with described it as a very "Chinese" experience, and I must say that I agree.  The whole experience had a slightly surreal feel because of the self-contained nature of the event (and possibly because of the booze).  We went to a building to do something that we could have easily have done in the privacy of someones home.  Only people from our group witnessed our singing. I found it very different than karaoke nights in the US where the audience is one of the biggest (and in some cases best) parts of the night.  Maybe things are more culturally different here than I previously thought.