“Bestselling author Paul French travels to the most storied cities in China to tell the true tales of fascinating people who visited or lived in these places in the 19th and 20th centuries.
With a special focus on the glamorous years between the world wars, the Destination series describes the local and international assortment of adventurers, writers, spies, artists, socialites and scoundrels who inhabited Macao, Peking and Shanghai during that golden age.”
I often walk past Flagstaff House in Hong Kong Park and pay it little attention. It’s a rather mundane museum to tea ware and attracts few tourists or curious locals. However, it is the oldest western building in Hong Kong remaining, built in 1848 for Major D’Aguilar (who also got a street later) and known as Headquarters House. It became Flagstaff House in 1932 and was the residence and offices of the commander of British forces in Hong Kong till 1978.
With some time to kill recently I popped in and can report the two-storey Greek Revival structure is in good condition both in terms of interior and exterior, partly due to several renovations over its lifetime. The entrance is still impressive and the fireplaces have survived.
My immense thanks to Brian Wang and the Hai Seas Distillery in Shanghai for a much appreciated bottle of their San Oaks Whiskey and of their Crazy Eights Gold Oak Gin. Hai Seas use local grains and mountain spring water while their whiskey is finished in ex-bourbon barrels giving it a really distinctive flavour – their ‘Three Body Barrel’ concept combining French oak for vanilla and marzipan, American oak for caramel and roasted nuts, and Chinese Mongolica oak for spice. Really delicious.
Their Crazy Eights dark gin is a revelation – essentially a liqueur of local Chinese botanicals that needs no mixer and can be pleasantly drunk neat.
Check out Hai Seas whole range, history and order at https://hai-seas.com – if you’re in Shanghai there’s tastings and you can visit their distillery.
In the 1930s Chiang Yee, a Chinese writer and artist, moved to England. His work, and that of his wartime circle of Chinese literati, deserve to be remembered. Click here to read…
I had a conversation about the Macao-set Netflix movie Ballad of a Small Player with the author of the original novel Lawrence Osborne and the producer of the movie Mike Goodridge (of GoodChaos). Adapting a book to a movie, what stays, what goes?, the challenges of filming in Macao…. Click here to watch…
Donald Mennie’s The Grandeur of the Gorges, 50 Photographic Studies, with Descriptive Notes, of the Yangtze. Including Twelve Hand Coloured Prints, printed A S Watson & Company (The Shanghai Pharmacy, Ltd.) and distributed by Kelly & Walsh Shanghai, 1926. Limited Edition no 880/1000.
Running till April 5 at The Shanghai Museum on People’s Square…
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The Shanghai-style qipao, like a prism traversing time and space, refracts the brilliant radiance of 20th-century China’s aesthetic evolution and cultural self-awareness. “Qipao: Glamour and Modernity beyond Shanghai” uses the “Modern Tide” as its warp and “Boundless Aesthetics” as its weft, seeking to explore the profound cultural roots and the magical historical changes behind the garment.
The transformation in qipao’s form shows the symbiosis of “creativity” and “inclusiveness”. From the subtle modesty of traditional robes to the flowing openness of modern fashion, every cut of the qipao is imprinted with the trajectory of the Chinese women’s physical and spiritual liberation. It anchors the stylistic essence of Eastern dress while embodying the creative ingenuity of Western fashion, sketching out the unique, inclusive character of Shanghai-style culture.
The fusion of aesthetics is like an orchestral triumph of cross-disciplinary creation. When the gentle artistic conception of the East encounters the precise tailoring of the West, traditional craftsmanship is revitalized in the tide of the times: Chinese elements shine brightly in the global fashion lexicon through the Shanghai-style qipao, and the integration of international fabrics, exotic patterns, and innovative decorations weaves a new paradigm for mutual learning among civilizations.
Cultural prosperity marks the renaissance of national confidence in the new era. From the graceful allure in Shanghai’s lanes to the oriental fashion icon on the global runway, the qipao’s transformation is a microcosm of the modernization of Chinese attire. It carries the Chinese efforts of rebuilding cultural confidence and presenting the world with the eternal charm of Eastern wisdom.
The centerpieces of this exhibition come from the cherished collection by Mr. Jeff Chang and the generous donation of Ms. Patricia Pei. Our sincere gratitude is extended to them.
We dedicate this exhibition as an opening note, inviting you to push open the “door of modernity” and wander among “silhouettes of glamour” to get a glimpse of this century-long aesthetic epic woven with needles and threads: to revisit how the Shanghai-style qipao broke boundaries with the rich cultural heritage and transcended borders through its inclusiveness, allowing this quintessential Eastern garment to continue its everlasting glow in the firmament of global fashion.
