Blog Talks Take 1, French Concession

Posted on May 23, 2012 by

Sandy Chu of Shanghai Style kindly put together an amazing night of blogger presentations, so if you’re available May 23rd (that’s today!) between 8pm and 12pm, please stop by for 2 for 1 drinks and some interesting talks about blogging in China. I’ll be presenting as well, so I would love to meet any readers that are currently in Shanghai!! Here’s the info below:

Join bloggers for the first Blog Talks night at Apartment
3/F, 47 Yongfu Lu near Fuxing Xi Lu
Wednesday May 23rd from 8pm (2 for 1 signature cocktails and martinis from 8pm-12am)

Blog Talks Take 1
will feature:

Timothy Parent of Chinese People Have No Style, China Fashion Collective
Vivian Tothill Cinch By The Inch
Dani of Expatcucina
Fan Huang of Shanghaiist
Ciga Blogbus

Each speaker will talk about their blog for 15 minutes (covering topics such as fashion, lifestyle and/or food) providing an overview of what they write about, why they write and what their blog/blogging means to them- followed by a Q&A session. Come see what Shanghai’s bloggers are writing about and see what’s available for you to read!

Posted in Blog, Just for Fun, Xu Hui District | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Gym Park, Beijing

Posted on May 20, 2012 by

I was up early on Sunday morning last week in Beijing, so I decided to ride around on my trusty-ish bike, looking for whatever I could find. Aside from the boys wandering out of Beijing’s major gay club Destination at the early hours of the morning, I also happened across a gym near Sanlitun:

Although the machines are pretty low-impact (meaning all body-weight, no jerking kinds of exercise) and are more to “move around” than “work out” (by Western definitions), they were actually quite effective for the purposes of well, moving around and toning muscle… That’s more my kind of gym anyway, as it was more akin to a playground for old Chinese people than a gym for one to “pump iron” at.

But even though most of the senior citizens were simply moving around and shaking out the kinks, there were also some Beijingers doing some serious work at that place… Take, for example, this elderly yet very flexible lady:

I love how this gym was 1 – filled with old Chinese people; 2 – outside; 3 – free; 4 – open to all; 5 – low impact (or high impact, if you would so choose). The fact that anyone just passing by could use the equipment and do a little loosen up mid-day was baffling to me… It seems like common sense to promote general public health, and still I have yet to see one of these gym parks in the US.

I mean, seriously, how great does this stretch look here? Who doesn’t need to stretch their back like this, especially if you’re hunched over a chair all day…

Not only would this feel great, but it would also give you a great perspective… Can you imagine stretching your back like this and staring up at the sunlight peaking through the beautiful, rustling canopy?! These elderly Beijingers knew that there is no such thing as too old to work out and/or play around a bit. So keep hopes high, spirit young, and body healthy everyone!.. And take the time to lay on your back and look up once in a while, it will do wonders for your mind and perspective.

Posted in Active, Beijing, Chinese People, Conspicuous Leisure, Green, Gym, Just for Fun, Old, Park | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Beijing Street Style, Beijing

Posted on May 17, 2012 by

Although I rode around Beijing on Vega Wang‘s bike most of this past weekend, I still feel much less capable of describing Beijing’s street style than Shanghai’s… I guess I just don’t have as many pictures and references for understanding Beijing’s sartorial culture, but given the Alexander Wang party that I attended on Friday night, I felt as if Beijing was a bit more hip than Shanghai to be honest… Or at least a bit more “underground.” It could partially be because the Alexander Wang party was in a parking garage literally underneath Sanlitun’s Village and DJed by Diplo, or because I spent a majority of my time in Beijing’s enchanting hutongs, but the city as a whole seemed grungier and more street and “real” (if it’s fair to use that term) than it’s commercial sister city Shanghai.

Two hip, street savvy Chinese boys on “skateboards” in Beijing’s hutongs proved that at least parts Beijing’s youngest generation are cool yet down to earth, and not at all concerned with pretense (or pretension? Is that a word too?) but rather just having fun.

I feel like Shanghai can learn from Beijing in this regard, as I find the city becoming stuffier and stuffier with its commercialization. The saturation of the market with expensive stores and luxury brands, accompanied by boring, stiff, and all too proper events makes people too uptight and no fun at all. I don’t think China is inherently this rigid and formal in its culture, so although they should be dignified at certain times, at other times Chinese people need to remember how to just let loose.

Alexander Wang’s party reminded me of this fact, and I think he has the perfect brand to enter the Chinese market. Upscale but not pretentious, well designed and accessible, wearable yet edgy, I believe this brand will go far in China, and hopefully keep Chinese people simultaneously cool but also down to earth. China neither has the room nor the need for pretense/pretension, so hopefully it will stop developing in that direction… Anyway, more on the party and store opening coming soon.

In the meantime, if you want to see more of Beijing’s street style, you can check out my friend’s blog at http://www.stylites.net/

Posted in Active, Alexander Wang, Beijing, Bikes, Future Development, Just for Fun, Kids, Skateboards | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

One Fine Day on “Cheap Road”, Zha Bei District

Posted on May 14, 2012 by

Aside from super feminine and slightly ridiculous styles on Qi Pu Lu, I also came across a good amount of literal t-shirts. This one, which read “YOU, ONE FINE DAY, ME”, was one of my favorites, although the Chinese girl wearing it did little to tempt me to her proposition:

But some people were not so lucky as to have the choice of being in a relationship, even though their boyfriends (or their t-shirts) would claim that they were, in fact, quite lucky:

Other Chinese people didn’t want to say outright that their partners were lucky to be with them, but this guy obviously wanted his shirt to let others know that his girlfriend was a lucky one because he was able to afford a “BURREBRY SPORT” shirt:

But I think the luckiest guy of all was the one with this girl, if she actually heeded the advice on her own t-shirt:

She seemed to be pretty chill, as opposed to these other Chinese people who all seemed to be making desperate attempts to either attract or keep their significant others interested in them via their literal t-shirts. But even if this girl was uptight, at least she was wearing a cool t-shirt.

Posted in Just for Fun, Literal, Literal, Zha Bei District | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Qi Pu Lu, Zha Bei District

Posted on May 12, 2012 by

Far from Beijing’s hip Sanlitun district is Shanghai’s Qi Pu Lu, known in English as “Cheap Road”:

It’s a major destination in Shanghai that I’ve only recently discovered, and I’m so glad I did, as this is the kind of thing I saw:

But this girl was dressed in a style more typical of Qi Pu Lu:

Girls on Qi Pu Lu are usually dressed super feminine, which is a pervasive style in China that I’ve failed to capture in Shanghai until my Qi Pu Lu adventures.

If you want to find clothes such as the ones you’ve seen above, or just see Chinese people like the ones you’ve seen above, head to Qi Pu Lu!!

Posted in Gen Y, Super Fem, Zha Bei District | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Off to Beijing!!

Posted on May 10, 2012 by

I’m off to The Capital in a few hours for the Alexander Wang opening at The Village in Beijing’s hip Sanlitun district on Friday night… It should be an amazing store opening, as it’s Alexander Wang’s first store in China and the invitations are naughty-looking light-sabers.

But it won’t be all fun and play in Beijing, as I’ll also be meeting with some of Beijing’s top designers, including Xander Zhou, Vega Wang, and Liu Lu… But don’t worry, I’ve prepared a couple of posts while I’ll be gone, so be sure to check back!!

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Ethnic Minority Hats, Shanghai

Posted on May 8, 2012 by

The other day I took a designer friend to lunch at a Xin Jiang restaurant in Shanghai called Xibo. Previously I’d only been there at night for dinner, and never noticed the decor on the wall near the entrance:

The owner explained that the hats were all from Xin Jiang, from various ethnic minorities. I asked if they would be willing to sell any, but they said they were increasingly difficult to find and thus not for sale.

When Westerners think of Chinese hats, they typically envision this sort of hat:

But beyond this prevalent style of hat, pretty much every ethnic minority in China (there are 56 recognized ethnic minorities in Greater China) has its own style(s) of headwear. I haven’t seen that many in Shanghai, but you can always recognize people from Xin Jiang, like this guy.

Usually, people don’t have cards sticking out of their hats, but I guess it was hot that day and it functioned as a sort of visor.

I’ve been so intrigued by these hats of various ethnic minorities that I went searching for somewhere I could actually buy them, and I found quite a few at the Dong Tai Antique Market:

Such objects are a testament to China’s unique sartorial culture and the diverse heritage that China has and is losing, as these hats are typically no longer produced and worn in a country that arguably marginalizes ethnic minorities. These ones are mostly from the more prominent Miao minority, but there are also hats from the Dong minority and others.

Most Chinese people claim they are part of the Han minority, but I think people should be proud to be unique and different, and proud to represent their individual cultural heritage. I think these hats are absolutely stunning and will personally be collecting them, and they are just one example of how truly incredible China’s ethnic minorities are.

Posted in Color, Cultural Heritage, Diversity, Domestic Development, Ethnic Minorities, Hats, Minorities, Xu Hui District | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Strawberry Music Festival Part II, Pudong

Posted on May 5, 2012 by

I took too many pictures of the many cool kids at Strawberry Music Festival this past weekend to post them all of them individually, but I thought it would be a waste to let these just sit in my archives, unseen by the world… So I’ve lazily posted a large-ish gallery for you all to peruse at your convenience to get a feeling for the attendees and what they were wearing. There was a lot of neon and streetwear in addition to literal t-shirts, and most people seemed to be in a great mood despite the dreary weather. I’ll definitely be going back next year, and would highly recommend the event to anyone in Shanghai during April!!

Posted in Chinese People, Color, Colors, Festive, Gen Y, Pattern, Prints, Pudong | Tagged | 2 Comments

Strawberry Music Festival, Pudong

Posted on May 2, 2012 by

Rambunctious Chinese youth and music enthusiasts traveled all the way to Pudong for the three-day Strawberry Music Festival this past holiday weekend. It was my first time attending such a festival in China, and I have to say I was quite impressed not only with the music but also with the street style of those attending the event.

As expected, there was a good amount of literal t-shirts, a favorite amongst Chinese people to wear and a favorite for me to photograph. True to the “rebellious” and “subversive” nature of Chinese youth culture, this guy’s shirt demanded “TAKE OFF YOUR PANTS AND JACKET”:

But he was carrying a murse for his girlfriend, which made him seem less threatening and his demands thus less serious… His girlfriend obviously wears the proverbial pants in that relationship, and I’m sure if she actually understood his shirt, she wouldn’t allow him to wear it… So I didn’t take of my pants and jacket after all.

I also had the strength to resist the demand to strip off my clothes after seeing this Chinese lady… Her shirt reads “There’s no authority but YOURSELF / Enjoy it”

I’m not quite sure what “it” is that I’m supposed to enjoy, but if “it” is the power to be my own person and be comfortable in whatever I wear and do, then I’ll definitely enjoy “it”. I think everyone needs to realize that we are all the masters of ourselves, and no one can tell you what to do, much less dictate trends that you should follow or sexual commands via t-shirt that you should follow either.

Posted in Festive, Gen Y, Gen Z, Literal, Murse, Park, Pudong | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Dark Runners, South French Concession (?)

Posted on April 29, 2012 by

After Shanghai’s April Acid Showers, it finally feels like Summer is coming… So I’ve been doing a lot of night scootering, and have discovered some pretty cool places over the past few weeks. One such place was across a bridge (I thought it led to Pudong, but it was actually just a minor river) demarcated by this phallic, glowing structure (not dissimilar to an Olympic torch…):

On the other side I soon saw lots of “Dark Runners”, a term used typically for Chinese youth involved in running at night (I believe the term originally came from a program that Nike started, but if anyone knows for sure, I’d love to know how this term started):

They were mostly dressed in primary and neon colors, and although this is logical when running at night, I saw another potential source of inspiration for donning such bright and colorful running gear…

Underneath the car bridge (which I shouldn’t have originally crossed on my scooter) had a glowing, neon bridge for scooters, bikes, runners, and walker below!!

It was literally every color of the rainbow, which isn’t really that surprising when you consider that most of Shanghai’s skyline is dominated by LEDs of all colors.

There were also “Dark Bikers” taking advantage of the beautiful glowing lights, as well as the cool breeze coming off of the river.

So when in Shanghai, check out the night scene, as the city is still super active even if it’s dark out… Unfortunately they turn off most of the lights at 10 pm (I can’t imagine how much energy all the neon and LED lights use, so it’s actually a good thing that they do), so get to this spot before 10 pm and prepare yourself to be amazed!!

https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/?ui=2&ik=25f0613350&view=att&th=136fe0ac26fa8f28&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P_FPWHroxdoT7Rr32QSXU84&sadet=1335702240779&sads=eADtZzEcpZGQGj9LtRwvYs9S03k&sadssc=1

Posted in Active, Bikes, Blue, Color, Colors, Exercise, GIF, Green, Just for Fun, Purple, Red, Xu Hui District, Yellow | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment