Jing Daily’s Top Posts for the Week#
In case you missed them the first time around, here are some of Jing Daily’s top posts for the week of April 4-8:
Records Swept Away At Sotheby’s Chinese Contemporary Art Auctions In Hong Kong
Sotheby’s Hong Kong saw a spending frenzy this weekend at its spring auctions, with the auction of more than 100 lots from the collection of Chinese contemporary art “early adopter” Baron Guy Ullens starting the bidding for Chinese art off with a bang. While Chinese collectors had been expected to drive prices for lots by top artists well beyond high estimates, they seemed to outdo even themselves, with their aggressive bidding driving prices for certain pieces up to new highs, even breaking the record for a single piece of Chinese contemporary art set in 2008 by Zeng Fanzhi’s “Mask Series 1996 No. 6.” In all, the Ullens auction took in a whopping US$54.9 million, well over the pre-sale estimate of $16.7 million, with $10.1 million of that coming from the sale of Zhang Xiaogang’s “Forever Lasting Love,” the 1988 triptych that most observers (rightly) expected to steal the show.
With the Chinese contemporary art market currently seeing the signs of a “second boom,” driven this time by demand from Chinese — rather than the formerly dominant Western — collectors, some expect that the amount spent for Zhang’s triptych could become something of a baseline.
Burberry To Join China’s Digital Revolution With Beijing Fashion Bash
British luxury label Burberry has been well-known for digital innovation, live-streaming runway shows, creating a crowd-sourced site for their trenchcoats, and increasing the brand’s social media presence. But Burberry has been aggressively expanding on the ground as well, with the peddler of plaid recently announcing it plans to double its 57 China locations within the next few years. Most recently, Burberry has intensified its digital push into China to match its brick-and-mortar offensive, launching official accounts on four Chinese social media platforms (Kaixin001, Douban, Youku, Sina Weibo). Soon, Burberry will roll out its most ambitious digital effort in China to date, with their April 13 fashion bash in Beijing set to include virtual image technology that combines live models, animated footage and holograms, music performances, and live-streaming via Burberry.com.
This event, which celebrates the opening of Burberry’s most technologically advanced flagship at Sparkle Roll Plaza, a 12,500 square foot megastore featuring exterior LED video walls, will be held at the Beijing Television Centre. The event will also feature the British band Keane, performing for the first time in China.
Jackie Chan Celebrates Birthday At Grand Opening Of Nobu Beijing
Last night, Robert de Niro’s Nobu restaurant opened its new Beijing location with a bash attended by Nobu namesake and co-owner, Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, Jackie Chan, who celebrated his 57th birthday, and Hong Kong actress Lin Peng. While Robert de Niro couldn’t be there for the opening, birthday boy Chan managed to put on a show, sharing his birthday cake with chef Matsuhisa and Norwegian ambassador to China, Svein Ole Sæther.
Chan then got serious for a moment, announcing that he would be making a one million yuan (US$153,000) donation to Japan earthquake disaster relief in conjunction with the Norwegian Embassy, a move that chef Matsuhisa called, “a great display of friendship and appreciation” that “meant a lot” to him and to Japan.
China “Influence” Awards Held In Beijing
On April 2, the annual ceremony for “You Bring Charm to the World: Chinese Influencing the World,” was held at Peking University Hall, awarding those who made outstanding contributions to the world on behalf of China. Launched by Phoenix TV in 2006, this year’s ceremonies were reported live by Phoenix TV and its online platform Ifeng. Awards are given in the categories of science and technology, public affairs, sports, arts and culture, and emerging talent.
This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Sidney Shapiro (沙博理, Shā Bólǐ), one of the few naturalized Chinese citizens. While Shapiro is not of Chinese descent, this American-born Chinese has done his part to bridge the gap between the two countries through his decades-long translation work. The deciding factor for Shapiro’s award this year was not his eyes, skin color, or ethnicity, but his self-identification with Chinese culture and the Chinese nation. The 95-year-old Shapiro, who has lived in Beijing for 60 years, concluded his acceptance speech by saying, “dear friends, comrades, I assure you, for as long as I live, I will be worthy of this sentence: I am Chinese.”
Jing Profile: China’s New Breed Of Fashion Icons
The ongoing appeal by the fashion and luxury industries to China’s wealthy consumers has begun to manifest in new ways, as some budding Chinese fashion icons have begun to step up to the global fashion stage. More noticeable over the course of this year’s Fashion Week coverage, an expanding coterie of stars have caught the eyes of more fashion photographers worldwide, helping them craft personal images as fashionistas in an international sense.