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 July 18-22: Interview: French Designers Dariel & Arfeuillere Making Waves In Shanghai Moving to Shanghai from Paris in 2006, designers Thomas Dariel and Benoit Arfeuillere have quickly made names for themselves in the city’s thriving design community. Over the past five years, the duo’s design firm, Lime388–which they’re currently rebranding as Dariel & Arfeuillere–has been involved in some of the most striking and instantly recognizable interiors in Shanghai, from their work for famed Australian-Greek chef and restaurateur David Laris (Yucca, Funky Chicken, 12 Chairs) to the downtown golf lounge Ultra 18 and Fame nightclub. Rex Jiang of Jing Daily recently met up with Thomas Dariel to discuss his firm’s current projects, the changing tastes of Shanghai’s design-savvy urbanites, and his plans for the future. 2011 Martell Artists Of The Year Awards Held At Shanghai Art Museum This past weekend, the French cognac maker Martell held its eighth annual “Martell Artists of the Year” awards at the Shanghai Art Museum, celebrating the work of five internationally renowned artists: conceptual sculptor Sui Jianguo (best-known for his “Legacy Mantle” series), painter Li Songsong (who currently has a solo exhibition showing at New York’s Pace Gallery), photographer Hai Bo, and fashion and portrait photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. Since launching its Artists of the Year awards in 2004, Martell has handed out awards to many of China’s top painters, photographers and filmmakers, including Zhou Chunya, Jia Zhangke, and Liu Ye. In Hangzhou Luxury Market, “The More Expensive, The More Popular” Hangzhou might not have the same reputation as a critical luxury market as nearby Shanghai, but the city of 9 million boasts something that larger cities like Guangzhou and Shenzhen can’t: a consumer base that actually prefers to shop locally. While shoppers in cities close to Hong Kong often treat malls as showrooms, choosing to do their actual buying in the duty-free former British colony, Hangzhou’s high-end malls are seeing record sales. Currently, Hangzhou’s three main luxury malls, Hubin International, Hangzhou Tower and MixC, have found that when it comes to the city’s shoppers, “the more expensive, the more popular.” Digging Deeper Into China, Bentley Opens Dealership In Wenzhou Currently in the midst of an expansion effort that will see the British automaker increase its dealer network in China by one-third over the course of 2011, this week Bentley opened its first dealership in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province. Famed for the entrepreneurial nature of its residents and emigrants alike, Wenzhou boasts one of the highest per-capita GDPs in China, and wealthy Wenzhounese have developed something of a reputation throughout the country as profligate materialists. Still, for all their bluster and flash, Wenzhou locals have emerged as reliable, loyal customers to many of the world’s top luxury and wine labels, so it’s almost surprising that Bentley’s waited so long to enter this particular market. According to NetEase, the new 800 square meter Wenzhou dealership — Bentley’s 14th in China — will stock the Mulsanne, the new Continental GT (which debuted at this year’s Shanghai Auto Show) and the limited-edition Continental Flying Spur China. Will Hong Kong’s Bunker-Like Wine Storage Facilities Crop Up In The Mainland? Since the lifting of wine import duties in 2008, Hong Kong has quickly emerged as one of the world’s top wine markets. With imports surging to US$858 million last year, Sotheby’s holding a string of 15 sell-out wine auctions in a row, and Christie’s predicting that the astronomical spending of Chinese wine lovers will help Asia dominate the wine market for the next 20 years, it’s not surprising that demand for bunker-like wine storage facilities has boomed in Hong Kong in recent years.