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 October 11-15:
Over the past several years, “fugu” (复古, or “retro”) style has been steadily growing in popularity among some of China’s younger, or more adventurous, urbanites. With brands like Nike and Adidas becoming ubiquitous from Shanghai to Xiji, and even the smallest third-tier city getting its own Louis Vuitton boutique, we’re seeing a growing nostalgia for home-grown Chinese brands take hold, often mixed and matched with major imported brands by Beijing or Shanghai hipsters and fashionistas. But as old and outmoded as some of these brands seem to most urban Chinese, they’re virtually unknown to the outside world. So what are China’s best fugu brands?
Mercedes-Benz Achieves 2010 China Sales Goal Three Months Early
Though its red-hot auto market is showing signs of cooling, 2010 has been a very good year for German carmakers in China. In the last few months alone, BMW has launched localized models like the limited-edition M3 Tiger and elongated 5-Series, China has become the #1 market for Porsche’s Cayenne SUV, the Volkswagen Group China set a new yearly sales record in the first nine months of the year, and Audi sales in China remain on target to surpass those in Germany for the first time. Not to be outdone by its rival countrymen, Mercedes-Benz has made a stronger inland push in second- and third-tier Chinese cities, introduced elongated E-Class models, and shaken up its China management structure to better localize sales and marketing strategies.
Marc Jacobs’s Chinoiserie: Obsession or Opportunism?
In his Spring-Summer 2011 collections for Louis Vuitton—menswear in July and womenswear last week—Marc Jacobs has been exploring the influence of Chinese design, a development that has drawn a great deal of media attention. Cuing his recent womenswear show to a Susan Sontag quote—“The relation between boredom and camp taste cannot be overestimated”—Jacobs presented distinctly Chinese materials and motifs in over-the-top, extravagant pieces that prompted lively discussion about China’s expanding role as a luxury retail market.
Most critics described the runway show as decadent and fun, praising Jacobs for hitting the camp factor without overdoing it. Rejecting the minimalism of the previous season, his models walked down a raised faux-marble runway, with gold and black curtains and three taxidermied tigers in the background. The line featured electric colored silks, cheongsam-inspired dresses, fringe details, large animal motifs, and lace fan accessories.
MoMA Spotlights Contemporary Chinese Art In Latest “Primary Documents” Book
As contemporary Chinese art continues to claim an increasingly prominent position in the international art world, MoMA is marking the publication of its latest “Primary Documents” volume – the first to focus on art from Asia. At more than 450 pages, Contemporary Chinese Art: Primary Documents, edited by Wu Hung with the assistance of Peggy Wang, meticulously traces the development of Chinese art and artists in the three decades spanning 1976 through 2006.
Arranged chronologically to guide readers through the successive stages of contemporary Chinese art, each chapter and section is prefaced with a clear explanation of the selected texts, with historical background on that period in contemporary Chinese culture. The primary documents range from manifestos of avant-garde groups and writings by artists who represent the period, to prefaces to exhibitions, critical and analytical essays, and selected official documents. The publication focuses on art from mainland China, but also follows artists who resided overseas but participated in key movements in China.
China’s Largest Watch Retailer Hengdeli Targets Taipei
Anticipating a flood of mainland Chinese tourists when individual travel restrictions to Taiwan are lifted in 2011, Hengdeli, China’s largest watch retailer, has purchased a 534 square meter property on Taipei’s Zhongxiao East Road, one of the city’s major shopping areas. Since restrictions for mainland tour groups were loosened last year, Taiwan has seen an influx of mainland Chinese tourists, with around 1.09 million visiting in the first eight months of this year alone, a 74% rise over 2009.