Week In Review: October 8-12, 2012

In case you missed them the first time around, here are some of Jing Daily’s top posts for the week of October 8-12: Shang Xia Launches Second Boutique & "In/Out" Exhibition In Beijing This week, Shang Xia CEO and creative director Jiang Qiong’er lifted the veil on Shang Xia’s new “In/Out” collection and new Kengo Kuma-designed Beijing boutique — its second — at an event attended by Jing Daily. Amid an idyllic setting, punctuated by swaying willow trees and a lake abloom with water lilies, Jiang, Hermès CEO Patrick Thomas, former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin and acclaimed fashion photographer Paolo Roversi gathered in a bamboo hut filled with the aroma of green tea. The atmosphere and design of the event fully encapsulated the unique aspects of Chinese culture that infuse the Shang Xia brand as well as its creations. Sotheby's & China Guardian Kick Off HK Autumn Auction Season This weekend, Hong Kong’s auction scene roared back to life with Sotheby’s autumn auction series and mainland Chinese auction house China Guardian’s first-ever sale in the city. Reflecting major trends that we’ve seen take hold in the Greater China auction market over the course of 2012, Sotheby’s saw strong demand for rare lots at wine, jewelry and art auctions, while — owing to more cautious and discriminating bidding and greater difficulty procuring top-quality items — less valuable pieces, even by blue-chip artists, went unsold this time around. Hard-to-get works by key players stole the show, however, with Zhang Xiaogang’s “Tiananmen No. 1” selling for US$2.7 million, over its low estimate of $1.9 million, Liu Wei’s “Revolutionary Family Series” selling for US$2.25 million, over a low estimate of $1.5 million, and Ding Yi’s “Appearance of Crosses 94-7” going for US$203,807, nearly three times its low estimate of $77,395. Two Years After Entering Market, Yoox Launches Chinese Site Two years after entering the China market with the launch of emporioarmani.cn, this week Milan-based designer discount e-commerce site Yoox launched a new Chinese site, Yoox.cn. Offering discounted end-of-season accessories and apparel from the likes of Prada, Gucci, Moschino and Dolce & Gabbana, the site is consistent with global Yoox versions yet tailored for the particularities of the Chinese shopper. Among the localized features on the site are a Chinese version of Yoox’s Speak & Shop feature, which lets customers search for preferred color schemes in Mandarin, RMB transactions, FedEx shipping to 400 cities in China and a liberal return policy, cash-on-delivery or Alipay payment options, and RFID anti-counterfeit seals to assuage consumer fears of fakes. As with its global sites, Yoox’s Chinese version is optimized for iPad and iPhone. 10 Minutes With…HK Food Blogger Extraordinaire Janice Leung Hong Kong-based writer, editor, and food blogger/critic extraordinaire Janice Leung keeps her plate full and her readers hungry for more as she zips through life, stomach first, documenting her global travels and eats on her acclaimed food blog “e_ting the world.” As if she wasn’t busy enough, Leung — with co-founder Vincent Poon, the man behind Festival of Restaurants – is now proving herself an influential force in Hong Kong’s food industry with the recently opened Island East Markets, a (soon-to-be leading) farmers’ market at Taikoo Place. No Reservations: Lindsay Jang & Matt Abergel Of Hong Kong's "It" Izakaya, Yardbird Nestled among the temples, antique shops, bars and cafés that wind through Hong Kong’s trendy Soho district, yakitori hotspot Yardbird has made once-sleepy Bridges Street a go-to destination for serious foodies with an itch only that only world-class skewers can scratch. Since opening Yardbird last year, owners Lindsay Jang and Matt Abergel (formerly of Zuma and Masa) have become a culinary force to be reckoned with, with the city’s notoriously spoiled-for-choice diners lining up daily for some of the best yakitori in Hong Kong as well as signature dishes like corn tempura, KFC (Korean Fried Cauliflower) and now-legendary meatballs.

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Week In Review: October 8-12, 2012