SHANGHAI

Dream city

fashion and lifestyle

Shanghai has been China’s foremost international city since its origins in the mid 19th century. Known as the ‘Paris of the Orient’, by the 1920s it was the third largest financial centre in the world. It was also the birthplace of ‘China modern’ – the first motor car, the first feature film and the first qipao dress all appeared in Shanghai.

After the Communist revolution in 1949, many Shanghai residents left for Hong Kong. Following its redevelopment in 1992, Shanghai’s fortunes have revived and it has now surpassed the early-starter Shenzhen. Many emigrants and their descendents have returned and are taking part in the city’s cultural renaissance.

With the economic transformation of China has come a new consumer society and an urban middle class. Trendsetters, taste-makers and designers are constructing, designing and consuming a new dream. But at the same time, some creative individuals are questioning this mainstream consumerism, striving to balance commercial pressures with a unique creative vision.