Affordable couture has finally come to China. Whether you’re at Plaza 66 in Shanghai or at the Landmark in Hong Kong, shopping for designer labels usually means sacrificing a couple of meals or 30 unless, of course, you happen to be an investment banker or on an expat package. For the rest of us, Prometheus has brought us fire in the form of affordable fashion. Roberto Cavalli debuted his H&M collection globally last week, and China was lucky enough to be in on this feeding frenzy. Although this is not the first time H & M has teamed up with a designer, this is the first time the company has debuted a designer label in the mainland and Hong Kong. While it’s true Madonna’s H & M collection did hit stores out here, but, really, Madonna a designer? With seven stores now in Greater China, H & M has made quite an impact in a very short time. You can’t spend the day out and about without recognizing a piece from H&M staring back at you.

As for Cavalli’s grand entrance, his H & M line does not disappoint. He brings his signature animal prints to a range of products from maxidresses to tights. According to the Times, fashion insiders have coined the range as “pimp wear for its slinky materials, studs and theatrical faux-fur reminiscent of ’70s streetwalker culture”. Don’t worry guys, there’s also a collection available for you so you too can participate in the pimposity. Although this is the most expensive line the store has launched, rabid fans were still chomping at the bit to get a taste of luxe glamour. With stores selling out in hours around the world, China has not been an exception to the rule. Lex Keijser, Greater China Manager for H & M, reported that on the day of the release, by noon, “half of the Cavalli stock had already sold out with a full sellout expected by the end of the first day.” It seems the only place to find those leopard tights now is on Ebay.

Image: Cavalli’s H&M Collection/Dexigner

This column serves not only as a tribute to a great man with a great name, but it captures all those moments in China that make you stop for a second and do a double take. We have transmogrified “Oh snap!” to bring you “Bo Zaaaang!”

Venturing out to Mong Kok, an area of Hong Kong infamous for its expansive open air market, on the weekend can be hazardous to one’s health. One has to be prepared to fight a wall of flesh for that must have item. You think shopping for Christmas presents on Christmas Eve in the U.S. is bad? Multiply that maddening crowd by ten, and you have Mong Kok on a regular Saturday. However, those intrepid warriors going up to Mong Kok from this weekend forward might find it a little more difficult to find their favorite bootleg item, namely DVDs. Yes, those delicious slivers of happiness were recently the object of a crackdown. Secretly, many are mourning the loss of this naughty little treasure, but one must keep moving forward…moving forward to Shenzhen that is!

It seems that the intrepid Hong Kong Customs Special Task Force got wind of the location of a DVD burning syndicate and went CSI Miami on them. I just wonder who played the part of the overtly dramatic Horatio? Finding a ginger cop in Hong Kong must be tough! In the end, after the flashy pans and obligatory close-ups, a total of 5,000 DVDs plus 1,200 DVD-Rs were seized which makes for the largest bust of its kind in the record books. Time to break out that bottle of bai jiu from Uncle Chan’s liquor cabinet. According to the Business of Cinema, the total value of what was confiscated amounted to HK$200,000 and the movies ranged in title from “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, The Invasion, and Lust, Caution.” Hmm, The Invasion and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry? Maybe folks won’t be missing their DVDs after all.

Image: China Daily

A Beijing moviegoer has filed suit against China’s State Administration of Radio, Film and Television for censoring the sex out of Ang Lee’s latest film Lust, Caution. Dong Yanbin, a graduate student at China University of Political Science and Law, claimed the missing 30 minutes of footage cut by Lee to adhere to China’s censorship rules obscured his understanding of the movie and thus, violated his consumer rights. He told the Beijing Times “The incomplete structure and fragmented portrayal of the female lead’s psyche makes it hard for the audience to appreciate the movie’s art.” Dong seeks 500 yuan in psychological damages. Whether a mere publicity stunt or a groundbreaking legal case against censorship, it remains to be seen. Perhaps China’s censors will think twice next time before depriving a grad student of a half an hour of onscreen Ang Lee-style sex.

Image: IndieWire

In 2005, Chinese author/actress/weirdo Niki Yan wrote the autobiographical novel “My Love for You, Tom Cruise — A Desperate Chinese Girl’s Confession,” chronicling her journey from a poor Chinese village to America four years earlier. While the tale of a young Chinese girl escaping poverty in a small village and realizing her dream has become hackneyed and to some, downright boring, certainly the story of Niki Yan is neither. Yan didn’t set out for America in pursuit of freedom or religious tolerance or a new life. Nor did she need to break free from the shackles of Chinese repression. Rather, Yan left her home at the age of 16 and traveled to America because she had seen Top Gun and wanted to meet Tom Cruise. Yes, that’s right. Tom Cruise. That little Scientologist who left his coolness in 1992 (perhaps on the set of A Few Good Men) and began a slow transformation into the beacon of smugness and sanctimony he is today. Though Yan doesn’t quite see him this way. Here is how Yan described her feelings for Cruise to PRWeb in 2005:

Tom Cruise was my role model, he changed my life, and I’ve learned so much from him: being positive; being myself, and never been afraid of anything. Like he said: “Life is an adventure, and the adventure is how you make it.” His courage and faith, love and compassion, determination and responsibility, had a big impact on my life. Spiritually he is positive and clear, emotionally he is kind and compassionate, brain and heart; what more can you ask from a human? He is truly amazing.

Despite the fact that Yan possesses all the symptoms of a kooky celebrity stalker and that I can’t find an English publication of her book anywhere but her blog, a major Beijing-based film studio has bought the rights to her book and intends to shoot a major motion picture, according to a Friday press release. Not only that, Zhang Yimou, who directed Hero and House Of Flying Daggers, is expected to direct the Yan-inspired flick. The release also speculated that actress Zhang Ziyi, of Hero and Crouching Tiger fame would play the role of Niki Yan. However, Yan has vehemently opposed the casting saying, “I have to star in it. It’s my story, it’s my life. I can’t imagine someone else playing me, even Zhang.” And if you still do not believe that Yan is certifiably mental, let me share with you a poem that serves as the foreword of her “novel”:

Life in a small village
Top Gun changed my life
Going to the city ( who is Tom Cruise)
I was the rebel ( High school Drop-out)
The factory Girl
Beijing at night ( A Show girl’s Life )
Good bye, China

It seems almost like destiny that Niki Yan and Tom Cruise might meet again on the big screen. These two belong together.

Image: Kinda Gross

It’s that time of year for Oscar’s equally shiny cousin, The Golden Horse, to ride into town. All bad imagery aside, The Golden Horse Awards is Taiwan’s annual salute to all that is fabulous in Chinese cinema. It’s no surprise that this year’s leader at the ceremony is Ang Lee for his skintillating drama, Lust, Caution. However, it’s not just this film that has some eyebrows raised, two other lesser known films have also caused this flaxen stallion to become rattled. The films in question, Wang Quan An’s Tuya’s Marriage and Yang Li’s Blind Mountain, were shortlisted for honors at this year’s ceremony, but have been pulled at the last moment due to a political game of he said, she said. Like the best guests on trashy talk show, The Maury Povich Show, China was like “Taiwan, I’m yo’ baby daddy, you do what I say in my house!” In response, Taiwan screamed “Nuh uh, talk to the hand, and let the paternity test prove it!!!” Naturally, the world is still waiting…….

With the jury still out on the paternity test and with the epic stand off between China and Taiwan showing no signs of abatement, interactions between the two are often shaded by varying levels of antagonism. Unfortunately, The Golden Horse, even though it honors all Chinese cinema, has found its’ hand forced by the Beijing government. Both Tuya’s Marriage and Blind Mountain are not entitled to compete for an award because the movies were fully produced in the mainland. According to the International Herald Tribune, “The two films violated Chinese government policy banning films with exclusive mainland investment from competing at the Taiwanese event, a Chinese film official said Tuesday”. Moreover, some in Beijing fear that by allowing these fully mainland funded films to participate, in what is essentially a Taiwanese event, may give Taiwan what it wants most: international recognition as an independent state. P.R.C. films that are partially produced in partnerships with non-mainland companies(even those done in conjunction with Taiwanese production houses) are allowed to compete. How do the people behind these films feel about the move? Like us, everyone wants to know what the DNA tests will prove, and, until that day, we just have to be patient and optimistic. As the director of Blind Mountain puts it, “he regretted not being able to compete in Taiwan” but “he expects China to relax its restrictions gradually.”

Image: Yang Li’s Blind Mountain

This section will strive to bring you short sweet facts, digestible in 30 seconds, related to all forms of art, and fun to bring up in random conversations with strangers if you’re so inclined.

Tao Qian (365–427) was a pre-Tang Dynasty poet who preferred la vie boheme over any kind of work period. Working as a magistrate in the imperial court by necessity, his philosophy towards life was cemented when he refused to prostrate himself before a superior. He summed up this moment succinctly with the line:

“I shall not break my back for five bushels of grain.”

Tao Qian, world’s first slacker, we salute you!

The Shanghai Art Fair, the city’s biggest contemporary art festival for foreign art collectors, is no longer all about the Benjamins. Opening Thursday at the ShanghaiMart, the Shanghai Art Fair has changed its slogan so that the art world doesn’t perceive the event as being only about money. Even though this event, like most art festivals, is all about money. In past years, the tagline of the festival was “Investing in Art.” According to a Shanghai Daily report, this slogan seemed a bit “crass” and materialistic so organizers chose a new subtitle for the event that supposedly deemphasizes the financial focus of the fair. The new slogan is “Collecting Art and Enjoying a Fortune,” which to me, sounds significantly more materialistic than the old one. I would have gone with “Get It While It’s Hot,” but that’s just me. Here is an excerpt from the official event press release regarding the new classy tone to the fair:

The director of Shanghai Art Fair introduces that after ten year’s development, Shanghai Art Fair gradually transfers into a professional focus event from the former public one which concentrates on popularizing art collection. The organizing committee tries every effort to promote the Fair’s level to attract more high class people to join in the Fair.

The Shanghai Art Fair, which began in 1996 as a marginal celebration of Chinese art, has blossomed into an internationally recognized forum for the world’s most promising contemporary art. Around 10,000 pieces will be on display from over 150 galleries in 17 countries. As the fair grows in both space (22,000 square meters this year) and attention (50,000 collecters are expected), the artists on display look to capitalize off the recent string of multi-million-dollar acquisitions of Chinese art. In this scorching hot Chinese art world, a big sale can transform a localized Chinese artist into a globally recognized celebrity overnight. Because no matter what the tagline for the 2007 Shanghai Art Fair is, these events hinge on investor’s interest and money. The Shanghai Arts Fair runs until Monday. Leave your capitalist fervor at home.

Image: Reading 2003-4 by Li Shan/oil on canvas from ShanghART Gallery

Even in Tibet, the modern age has displaced many of the once indigenous aesthetics and traditional arts of this land in favor of a more common culture shaped by ipods, Xboxes and Mtv, oh my! Like everyone else, young Tibet started to focus on finding different ways to spend their time. Moreover, with the opening of the Qinghai – Tibet Railway in 2006, many feared that the Four Horsemen of the Communist were on their way to destroy what autonomy and culture this disputed region had left. The image of scores of tourists trouncing up and down Tibet sent a shiver down many collective patchouli loving spines. However, amid the controversy, there has been a silver lining.

Thanks to the influx of tourists, Tibetans are finding that a better way of spending their time actually involves looking back at their own history. The Mina Qamo, a dance traditionally performed only every 12 years, has experienced a resurrection. According to one performer, “We simply make more money by performing traditional dances for tourists than we do from farm work,” said Nyima Cering. “In order to attract more tourists, we must dance better, sing better, and understand our ancestors’ legacy better. What better way is there for the preservation of our traditions?” According to Xinhua, the Qamo is a religious dance that finds its root in monasteries in the Gongbu area of Tibet where lamas perform the dance as an act to subdue “evil spirits”. Now it has taken to the streets where the dance is performed for tourists, and what was once almost lost in the annals of history is now being etched in the mind of all locals and visitors for generations to come. For now, the horsemen are at bay.

Photo: Hot

If you were arguably the most renowned artist within, arguably, the most provocative art movement the East has ever seen, where would you go to showcase your work? Take a few seconds. Well if you said Queens, home of the Mets, 50 Cent and the phrase “youz guys,” you are correct. Yue Minjun, a leading figure in the Beijing “cynical realism” movement, is on display at the Queens Museum of Art through January 6 in his first ever American museum exhibition. Entitled “Yue Minjun and the Symbolic Smile,” the Queens Museum will display Yue’s signature laughing face self-portraits which depict himself in various settings and uniforms with a huge smile. Along with the paintings, the QMA will showcase 20 life-size Terracotta Warrior statues, all with Yue’s trademark grin. Yue was in New York for the opening and when asked by the New York Times about the laughing as a constant in his art, Yue responded, “anybody who’s gone through Chinese recent experience would understand it.” New York readers, follow the sound of airplanes out to Flushing before year’s end.

Image: Queens Museum of Art

With the Beyoncé Experience in the rear view mirror and the Linkin Park Shanghai concert just around the bend, it’s clear that the old attitudes toward Western-minded cultural events in Shanghai, and mainland China in general, have changed drastically. Just two years ago, the announcement of an Ice-T concert at the now defunct Pegasus Club in Shanghai was described as “Breaking News” on the media site Danwei. China has come a long way from those old days of when Ice-T, Richard Marx and Michael Bolton were the major international draws. China-based promoters are now faced with the task of welcoming two of the biggest world tours to Shanghai just 15 days apart. While this may seem like a blessing more than a curse, China’s demand for live international acts may have outgrown the infrastructure in place to support these massive productions. Full Story