Fireworks Gone Bad in Beijing

Trouser’s legs and CCTV Hotel after fire, originally uploaded by drea beijing.

Holy smokes! The CCTV building has gone up in …. well, you get the picture. Apparently, this is what happens when fireworks go bad. Fortunately, no one was in the building so there were no causalities. Though looking at the Twitter feeds, Flickr photos and YouTube videos, a lot of people were either casually watching or taking this opportunity to be a “real” journalists and get as close as they could to the blaze…a bit crazy if you ask me, especially considering the tragedy in Australia.

[Update: I talked to my friend who now lives in Beijing and apparently this fire was right next to her apartment complex.  Not surprisingly, there wasn't much said on the local news stations in China. So as an alternative, they went outside to check it out. Just glad that it didn't spread to areas where people were actually living.]

Filed under: Breaking News, Social Media, Beijing, CCTV, China, Fire, News

Legation Quarter, Beijing’s Luxury Destination?

Legation Quarter, originally uploaded by stjohn88.

During the Qing Dynasty, Legation Quarter served as the U.S. embassy in China. Under Chairman Mao, it became the residence of the Dali Lama in the 1950s. Today, this cluster of colonial buildings with its lovely green patch of lawn is in negotiations being transformed into a luxury destination for Beijing’s wealthiest shoppers and diners. The development is billed as a “integrated lifestyle development project.”

The only problem, according to WWD.com, are the would-be luxury retailers and restaurants. Many of which are reluctant to commit to the location. Some industry experts speculate that this is because of Beijing’s shopping culture is geared towards malls. But others argue, that actually, the consumers with the spending power to buy luxury goods are only using the mall retailers as showrooms to view the latest products.

Only time will tell what will happen to this space, though I wonder if this outdoor mall setup is really viable in a location that’s known for its poor quality of air, dust and heat. But then again, the weather conditions in the photo shown above look rather pleasant.

Filed under: Fashion, Retail, 32 Qianmen, American Legation, Asian, Beijing, China, Development, Fashion, Legation Quarter, Retail

Martin Margiela’s Beijing Retrospective

maison-martin-margiela, originally uploaded by selfservice.

 

Maison Martin Margiela, the fashion house of Belgium’s avantgarde fashion designer, unveiled its first retrospective exhibition at Beijing’s 798 Art District the week of June 9th. Sponsored by Hong Kong retailer I.T., the exhibit features “a gallery of cotton-covered dummies, a car draped in a sheet, the contents of an anonymous woman’s handbag on a podium and, of course, some clothes” according to WWD.com.

As apparent in the photo above, Chinese actress Zhou Xun is already a fan. The star of “Perhaps, Love” and “The Banquet” attended the cocktail opening wearing a “horse-print dress with exaggerated shoulders” from Margiela’s spring 2008 line.

Margiela is famous for his deconstructive designs whereby he is known redesign hand objects such as old wigs, canvases and silk scarves into couture garments. Other interesting factoids about this designer is his low profile. He allegedly has never had his picture taken and always remains backstage during his shows. Even more peculiar is his preference to communicate with the media via fax. His Web site in my opinion is rather interested and slightly deceiving upon first look….click here and see for yourself.

Filed under: Fashion, 798 Art District, Avantgarde Fashion, Beijing, China, Dashanzi Art District, Designer, 艺术区, Fashion, I.T., Maison Martin Margiela, Martin Margiela, Perhaps Love, The Banquet, Zhou Xun