By Barbara Falconer Newhall
I thought I was traveling to China to explore the mysteries of China’s storied past: The big dynasties with their poetic one-syllable names – the Qin, the Han, the Tang, the Song. The Ming and the Qing.
I thought maybe I’d be spending my two weeks in China ogling porcelain vases and Shang bronzes.
Which I did.
But what really caught my attention – and Jon’s – during our September tour of the country was China’s storied present: The skyscrapers of Shanghai. The open air markets and airport shops bursting with merchandise. The ubiquitous one-child families. The traffic jams. The fashionistas . . . Especially the fashionistas.
Shanghai Chic
Our Viking tour guides made sure that we hit the big historic places – we contemplated the Terra Cotta Warriors and we sailed the Three Gorges.
But for me the most compelling feature of our trip were the Chinese people. The living, breathing, twenty-first-century men, women and children going about their business on the streets of some of the most populous cities in the world.
Lucky for the foreign tourist, the fun part of being a sightseer in China right now is that ninety-nine percent of the other sightseers climbing the Great Wall and promenading Shanghai’s Bund seemed to be — Chinese.
Which made it really easy for me and my trusty point-and-shoot to quietly capture the fashion shots you see here.
Most of these pictures were taken at the Yu Gardens Bazaar in Old Town Shanghai —
where Jon and I spent a sultry fall Sunday afternoon strolling and shopping. Jon found some candy to buy, and a pair of cut-paper kittens in little frames, but after a couple of hours of pushing through the crush of weekend promenaders, Jon’s feet got tired and his eyes glazed over.
He was done for the day.
I had on my sturdy shopping shoes, however. I wanted to keep on going. So Jon (thank you, Jon) caught a cab back to the hotel and gave me the gift of a couple of hours of shopping – and people-ogling – all to myself.
Just me and the fashionistas. And their trendy shoes.
For another fashion story, go to “When the Bride Doesn’t Wear White — And Neither Does Anyone Else.” For more about China, see “China’s One-Child Families — They’re for Real, for Now.”
Sylvia Rubin adds:
Arcopedico. There are slip ons and lace ups in nice colors. I have the slip ons but a friend I travel with loves the lace ups. Much cheaper than Seibel.
At least one of my friends, a fashion writer, was a little horrified by my clunky walking shoes. She writes:
Re: Walking shoes — unless you have a wide foot, you might want to check out Josef Seibel sneakers. Like a cute Converse. I swear by them for touristy strolls. Not cheap: $130, but I think it’s worth it to get a shoe that doesn’t make my feet or knees hurt. And they come in great colors.
Sometimes you can find them on sale at Zappos. Some walking shoe stores carry them, like Village Shoes in the Elmwood district [in Berkeley]. Also Ria in San Francisco has them. Style is called Caspian.
Your fashion correspondent. Sylvia Rubin
It’s amazing how shoes are such an important part of a woman’s style anywhere in the world. And China has definitely been one of the most creative cultures when it comes to shoes.
I noticed that, unlike US women, a lot of the fashionable urban women of China were wearing sneakers that looked brand new. I wonder if they have a whole collection of them at home.
Apparently the smog has hit record highs in Shanghai in recent days. It was “hazy” there in September, but it was hard to tell how much was air pollution and how much was mist. Here’s a link to photos of the disappearing city. http://mashable.com/2013/12/06/shanghai-pollution-photos/
Good article Barb, thanks. Don and I were wandering in the same area that day. It was so crowded and great for people watching!
People seemed to be having a good time promenading and poking around in the shops. I sure did.
Great photo of the bound foot. Really shows the changing culture. As someone with an interest in anthropology, I think this documentation of current fashion trends is fascinating and a great contribution to our understanding of Chinese culture. Seeing as how most of the clothing we import here in the US is made in China, it’s no wonder so many of them are on the “cutting edge” of fashion. Or at least some may think it’s fashionable. I remember when I lived in Beijing and occasionally I would go to the gym and see Chinese women in their cute little high heels on the stair climber. I prefer your sturdy walking shoes. No substitution for comfort!
High heels on the stair climber! Ha! I wonder if the sneakers are popular because they are abundant and cheap in China. It seemed like every woman and girl wore a totally different looking pair.
Great pictures of the shoes! I too loved that Sunday watching the people on the promenade in Shanghai. I vowed to buy a more chic pair of walking shoes before my next trip.
Me too. I definitely need to find myself some jazzier walking shoes.