Patrick Schiefen, 30, looks youthful with bleached blonde hair and flawless skin.  He seems stressed but excited about the upcoming launch of his self-published poetry collection “If you know you know”.  The book contains 18 poems exploring themes such as identity, LGBTQ issues, societal intolerance and self-acceptance.

 

  Originally from Elmira, a small town in Upstate New York, he moved to Shanghai in 2011.  His poetic spirit is detectable in the intensity with which he constructs somewhat disjointed sentences that sound like they are trying to become verses in a rhyme.

He reveals a monochrome tattoo above his wrist of a cartoon-like cross-legged figure holding a banner that reads:  “not yet there”.  This is also the title of an earlier poem of his.  “My friends convinced me to do the title of my poem for a long time; I thought none of my own words – it’s a bit narcissistic, but I’m really, really connected to this poem in particular.”

These words seems to be like a mantra that is paraphrased all over the new collection of poetry.  One line from his poem “Knowing”, for instance, reads:  “I know I’d never find what I’m looking for, and know that I’d never want to.”  

He explains how not knowing what he wanted to do in life initially caused him anxiety.  This started at an early age, since he comes from a family of “practical people”.  He fondly describes his parents as “closeted creative types”. 

“My dad was a very good writer and he applied it to business; and my mom I discovered, growing up was a good drawer. But if it didn’t have a practical use, it was not encouraged. ”  

He muses over vague childhood memories of getting to type stories in the school’s computer lab – something he did not feel brave enough to do at home in the open.  “I’ve been a kind of a black sheep when it comes to creating and writing. I used to do it with my door closed.”

Trying to do what is practical, he studied financial economics in college. “ I was thinking this is what a normal person does; this is what is expected of me and maybe if I do this now, in 5 years I will have something, I will have a job; but I could never really picture myself in that role .“   

Working as an economics teacher in Shanghai he found a community which allowed him to explore his poetic talent:  “The creative energy here is really amazing, especially for people that are just starting or trying to figure it out.  A lot of other big cities like New York…London… are so established that you have to really be ready to go.  Here you have time to figure it out.” 

He attributes a visit to Thailand and an almost fatal bike accident to his recent spiritual awakening. This led to him becoming more comfortable with not knowing what lies ahead in life for him.  “I realized that I had been an angry anxious person and the only end result of that is something bad – it could be the accident or even worse. I realized it’s the only way it could end and I need to find a way to let it go.”

With his new-found confidence Patrick often finds himself trying things he wouldn’t do back home, such as delivering dramatic performances of his work.  The rhythmic quality of his performances reveals his love for music:  

“I was a poet that was inspired by music.  I’m very lyric based, I’m kind of a pop music kind of guy and I’m also into hip hop.”  

Having had to deal with some anger as a child, he also found inspiration from rapper Eminem, whose internal rhymes he admires.  However, as Patrick became more politically aware, he started having mixed feelings about this artist: 

“We are at a point now where being misogynistic and homophobic – especially in the mainstream, even if you tell people not to be so sensitive – there is not really a place for it.”

It took him a long while to gather up the courage to become more political in his writing.  He describes his earlier poems as “not that great”, since he held himself back from a lot of “real issues”.  He is particularly grateful for the support from his graphic designer boyfriend, Aiden Bra, who is also responsible for the layout design of the book. “It is great dating another artist.  I don’t think I would have been able to write these type of poems and also be brave enough to share them if I hadn’t met him.”  

Although a self-described cis-male, Patrick finds great inspiration from the trans-community.  In poems like ‘Names’ and ‘Sacred’ he ties imagery of struggles from this community in with the search for identity:

“Everyone has challenges and there are difficult challenges specific to that community.  They have to fight so hard to claim who they are and they are really determined to do that and it is not easy.  I don’t know specifically what they are going through but it’s not easy.  And I find that really inspiring.”  

He laughs nervously before he adds: “And if they are able to do that then I can do these small things you know?” 

“If you know you know” was launched on May 12, 2019.  For book orders, visit Patrick’s website at:  patrickschiefen.com/the book 

 

Electric Afro-beats are pulsing through the tiny DinXi Road studio. An agile instructor is spinning around energetically while the class is filling up. Prim-looking business ladies  approach the dance-floor, surrendering to her hypnotic spell.

The owner of Merge Studio, who goes by the name April, has a warm personality and greets visitors with a hug. Her English accent is a delightful blend of Chinese and Latin, as a result of being fluent in Portuguese. Her partner in life and business, who introduces himself as Andyfred, has a natural strut in his step.   The pair organizes a variety of classes and festivals together, and the most prominent dances offered are Kizomba, Brazilian Zouk and Afro.

Kizomba is a dance that originates from the fast-paced Angolan Semba. The Semba was adapted to to suit slower Caribbean Zouk music, and that is how Kizomba was born. Brazilian Zouk has equally fascinating roots, in the sense that it is danced to Caribbean Zouk music, whilst the steps are mainly influenced by the infamous Brazilian dance, Lambada.

April finds these two dances interesting since dancers are not necessarily compelled to follow a regular eight rhythm. “You can always go out of rhythm, create your own thing and then come back to it.  So you can change the music, you can break down and put your own musicality and flavor into it, so for me it is very creative, it allows you to express in a way broader sense,” she explains.

April and Andyfred’s paths crossed for the first time in 2015 at a party in Shanghai. Both are passionate dancers, and to Andyfred, who is originally from Haiti, it came as a great surprise when he learned that April, who hails from Zhejiang Province, had such in-depth knowledge of Caribbean dancing, including Kompa, which is a dance he grew up with.  “She mentioned Kompa and I was like ‘what?’  Because usually in China when I say I’m Haitian, people don’t know where it is,” Andy says animatedly.

April’s passion for dancing was sparked while she was studying business at the prestigious Tsinghua University. During this time she took some Latin dancing classes, and on completion of her studies she decided to go to Brazil to broaden her knowledge of dancing.  This initially came as a disappointment to her family, who hoped she would pursue a career in banking or business like her other class mates.  “I needed something more. I was always moved by arts, culture and spiritual things,” she says.

After a year in Brazil, she returned to China, and opened Merge Studio in Shanghai. Although her family took a while to accept what April describes as her “mission” to balance the spiritual and material in China, her mother is now a proud investor in this venture.

Andyfred’s passion for dancing started at a young age.  After emigrating to the USA with his family from Haiti at the age of 15, he added classical dances such as ballet and tap to his repertoire.

A language enthusiast, Andy studied Chinese at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.  After graduation, he moved to China to improve his language skills.  In Shanghai, he initially worked as an English teacher, but eventually started teaching hip hop at April’s studio. “I came to China for more language but the dancing still found itself to me. And I met someone who was also passionate about languages, dancing and traveling; and sharing it with others.”

April and Andyfred are pleased with the outcome of the Kizomba Congress they recently hosted in Shanghai.  This was a weekend-long festival attracting people from all over the world.  During this congress, dance classes were led by professional instructors.  It ended with a competition.  At the end of a class they would record the instructors’ demo of the steps taught, so attendees could have videos to refer to in future.

In addition to a variety of workshops coming up in the near future, they are also planning to host the China Brazillian Zouk Congress from October 31 – November 4.  Twenty different teachers, including the founder of this dance, Renata Peçanha will be attending. April says the festival will take a similar format to the Kizomba congress: “Literally a weekend of non-stop learning, dancing and making new friends.”

Passionate about teaching, Andy finds it rewarding when a student experiences “that light bulb moment. Everybody has a different way to understand stuff: when you find that correct way to communicate with someone and things just click”.

April loves watching students with “two left feet” progress over a few months.  “You will literally see how their legs get stronger, they can hold their core and they understand the music.”

Helping people understand the music connects with April’s mission. Along with Andy, she educates people through various media to address this issue:

“I’ve been exposed to these kinds of cultures. I felt like in China we have a communication problem with the outside world.  I want to change that.  I want to be that bridge to link these cultures to introduce these amazing dances to China and introduce Chinese culture abroad as well,” she says.

Even though Chinese culture differs vastly from cultures within the African diaspora, April believes that these dances have universal appeal.  She explains:

“These music and dances were born from the slavery history.  And it was born from the resilience and that is why it has so much life force in it.”

Giuseppe Daddeo (39) is towering over a table, his tone composed. Yet his words are spirited when talking about his love for poetry.

“To me it is the most powerful expression of words, you can say a lot with a short poem, it is very powerful,” he says.

Despite suffering from a herniated disk in his back, he patiently answers questions for over an hour, about A Shanghai Poetry Zine (ASPZ), whilst standing up.

ASPZ is a free, quarterly multilingual publication of poetry and visual arts from the Shanghai artistic community. “We give them a space so that now you have a new incentive to write.  So there are actually people who have started to write again just because they know there is a place where they can be published,” he says.

Originally from Avellino, Italy, Giuseppe has had artistic aspirations from an early age. “I have a strong ego, I wanted to make a difference, I didn’t want to go unnoticed,” he says with a shrug.

Being the son of a professor of literature and history, he spent most of his free time as a child reading and writing, since TV was banned in his house.

At the age of 17, J.J, his book about a rock band, was published in Italy. Despite having written short stories and a lot of poems since then, he admits that he hasn’t made much efforts until recently (via ASPZ’s anonymous submission process) to get anything published. “I leave it there, I don’t know why. Maybe it’s the fear of not being good enough.”

 

At the age of 25 he moved to Shanghai after spending some years working in events management in Italy. Factory work in China helped him master Mandarin, and develop a good understanding of engineering terminology in this language. Currently he works as a consultant for Italian engineering firms wishing to expand their presence in China.

 

Enjoying some flexibility in this role, he can dedicate a lot of his time to artistic endeavours, such as ASPZ, which he founded with 5 friends in 2016.

 

“We are kind of nurturing the growth of this kind of half-dead form of art.  Many people like it but they never attempted or they found it useless to do it because you write a poem and you do what?  You put it in your closet,” he says.

Through the voluntary efforts of Giuseppe and his team, they hope to change this bleak outlook for poets residing in Shanghai.

The latest issue of ASPZ boasts 16 poems and eight visual artworks accompanying the poems. Copies are distributed in Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu and Jakarta. An electronic version of each issue is also shared in the ASPZ WeChat group.

New issues are usually launched at an event where the works of the published poets are read. The artists also get to explain their work. After that, an open mic is held, and writers and poets, including those who did not get included in the issue, are invited to read out their poems to an audience.

Giuseppe insists that people should keep submitting their poems, even if they do not get published the first time.

“If I wanted to publish all the good ones, we would have had 100 pages.”

The ASPZ team accept poems in any language, as they are supported by a network of collaborators, including skilled translators.

Giuseppe is particularly interested in getting the Chinese and international community to mingle more.   “There are amazing Chinese poets in Shanghai, so we do need to spread our word a bit more into the Chinese community.”

In terms of the selection process, only one team member has access to the email address where submissions are sent.  From here all the poems are rendered anonymous and rated by external collaborators.  Members from the editorial team wishing to submit poems also have to go through this process.

 

Giuseppe is pleased with the hundreds of poems they receive from the community:   “The quality of submissions is skyrocketing. We are getting better and better stuff by the same people or new people. That means people are working on their skills thanks to this.”

He feels strongly about providing the publication for free: “One of the reasons why this spread quickly was also their availability. Free of charge, no barriers.”

However, printing and distributing ASPZ is expensive, and the funds contributed by Giuseppe, some of his team members and other donors have not been sufficient to keep distributing the magazine for free.

Dismayed he says: “We decided we are going to charge for the magazine, the hard copy, a symbolic value which will cover at least the printing.”

Putting costs into perspective, he says: “You can easily waste 100 bucks for nothing here in Shanghai; sixty five for a cocktail.  But then you want to give nothing for a magazine.”

He is hoping to recruit a volunteer marketing manager in the near future, who may be able to help finding sponsors for the magazine so it can be free again.

“Generally speaking, art should be a tool for the society to be better for the people to have a better place instead of getting drunk in a bar. For the people to have an opportunity to grow as artists as creators all of these and the money for me they don’t click together. I don’t like money. I think it is a very dirty thing.”

Those wishing to submit poetry, can email:   ashanghaipoetryzine@yahoo.com.

To join the group, or to donate, connect with Giuseppe on WeChat at: giuseppedaddeo

 “When moving to Shanghai, I found that fast food or street food, is very different from the way we would make it at home.  It tends to be a lot greasier, contains a lot more MSG and processed flavours.” 

Over coffee, Shiyin Wang  is telling me what inspired him to start Kaixin Cooking, a company that offers healthy Chinese cooking classes. Dressed in a black button-down shirt, he is the picture of professionalism. His responses to my questions are intelligent and thoughtful.

He says that despite the tendency of many restaurants in Shanghai to use meat in vegetable dishes, Chinese food is naturally vegan: “They are using a lot of vegetables, they are not using many animal products, or none at all.”

Having lived in the USA from the age of five, Shiyin moved back to his city of birth five months ago. His interest in cooking was sparked at a young age, since his parents’ busy careers meant he was often responsible for preparing his own breakfast: “I would add eggs to ramen noodles at different times to test what is the best result,” he says with a smile.  

He tells me that meals he eats with his family mostly consist of whole foods and natural ingredients. 

Learning that many people, especially expats, want to explore Chinese cuisine but cannot always find enough healthy food options around the city, he spotted a business opportunity:  “I wanted to teach a class that was more about the kind of cooking that I did growing up.”

He says that the principles in The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollen, greatly influenced his health philosophy.  These are “eating whole food, mostly plants, and not too much.”

On the subject of diets, he feels that many people conflate being healthy with being slim.  Having followed the Keto diet before, he explains that although it has useful principles like avoiding processed sugar, it was not a sustainable diet for him: “I was craving vegetables and I felt that the diet wasn’t really allowing me to eat things like tomatoes, Brussels sprouts or things that just have some carbs, but to me seem very healthy.”

Quitting Keto and returning to the recipes of his childhood meant eating a balanced set of vegetables and a wide variety of foods again. “It just made me feel better,” he says.

We discuss the advantages of living in China.  He mentions challenges faced by minorities in the States:  “My experience in the US was that there is an extreme pressure to assimilate into being American…There is always this feeling that anywhere I go I sort of have to think about:  Is this person treating me a certain way; or thinking about me a certain way; or do they have some assumptions about me because of the fact that I am Chinese?”

Living in China, he does not feel this burden anymore: “I could just be myself and be anybody that I wanted to be,” he says

His face lights up when he tells me about regular visits to his family in Shanghai since he was 12. Reconnecting with them is another advantage to being back: “Every time I would visit as a kid they would just show this unconditional love for me. I realized as I was getting older I was kind of taking that for granted without being able to really understand who they were and how their lives were.It was really nice to come back to Shanghai being able to be with them again.”  

We move from the topic of family to friendships.  He tells me how a group of friends he had whilst living in Los Angeles helped him push his cooking skills to a higher level. At the time, he worked as a researcher at a solar energy company: “I really enjoyed the job at the solar energy company and I wanted to also explore having dinners where we would talk about the environment, eat healthy food, attempt to eat food that is sustainable.”

These gatherings taught him to deal with technicalities such as keeping food fresh and cooking multiple courses in large quantities.

“My friend group there really challenged each other to improve our cooking.  When you challenge yourself, that’s when you learn the most,” he says.

Shiyin says he loves hosting dinner parties since they are a way for people to connect.  He chose the business name “Kaixin”, which is Mandarin for “happy”, because this is the emotion he wants people to experience when cooking and eating together.  

“I feel like the cooking itself really bring people together. I feel like there’s something about the cooking itself that puts people more relaxed and gets them to open up a little.”

For more details on the cooking classes, connect with Shiyin on WeChat:

“This drum was used in wars to encourage soldiers. In some worship rituals it was used to communicate with God. It is a token in our Chinese culture.”

This is how the Chinese drum is described by chief percussionist of the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra (SHCO), Wang Yinrui.

One can also add that the Chinese drum was instrumental to the creation of an atmosphere of burning flames in A Dance of Fire, composed by Huang Lei and Huang Ke.

Hitting these instruments with military precision, the Shanghai Drum Culture Art Troupe were spectacular to watch: Their lightning-paced arm movements seemed perfectly choreographed.

Instruments played by SHCO members, such as the djembe, African flute, bongo drums and tabla, fused into their rhythms, creating a suspenseful work of art.

Teaser of A Dance of Fire performance.

The illusion of fire was enhanced by a visual presentation of flames, under the artistic direction of Tang Ping.

A Dance of Fire forms part of a four chapter musical production, Our Common Homeland, which premiered in the Shanghai Grand Theatre on Novemer 5.

Showcasing the talent of mainland China’s oldest large scale Chinese orchestra (SHCO) and 31 guest musicians, the first two nights attracted an estimated 2500 audience members.

According to SHCO head, Luo Xiaoci, “Chinese instruments are open to a dialogue with a wide variety of musical instruments from around the world” in Our Common Homeland.

One such dialogue takes place in The Ride of Waves by Huang Lei.

This intriguing collaboration was brought to life by Yu Bing on the Chinese pipa and Enrique Sáez Palazón on the Spanish guitar.

Award winning flamenco dancers Liu Xiao and Liang Daiqingan accompanied them on stage.

Bing got to explore fiercer dimensions on the pipa, an instrument with strokes that are usually gentler when played the traditional way.

Teaser of ‘The Ride of Waves’.

Also, according to Bing, Flamenco leaves more room for improvisation.

“The normal process we are used to, the composer gives us the score and tell us to follow the notes completely. But when a performer performs this work, he is flesh and blood,” he said in this interview.

Audience members, old and young, remained mesmerized by the fleeting visuals progressing through the different chapters – From Origins of the Universe to Lights of Civilisation.

Landscapes from Egypt, Mongolia, China and Russia, as well as the inside of a night club are but a few to mention.

The musical genres included world, folk, electronic and rock.

Other composers whose works were performed were Tan Dun, Wang Yunfei, Ravi Shankar, Tang Jianping and Yi Latu.

SHCO has traveled to Europe and Mexico before and according to Global Marketing Manager, Andrea Xu, they plan to take Our Common Homeland overseas as well.

“The following performance date and location are still in discussion,” she said.

To see other clips by SHCO, click here and here.

A dozen aspiring artists performed at the Halloween version of Very open mic on October 30 at unCaffe Bar.   

Referred to as Very spooky mic, it did not differ much from the usual format, although the host, Giuseppe Daddeo encouraged those who felt like it to use a ‘spooky’ theme in their performances.

Only three performers took him up on the challenge. 

Patrick Shiefen from New York, USA, opened his dramatic performance with the lines:

“Brett Kavanaugh and the like better be prepared for the afterlife, because he may be living in a man’s world, but Death, Death is a woman.” 

Throughout the performance he made various references to Santa Muerte.  

Singer/guitarist Guilherme (Liam) Vargas Castilhos from Brazil worked two Halloween-themed songs into his performance.  

The venue’s lack of a musical stand caused some comic relief during his cover of Science Fiction from the Rocky Horror Picture Show.    

No stranger to holding up mics for perfomers, Giuseppe assisted Liam by holding up his score.

 Liam told me later that “Giuseppe is a very good host” and was good at making performers feel comfortable. 

Tonnee Williams from Ohio, United States had a more tongue-in-the-cheek approach towards the ‘scary’ theme.  

Before her performance, she pulled up her hoody and said:

“I am a gangster”.  

She then proceeded to reading a poem on a theme she described as “scarier than STDs and AIDS” namely “being an adult.”

In addition to the artists, another 30 people attended.

 Wenting Qi from Jiangxi province hoped to see a few stand-up comedy acts.

On this night, Paul Yao from Henan province was the only comedian performing.  

Wenting did not expect there to be so many musical performances, but she said:

“The whole atmosphere was lively so it’s good.” 

Sharpay from Shanghai said:  “It’s my first time to be in an open mic event, which was very nice.”

However, she said that she wished the organisers had offered games as well.    

“Otherwise it’s gonna be a bit boring,” she said.

William Carter from Florida, USA, attended specifically to see what musical talent Shanghai had to offer and concluded that “they were all pros.”  

“I thought it was an entertaining night out.  

Everyone seemed really passionate about what they were sharing,” he said.

“Take off your clothes… take off your job… just be yourself.”

This is how host Giuseppe Daddeo greeted participants at the Very open mic night on October 30 at unCaffe Bar. 

Very open mic is organized by Giuseppe, Alexandra (Sasha) Arbuzova and Monica Missera.  

It originally started off as a poetry open mic, but later the organisers decided to open up the event to a wider range of performers, such as musicians and comedians.  

“Consider it a platform where you can be yourself, showing the part of you that’s been hidden if you have a daytime office job in Shanghai,” Sasha told me before the event.

Pianist, singer and songwriter Jonny Wildman from the Isle of Man, UK, did exactly that through performing his comic ballad “I hate my job”.

Consultant by day, he was encouraged by his friend, singer/guitarist Josh Pemberton to give the Very open mic a try.     

“I want to put myself out there a bit more, it sometimes just takes a push in the right direction, you know?”

“I came here (Shanghai) to teach and save up enough money to pursue my dream of being a musician,” said singer-songwriter Vanity Ladner from Alabama, USA. 

Together with her guitarist husband Thomas, they form the duo Muse to Sirens. 

When asked what made them come back to perform at Very open mic for a second time, she said: “We really like the community. It is very welcoming and accepting. It is the place where we feel the most comfortable expressing ourselves.”
 

On the topic of audience, performing poet Patrick Schiefer from New York, USA said: “A good open mic, for me, has a lot to do with turn out. If people come. Not just performers. But also people who want to listen and take it in.” 

According to Sasha there are usually 12-15 performers per night, with a total of 30 to 50 people showing up.

Patrick further said that “a good and open host” is part of the reason why this open mic is so successful. 

He recently had a bad experience at another open mic night: “Before introducing me, the host said he hated poetry. So it was kind of awkward for me,” he said.

 
“I think the people that run this (open mic) do a particularly good job organising everything,” said singer-songwriter, Wells Hamilton from Tennessee, USA. 

“…they find these spaces and set them up for everyone and are very welcoming.  It is very organized in terms of setting lineups and transitioning between acts,” he said. 

However, as is the case with most live performances, there will always be glitches.

 “Giuseppe held the mic for me once” said singer/guitarist Josh, who is originally from Crewe, UK. At his very first performance, the venue lacked a second microphone.  “Really, bless him (Giuseppe). He was there for a good 10 minutes,” said Josh. 

On the night I attended, the venue had no music stand. Giuseppe assisted singer/guitarist Guilherme (Liam) Vargas Castilhos from Brazil, by holding up his score for him. 

The Very open mic is hosted twice a month.  According to Sasha performers can sign up a day in advance to secure their preferred time-slots.  However, participants can also sign up on the same night.  “For the late sign ups we have the last part of the event – Free Flow Open Mic,”she said. 

   For more information, visit the Very open mic meetup page:

https://meetup.com/Very-Open-Mic-Shanghai-Edition/

Hundreds of visitors gathered on October 1 for the 2018 Shanghai Qipao Culture and Art Festival at the Shanhai Film Park. 

Many people unfamiliar with Chinese culture may not have heard the word qipao before.  

However, if presented with these images, most will recognise this iconic garment which is closely associated with China.

Qipao (cheongsam in Cantonese), played a big role in the struggle for gender equality in China.  After the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1912, various feminist movements started rebelling against Neo-Confucian gender segregation.  Symbols associated with oriental beauty, such as bound feet, long hair and two piece female garments were criticised.  More women were encouraged to cut their hair short and wear men’s one piece garments, known as changpao.  Women were not allowed this privilege during the Qing Dynasty.

By the 1930s, qipao in its many forms and variations was very popular in China among women of all ages and social status.  Some styles were loose and wide, others more form fitting. They also varied in length.    

The Shanghai Film Park is the ideal photography spot for those who want to re-enact this interesting period in history, as it boasts various sets replicating the old Shanghai. 

Some women went through great lengths to attend the festival for this exact reason.  

‘I am here to take pictures’, said Zhu Ai Min, who traveled from Hangzhou to attend the festival.  

With a 1930s style train slowly approaching in the background, a group of ladies dressed in multi-coloured modern-styled qipao took  pictures on the tracks.  

“We are the Siping Street Fashion Club.  We bought our clothes at our own expense,”said one of the members, Li Ping.  

According to her, the team regularly gathers together in scenic areas to photograph themselves wearing various fashion items.

Mrs. Shao from Shanghai brought along four qipao for the day.  

While her husband photographed her in front of various replicas of French Concession mansions, she said: “Qipao is a symbol of Chinese culture.”

Li Zhang, from Anhui province was wearing Qipao for the first time on this day.  She said: 

“Qipao is tailored to flatter the female body.”

Fung Liu, from Hebei Province,  found this ticket booth to be humorous.

Whilst posing for pictures, she said:  “Qipao makes you feel confident and beautiful, because you are beautiful.”    

I doubt many people would disagree with Fung!

‘If you have kick-ass wine, why the hell aren’t you drinking it?’ Asked self-described wine lover, Patti McAlpine’, after the screening of 2016 documentary ‘Sour Grapes’, on Thursday October 4, at Brut Eatery (Zhaojiabang Lu Outlet). Organised by bottlesXO, the event was attended by an audience of 25 members.

Over glasses of complimentary wine, the audience got to follow, what is described by the organizers as, ‘one of the world’s biggest ever wine scams’.

‘Sour Grapes’ recounts the tale of Indonesian wine collector, Rudy Kurniawan, who charmed his way into American wine collector circles with his phenomenal wine palette and wine collection.

Over time, Rudy started flooding auctions with forged bottles of vintage Domaine Ponsot Clos Saint-Denis.

When caught out, all located forged bottles, still containing drinkable wine, were destroyed.

McAlpine was not the only member expressing their discomfort with the destruction of Rudy’s counterfeit wine. Some attendees even felt sympathetic towards Rudy.

One member, wishing to remain anonymous, remarked that ‘Rudy exposed the system for what it is: Wine collectors not even enjoying wine and being wasteful’.

At this event however, not a single drop of alcohol went to waste. In fact, the very last bottles of wine were given to the remaining audience members to finish up.

According to Marketing and Events Intern Alexandria Petre, BottlesXO regularly hosts wine themed film screenings around Shanghai. She ascribes the popularity of these events to the lack of gatherings ‘where you can drink good wine at an affordable price and enjoy a film’. At this event, for an entrance fee of 60 RMB, attendees got a light meal and one free glass of wine.

Petre urges wine and film enthusiasts to sign up in advance for events. ‘We typically have to cap (events) at 25 because venues available aren’t large enough to accommodate more…’

For information on future events, you can follow BottlesXO on WeChat.

 

Hundreds of festival goers braved the Shanghai autumn sun to watch the Taiwanese musical act ‘Fine 乐团’ perform at the annual Simple Dreams and Days Festival, on Wednesday October 3.

Although a large chunk of their music available online are Jazzy in character, today’s performance had more of a pop/rock vibe.

See a snippet of their performance here.

Other bands in Wednesday’s line-up included rapper ØZI and R&B performer Akin.

Hosted by the Taiwanese festival brand Simple Life, Simple Dreams & Days Festival 2018 kicked off on Monday October 1, and will end on Sunday October 7.

More musical performance acts to look forward to this week include ‘Little Wizard’, ‘SIXI’ and ‘Sweet John’.

In addition to fine music, festival goers can also enjoy a wide range of snacks and meals being sold.  A waffle ice cream is yours for 30 RMB, and a coconut 20 RMB.

For shopping enthusiasts there is also a selection of fashion and cookery products on offer.

 

The event is hosted at Camp 3399, near exit 5 off the metro station Middle Longhua Road.  Tickets  can be purchased at the door for 150RMB, or online for 120RMB.  Doors open at 13:00.