FASHION & TRAVEL: HANGZHOU & West Lake. DHU & MRKT

Tuesday 10th March - Wednesday 18th March

Back in Shanghai after my short trip to Changsha capital of Henan Province and were the infamous chairman Mao studied. First day of my new class and next semester, a lot of the old students and some new ones too, an overly enthusiastic Korean with an odd American accent, a Mongolian, a brother and sister from Laos, another Sudanese boy and some other Asian students, and finally a Brit from Kent! I sit with Lina from Moscow and across from us, like the last semester I have Kat and Melia from Germany. Only this time we are on the second floor. Our comprehensive teacher seems quite good, thought the Speaking teacher talks so quick and which a strange accent that I’m not so keen on her, and she doesn’t really teach much from the book or useful phrases so far, we're to do some presentations this semester for speaking rather than the listening and speaking tests on computer. She is married with a child yet continues to talk about marriage and teaching us strange phrases for "shotgun wedding and to be unfaithful. The other teacher though younger seems more mature and has a sort of Asian beauty and professional way of carrying herself which I like. Both classes are taught in Chinese. Tried the local Korean restaurants with the "Danish" group and started my internship at M.R.K.T mad rabbit kicking tiger. Established by an architect graduate from Harvard, it’s mainly a bag design company, using non-woven industrial like materials for the bags with a hugely geometric influence (art felt in particular) the bags are usually male or unisex, and the owner Tom Pen wants me to help design some more feminine bags for the company. All the employees are Chinese, Tom of course speaks fluent English (though I’m not too sure where he is from) and Ducky and speak some English too. I spent the Monday in a design meeting which was in Chinese and only sometimes translated for me, some good practise, I was asked for opinions of mock up bags and if changed needed to be made and the majority of which was taken into consideration and while be adapted accordingly, especially since I am the only non-chinese employee and young female. The company has home stores across China, in 150 boutiques in America with a larger expansion plan for Europe, China and America this year, along with hopefully a collection solely for Bloomingdales/Macey’s if they play their cards right.

I spent the first week researching current bags, shape, feminine styles, patterns ad 3d/2d graphics and shapes along with their current bags. I was given some new projects, create new patterns for their main female "petal" bag, create a flat pack bag and a bag I would use every day myself, which in the end will be made and perhaps used by the company and will also be given to me!

Friday night I went out briefly to Muse with the girls, it was quite good, except when the dancers started a show in bondage gear and started dirty dancing with poles, I did not know where to look! Saturday I didn’t feel so good so stayed in my room mainly and studied and on Sunday Kat and I visited the "power Station of Art" a lovely area with some interesting architecture, quite empty and peaceful for Shanghai as well, we visited the 10th Shanghai "Art Biennale" at the "Power Station of Art" lots of different arts from around the world, mainly modern dramatic art, videos, images, props. Not very well done, and some downright strange, but it gave us something to do.

St Patricks day on Tuesday we went briefly to Windows bar me of course in my Ireland rugby top, we then went to M2 for the "Donghua fresher’s party" there was a large annoying American girl, pervy Chinese men who encircled us and started touching us on the dancefloor, Kat got chatted up by a German, and Americans kept hugging me and seeing me as their best friend as I was wearing jeans trainers and a Ireland top on paddy’s day, in a club. I was roasted!!!!! And I looked like a lesbian to be frank.  A hot day of 20* and the first sunshine of spring ended in a thunderstorm but the weather is on the up. Booked my train tickets with Lina for Hangzhou for Saturday, and did my 2nd attempt at cycling to work, driving on the main road, getting stopped and i.d'd by a Chinese policeman and getting fined, disaster.

Thursday 18th March - Wednesday 25th

I used the washing machine in the dorm to do a bulk of clothes including big things such as towels and jackets, to my dismay, the crazy vicious appliance ripped out the wires in two of my bras! Won’t be using that again in a hurry!! Taiyung was going to try and change rooms to live with her friend who is often sick, however the girl’s parents said no to this semester, so she will remain, however she will often be at her friends like she usually is. I did a hummingbird pencil sketch which I’m quite proud of, studied new Chinese words and felt like I was starting to understand the grammar, however my listening skills are awful as I don’t concentrate enough so will have to practise more. particularly hard when are speaking teacher just rants on about silly stuff and has us play games or do performances, this is ok sometimes but not for nearly every lesson, it’s boring and I don’t feel I am learning, the only good things I feel is that she gives us the listening recording to answer questions and we can listen to it and paused etc. as many times as we like.

In work was given some delicious fruits, apples etc., which is good as an apple or plum can be very expensive here in comparison to home as they are imported, maybe 70p (7RMB) or more for one, whereas at home in Tesco I could buy a bag of apples for that price. However the vegetables are cheaper. cooked a curry with soy milk with Kat, however the Chinese 5 spice we added seemed to have cinnamon in it and made it a bit strange, but was silly better and not tasty like canteen food!

Finished doing patterns for the petal bags, varying in colour and patterns, such as triangles, stripes, maze etc. will perhaps return to this. I am now currently designing flat pack bags, flat material pieces that push out and connect together into a bag, no really done anywhere, saves on space, money for transport etc. and therefore a bit more environmentally friendly. Tom wants me to design these as he's always wanted something like this. Did about 19 different designs, mainly drawing from his own collection and will draw out in specifics some of the best with measurements etc.

HANGZHOU

Up super early on Saturday, meeting Lina as 6.35 to head to the metro to get the train. We oddly stopped and all had to get out 2 stations before ad get on the next metro, this apparently happens often in Moscow. I learnt a lot about her and her culture and way of life and customs in Russia, and how she feels it’s not the place for her anymore because she is a modern woman who like me wants a career, a life, not to be a housewife and profession of being a mother.

Only took about an hour to get to Hangzhouhangzhou, getting the metro to Longxiangqian station and going to Starbucks having looked around a sort of ‘fake fake' market as we like to call it, Chinese brands meant to look a bit like designer brands but often badly done and cheap, a bit like a "QiPu Lu" of Shanghai, or "fashion Lady" of Nanjing. We decided to go to Hefang Lu hefanglu, one of the old streets with a tourist twist heading to Ding ‘an Lu Station 定安路. A short walk through an old style street, it was still quite quiet around 10.30 before we got onto the main street. We explored and old Chinese pharmacist, still in use but with original architecture and produce or Chinese medicine along with some Western Medicine, it was very beautiful and also quite busy. we passed the drum tower and climbed part of Wu mountain wushan exploring the memorial Temple of Wu Zixu, the Youmei hall area filled with the older generation of Chinese, eating chatting and tens of tables set up for the men to play majhong, a very natural and interesting site to see, the natural hustle and bustle, them so consumed in their activities they didn’t even seem to see us (which was nice as stares are annoying)we also visited the Town God pavilion, following the signs that were not only in English and in Chinese, but also in French. We then went back onto Hefang Street and Zhongshan Pedestrian Street, exploring an old building with lots of original Chinese architecture and full of beautiful Chinese sculptures, modern yet with huge links to the past. Very interesting and beautiful. We posed for photos on a metal crafted throne set, modern yet done in a style similar to the ancient Chinese emperors. Lina also dressed up for photos in Chinese dress, feeling famous with all the Chinese taking photos of the foreigner dressed up, it was fun! We haggled her down to 100RMb for 5 photos and when one was printed with her eyes shut we demanded she change it and she got to dress up again and get another photo for free!

We then headed back to Longxiangqian 龙向前to go to the West Lake xihu 西湖, a huge freshwater lake in the capital of Zheyang province, the beautiful scenery or fengjingqu 风景区 is also on the back of the 1RMB note! It was VERY busy! We got student discount and got on the boat to the '3ponds mirroring the moon' island, seeing the beautiful temples in the distance during the ride such as the Leifang Pagoda and Jingci temple. The island area was beautiful with many new budding plants and HUGE fish in the ponds. The fog had cleared and the sun was out, it was a beautiful day. Got on the boat again and got out on the east side, walking along the lake. We were hungry by this point and it took an hour before we found somewhere reasonable yet nearly back at the start. However we saw some lovely sites, passing the tomb memorial of Su Xiao, and the fresh tea restaurant along with several bridges and pretty flowered areas. On our return climbed up to the Baochu pagoda and walked along the very long "Remnant Snow on the Bridge in winter". With the sun being to image of the light over the lake was stunning with the darker hues of the mountains in the background. When it finally became dark after a brief look around the old palace ruins, everything was lit up, with a dim but pretty glow. We got a taxi back and found and interesting store beside the station selling cheap home accessories. I got some art pens, which expensive at home were 3 for 10Rmb here.  Got our train before 9 and was back in my room around 11. With well exercised legs!

Sunday was also very sunny and spent the majority of it in the park doing a bit of studying. A chilled day before returning to class and work on the Monday, paying 50RMb for the school daytrip to a water town on 17th April.

Thursday 26TH MARCH - Wednesday 1ST APRIL. April fool’s day!

My Thursday of class was pointless. We had a sports day. First class we just talked about it, then after break till about 11, along with a2-1 and 3 we went to the playground. There was a lot of faffing around before we finally got to start. 10 in each team and 2 people at a time we had to do a "sport" to one side and then answer questions in Chinese before the next two team mates could do their "sport" and answer questions, with a max of 10 points for each round. I went first with "Jin Fu" or Joseph, the English guy. We had to balance our Chinese textbook and walk quickly to the other side. I actually won this as a kid in my primary school race. Pretty stupid! we had to answer questions about china, like 2 fruits, vehicles etc. we lost points for not being able to name a Chinese actor and we couldn’t recall Jackie Chan's actual name (I think it is Cheng Li) there was also a ping pong walking race, skipping, 2 people holding a balloon in their backs (the older men did this, the strange and non-working fufuduin from Korea and the friendly Japanese man, I was really surprised he did this!) and sack racing, Kat had to do this, it was with a stupid black bin bag! Needless to say our class lost. Those who didn’t do the races were "laladui" 拉拉队 or cheerleaders, on point keeper and the DuiZhang 队长, team captain. we got to leave a bit early (Kat and I then made a "Chinese" champ" a pointless day. followed by pointless speaking lessons were we tend to just play games and chat, we don’t have dictation either. thank goodness our comprehensive teacher is so good!

Work has been good. My butterfly design is getting used (though I’ve had to add orange pattern into it which I dislike but that’s what he wanted) this will be used for the female bag collection for SS16, unfortunately only in China. But the bags sell for approx. 500RMB! Also experimented with some more colours and shapes and eventually steamed them all into place. They look pretty good! He then had me develop one of my bags that has a lot of origami folds and has a sort of envelope fold to it. I’ve be experimenting with it by making models from paper. And also looking at the idea of my triangle backpack being made from a flat pack design.  However the fastening and openings need to be sorted to be practical and not just funky geometric. His co-worker American shoe designer gave me a wallet made from leather and waterproof paper from his last collection which was pretty cool. He suggested visit the MRKT shop in K11 because I could help with visual merchandising and showing creativity and colour as a lot of the Chinese workers don’t have the skills. And to look at his upcoming shoe catalogue and give some suggestions makes me feel important and the way he suggested it made me feel that perhaps I could get some actual work from this?

Went out on the Friday night for Shaodi’s birthday. First to windows were you could get 5 vodka mixers for 50RMB and then to MOOK free in and free drinks. To the point where we got whiskey poured from the bottle into our mouths! There were lots of westerners but unfortunately after a while there were more Chinese men giving us hassle, and at one point started only speaking French and then told one that Kat and I were lesbians. He wanted us to prove it. We refused! Studied and then went to the tea market with Lina on Saturday, we got to try some different teas for free and she bought some cheaply. It’s quite near our school, there’s also a cheap gym and pool nearby at Zhongshan. Went to the apple store to get my iPad lead checked out before we went to Jinshajiang station to the big shopping centre for a look around and for some delicious dinner in their food court. Did some painting when I got home and chilled before a trip to the park on Sunday with Kat and Lina. Fantastic week of weather minus the Monday where it rained for a while, up to 29' so had lunch in the park. Finally got my books from TaoBao and made a delicious vegan Rice pudding with Kat. yum yum! Got my ticket for Zhangjiejia sorted on Sunday and unfortunately doing a 21 hour journey by hard seat. So going to get a cushion for the journey. Will be worth it though!

TRAVEL: Changsha