china

From Ordinary to Art: Long-Bin Chen

Filed under: Art

When viewed from a distance, the striking Buddhas of New-York based Taiwanese artist, Long-Bin Chen, look like marble or wood sculpture. They have stony expressions, but they are soft and so pliable you can actually flip through them. Award-winning Chen joins other artists like Vik Muniz who would agree that "one man's trash is another man's treasure." Muniz assembles his leftovers, creates a painting, photographs his work, and then destroys the original. Chen assembles but doesn't discard. He uses primarily trashed paper for sculpture believing that nothing should go to waste--- not out-of-print phone books, magazines, newspapers, or computer printouts.

Tags: asian art, china, chinese art, chinese art exhibit, Chinese artists, chinese arts, long-bin chen, recycled art, sculpture, upcycled art

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F.P. Journe Special Edition "China 2010 Tourbillon Souverain" Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

As a reminder to its Chinese customers, of how much F.P. Journe appreciates their business, the high-end luxury watch brand has released five of these limited edition "China 2010 Tourbillon Souverain" watches. This coincides with the brand's opening of its Beijing boutique store. More and more high-end brands are opening up shops in China's wealthier regions. One of the reasons seems to be that Chinese customers take brands with their own stores more serious, as opposed to brands which are only placed in third-party stores. The China 2010 Tourbillon Souverain watch will be housed in a platinum case with a special dial that resembles the Chinese flag. Stars are placed along the power reserve indicator. Aside from the tourbillon on the dial, the watch features the time in an offset dial, as well as a subsidiary seconds dial. Pretty much the ultimate Swiss watch for the proud Chinese industrialist. Not sure about price of availability, like I said, there are only to be five of these models.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: 2010, china, fp journe, souverain, tourbillon, watch

Harrods to Open in Shanghai?

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

Following its $2.2 billion acquisition by Qatar's royal family in May, luxe landmark London department store Harrods is planning an expansion, starting with a new branch in Shanghai. Harrods, the largest and one of the most luxurious stores in the world, holds royal warrants from the likes of the Queen, the Queen Mother and the Prince of Wales. Its new owners have looked at various new locations and China seems to be winning out. "There are other areas of the world where we could operate profitably," Harrods' CEO Michael Ward tells Vogue UK. "China is the most probable but we would have to do a lot of work first." The number of Chinese visitors to the store is up 125 per cent this year, with an average spend of triple that of a U.S. customer.

Tags: China, department store, Harrods, London, Qatar, Queen of England, royal warrant, Shanghai, stores

Sky High Shanghai: The Ritz-Carlton opens Pudong hotel

by McLean Robbins (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The Ritz-Carlton knows a burgeoning superpower when it sees one. The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai Pudong, the brand's seventh in the country and second in Shanghai, opened its doors to the public on Monday. The 285-room property occupies the top 18 floors of the luxury Shanghai ifc Tower and opened in conjunction with the 2010 World Expo.

Designed by acclaimed architect Cesar Pelli, the hotel's glittering diamond-like exterior and contemporary decor evokes Shanghai's Art Deco movement of the 1930's. The hotel offers panoramic views of The Bund, the most intact collection of Art Deco architecture anywhere in the world.

"As Shanghai has been experiencing exponential growth and many multi-national companies have opened in Pudong, we find it strategically viable for The Ritz-Carlton to be located on both sides of Huangpu River," says Rainer Burkle, the hotel's general manager. "While The Ritz-Carlton Portman, Shanghai at Puxi has established its name over the past decade as the most preferred luxury hotel in the city, I have no doubt that The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong will prove itself to be another quintessential business and social centre for domestic and international travelers alike."

With interior designs by Richard Farnell, The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong guest rooms and suites range in size from 500 square feet for a standard guestroom to 4,000 for the Ritz-Carlton and Chairman Suites. There are three floors of Club-level accommodations, each with access to the 24-hour and 49th floor Club Lounge.

Restaurants include Aura Lounge and Jazz Bar, Jin Xuan, the fine dining Chinese Restaurant designed by Steve Leung; Scena Italian Restaurant and Flair Rooftop Restaurant and Bar. Flair boasts the distinction of being is Shanghai's highest al fresco dining and bar venue, although, as we all know, it might not hold that honor for long.

Looking for relaxation? Find the 15,000 square foot ESPA-branded spa on the 55th floor, featuring 10 treatment rooms, including a couple's treatment "Harmony Suite." Treatments will combine modern modern Chinese, Indian, European and Balinese spa cultures and ESPA branded products for a natural luxury experience.

Shanghai ifc mall also boasts opulent interiors framing the most stylish shopping environment and housing hundreds of world-renowned international branded retail names, including Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Hermes and more.

Now open. Rooms from RMB 2,888. http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/ShanghaiPudong/.

Tags: china, pudong, ritz-carlton, shanhai

No Sale After All For $57 Million Hong Kong Apartment

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

Last October we heard about a $57 million Hong Kong apartment. The five-bedroom duplex suite in a building called 39 Conduit Road was, at 6,158 square feet, believed to be Asia's most expensive property per square foot. But now the developer, Henderson Land Development Company Limited, says the deal for the penthouse with the harbor views has collapsed. And the same buyer has walked away from five other apartments. The $57 million penthouse was listed as being on the 68th floor but was actually on the 45th, the second tallest in this 46-story building. The top floor was numbered as the 88th, the numbers were used to attract Chinese buyers who are often superstitious about lucky numbers.

The developer created a building of 66 units total ranging from 2,800 to 7,600 square feet. Henderson says a total of 20 deals in the tower have been canceled representing a total of 2.67 billion Hong Kong dollars (nearly $343 million). The failure of the sales are seen as a sign that Hong Kong's real estate market is cooling.

Tags: 39 conduit road, china, hong kong, real estate

A New Four Seasons in Hangzhou

by Bobbie Leigh (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spas

With a new high-speed train scheduled for an October debut, you will be able to travel in great comfort from Shanghai to Hangzhou in a snap 38 minutes. As Shanghai now makes even Hong Kong seem Third World, a visit willowy West Lake, the star attraction of Hangzhou, is a great way to recover from a supercharged Chinese itinerary. The place to stay is the Four Seasons hotel Hangzhou at West Lake. Its design and architecture fit into the landscape of terraced tea plantations and mists rising from the lake as if it was always there. Unlike the starkly modern hotels of Beijing and beyond, this little gem is entirely traditional with pagoda roof pavilions linked by flower-rimmed paths through landscaped water gardens.

The hotel is impressive in that it has a subdued, understated quality although the spa is a standout with treatments you won't find elsewhere. Not-to-be-missed is the three-hour dragon-well tea and jade spring ritual ---a soothing soak, an invigorating body exfoliation, followed by massage. Check out the full menu of spa services here.

Tags: Beggars Chicken, china, China Academy of Art, china travel, four seasons, Hangzhou

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Philatelist Fantasy: New North Korean Stamps Collectors' Dream

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

What takes a mere stamp collection into the realm of the unattainable? Forget concerns of auction strategy and desirable lot. Instead, make arrangements and hop a plane ... if you can. North Korea has issued new stamps – "one souvenir sheet and three sheetlets" – to commemorate Kim Jong Il's unofficial trip to China last month. Doubtless, this would be a unique addition to any stamp holdings.

The stamps have the North Korean and Chinese flags, according to the Korea Central News Agency, and are inscribed with:

"Commemoration of the unofficial visit of the great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il to the PRC," "May 5 - May 6, Juche 99 (2010)," "Commemoration of the unofficial visit of the great leader Comrade Kim Jong Il to the northeastern part of China," "May 3 - May 7, Juche 99 (2010)" and "Epoch-making event in the DPRK-China friendship history."

Source

Tags: china, chinese, kim jong il, Kim Jong-Il, north korea, stamp, stamp collections, stamps

Limousines and Supercars Debut at Beijing Motor Show

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

The gulf between perception and reality is often enough to swallow entire countries whole. Take China, for example. The images many still conjure up in their heads when thinking about the Asian giant might come down to squalid shanty towns oppressed by communist overlords. But with the free market taking a greater hold with each passing day, the People's Republic is quickly emerging as a vital market for purveyors of luxury goods, including high-end automobiles. Sure, the average peasant may be able to afford little more than a rickety bicycle, but with the world's largest population numbering over a billion people, even the top fraction of the socio-economic strata can overshadow entire nations.

Against such a backdrop, it should come as no great surprise that the world's premium automakers scrambled to the Chinese capital this year with a wide array of exotic and luxury automobiles. In fact the cars making their world debuts at this year's Beijing Motor Show were enough on their own to outshine the last major international exposition in Manhattan. Follow the jump to see what all the fuss was about.

Tags: 599, 599 gto, a8, a8 l, audi, audi a8, audi a8 l, beijing, beijing motor show, bentley, bentley continental, Bentley Continental Flying Spur, Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed, bentley continental flying spur speed china, Bentley Continental GT, bentley continental gt design series china, bmw, bmw Gran Coupé, bmw Gran Coupé Concept, china, citroen, citroen metropolis, emgrand, ferrari, ferrari 599 gto, geely, geely emgrand ge, Gran Coupé, lamborghini, Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce, Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce China Limited Edition, limousine, limusine, maybach, maybach 57, Maybach 62, Maybach 62 S, motor show, pekin, phaeton, stretch, stretch wheelbase, stretched limo, stretched limousine, volkswagen, volkswagen phaeton

Continue reading “Limousines and Supercars Debut at Beijing Motor Show”

Maybach Announces Revised Range for 2011

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Looking for a new German-engineered luxury limousine? Better hop a plane to Beijing, because that's where they've all gathered this year. Audi used the occasion of the Beijing Motor Show to release its new long-wheelbase A8 L flagship, Bentley brought out a special-edition Flying Spur for the Chinese market, Volkswagen released the refreshed Phaeton, and now Maybach has released updates for its range at the show as well.

Upgraded cosmetically, luxuriously and mechanically for 2011, the new Maybach 57, 57S, 62 and 62S are likely the last renditions of the super-luxe Benzes before they're discontinued in a few years. But before they are, the range benefits from a revised V12 (in 542 or 630-horsepower versions) with reduced emissions and fuel consumption. The grille, hood, tail-lights and side mirrors have been reshaped to reduce wind noise. And the first-class interior benefits from reclining seats, a rear partition, 19" LCD monitor (from which occupants can view video feeds from all around the vehicle), an electro-chromatic roof panel, a perfume atomizer and even available Swarovski crystals embedded in the seat piping.

Gallery: 2011 Maybach

Tags: 2010 beijing motor show, 2011 maybach, 2011 maybach 57, 2011 maybach 57 s, 2011 maybach 62, 2011 maybach 62 s, beijing 2010, beijing motor show, china, maybach, Maybach 57, maybach 57 s, Maybach 62, Maybach 62 S

Bentley Unveils Two Special Edition Continentals in Beijing

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

We've got good news and we've got bad news. The good news first, you say? Bentley has presented not one, but two new special editions of its popular Continental range. The bad news? You'll have to go to China to get them.

The long-winded Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed China takes "the world's fastest four-door saloon" and tones it down, apparently for local tastes, with a softer suspension and a quieter exhaust.

The Bentley Continental GT Design Series China, meanwhile, is based on the coupe and upgrades with a unique interior with three-tone leather, vibrant trim and exterior tint in such colors as Orange Flame and Magenta Metallic.

Both are earmarked and designed specifically for the Chinese market – which has grown tenfold since entering the market in 2002 to become Bentley's third largest – and are being unveiled this week at the Beijing Motor Show.

Gallery: Bentley Continental GT Design Series China

Gallery: Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed China

Tags: beijing, beijing motor show, bentley, bentley continental, Bentley Continental Flying Spur, Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed, bentley continental flying spur speed china, bentley continental gt, Bentley Continental GT Design Series China, china

China's Growing Appetite for Luxury Labels

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

The luxury market in China is booming, so much so it's now the second largest in the world (behind only the United States) and growing 15% more every year. The shoppers in China can't seem to get enough designer labels and premium goods despite high luxury taxes and piracy driving prices up. Shanghai has been particularly indulgent, as have some smaller towns like Shenyang and Harbin, although you might not know it by walking through the mall or visiting a boutique as many high-end shoppers prefer to have the merchandise brought to them from the store. It's not unusual for a single customer to spend upwards of $129,000 in a single sitting.

Although the market is so good that many retailers can't afford not to be there, the Chinese definitely have their favorites and not all brands are faring equally. Among the most successful are Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Calvin Klein, and Cartier.

Source

Tags: asia, asian markets, china, economy, luxury goods, luxury market, luxury spending china, spending

Marchesa's New China Collection

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Dining

Marchesa has adorned many a celebrity on the red carpet but this fall the label will be appearing somewhere else: the tabletop. The ladies behind the brand have delved into a collaboration with Lenox to create a line of 8 china patterns inspired by their dresses. Shown above is the 'French Lace' pattern along with it's designer fashion counterpart. "It was very different to design this collection," Chapman told our sister site ShelterPop. "When I design a gown, I drape it, I'm there through the whole process. With the china, it was more collaborative. A lot of times we gave them the artwork or embroidery, or we just gave them a feel for what we liked, what colors we wanted. And they were able to translate it into a beautiful collection."

The patterns will be available on Lenox.com this fall and will start at $100 for a 4 pc place setting.

Source

Tags: china, lenox, marchesa, marchesa fall 2010, wedding china

Audi Outsells Mercedes-Benz Globally For First Time in Q1 2010

by Jeremy Korzeniewski (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

The apocalypse is nigh. How else can we explain how, for the first time ever, Audi managed to outsell Mercedes-Benz in global sales for the first quarter of 2010? Before we break out our Mayan calendars and go all 2012 on you, here are the hard numbers: Audi sold 264,100 vehicles worldwide between January and March while Mercedes sold 248,500 units over the same time period. For what it's worth, BMW has yet to release its final first-quarter sales figures.

On second thought, perhaps we should be holding back our inner Nostradamus. Audi has repeatedly signaled its desire and intent to become the world's leading luxury car brand by 2015, which would mean passing both of its German rivals, the aforementioned Mercedes-Benz and BMW, along with Japanese automaker Lexus. Plus, Audi offers a pretty compelling lineup of vehicles with which to do battle with those formidable competitors.

According to Autocar, the biggest single contributor to Audi's passing of Mercedes-Benz is the Chinese market, where Audi sells twice as many vehicles per year as Mercedes-Benz. In fact, one out of every five Audis built is sold in China. Considering how rapidly the Chinese market is expanding, Audi is certainly finding itself in an enviable position. Time will tell if it's able to maintain that growth in the face of constant pressure from its German and Japanese rivals.

[Source: Autocar]

Tags: audi, audi china, audi china sales, audi sales, AudiChina, AudiChinaSales, AudiSales, china, mercedes, mercedes china, mercedes-benz, mercedes-benz sales, Mercedes-benzSales, MercedesChina

Chinese Contemporary Art Staging Comeback

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

Seven lots fetched more than $1 million at the last Sotheby's auctions in Hong Kong, led by Liu Ye's acrylic and oil "Bright Road," which sold for more than $2.5 million. This was the top take for a Chinese contemporary artist in two years, indicating that Chinese art is on its way back to levels we haven't seen since the financial crisis. Last year, similar pieces were moving for only a third of this year's pricing.

According to Eric Huang, an art dealer based in Taipei, "Demand for the best Chinese contemporary artworks is back." Huang continued in his interview with Bloomberg News, "Don't be surprised to see prices match or even beat pre-crisis levels very soon."

Chinese contemporary art prices plunged 70 percent from May 2008 highs, due in large part to the financial catastrophe that rocked every financial center around the world. Already, the Sotheby's action has been good for HK$316.8 million and another HK$50 million from its wine auction.

Source

Tags: china, chinese, chinese art, Chinese artists, chinese arts, contemporary art, financial crisis, Sotheby, sothebys

River Beluga Caviar, Recapturing a Classic

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Ever since 2005 when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service enacted its ban on the importation of Beluga caviar originating in the Caspian Sea and Black Sea basin, entrepreneurs have been struggling to find a farmed alternative capable of recapturing the most exclusive of caviars' classic attributes. After several years of development, the Caviar Merchant Company recently announced the first offering of its River Beluga Caviar, a delectable substitute that captures the very essence of the wild original and can fairly claim to be the finest alternative with impressively consistent quality. Derived from the Huso Daricus Sturgeon whose natural habitat is the Amur River bordering Russia and China, production of River Beluga Caviar takes place twice a year, for which Iranian (i.e. Caspian, where the original is from) processing teams or "saltmasters" are are flown in to oversee and conduct production. Available from $200 an ounce, the finished product is rich, buttery, smooth and decadently delicious. We recommend ultra-premium vodka or fine French champagne as an accompaniment.

Tags: Beluga caviar, Caspian Sea, caviar, Caviar Merchant Company, China, Russia, sturgeon

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