Singer Jeff Chang donates classical costumes to Shanghai Museum

Jeff Chang, one of the most popular Chinese singers whose albums have topped the pop charts for decades, has revealed his alter ego as a veteran collector, recently donating 12 costumes from his collection to Shanghai Museum.

Chang's donation includes 10 pieces of cheongsams from the 1920s to the 1930s and two pieces of women's clothing from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912).

"As a fan of Shanghai Museum, I often quietly visit exhibitions there despite my packed schedule," he said. "I enjoy these exhibition shows at Shanghai Museum, which repeatedly nourish my soul and comfort my spirit."

On learning that the newly opened East Branch of Shanghai Museum was preparing a themed exhibition of "Jiangnan Production" with big demand for local cheongsams, Chang proposed a free donation, chosen from his collection of nearly 1,000 cheongsams.

In fact, the singer's collection dates back to a visit to Shanghai in the early 1990s when he was recording an album.

Born in Taiwan in 1967 and raised in churches by his pastor father, Chang listened to classical mandarin music created in Shanghai as a child, which sparked his curiosity for Shanghainese culture.

While integrating classical music from Shanghai into his album "Yong Qing," he developed a passion for collecting old vinyl records and antique furniture from Shanghai.

According to Chang, various fashion trends are reflected in the costumes, hair styles and makeup women wear in the calendar posters.

He also has rich collections of furniture, woodcraft and royal costumes from the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing dynasties – spanning the late 14th to early 19th centuries.

In 2015, the singer staged an exhibition of women's dresses and gowns from the Qing Dynasty in Taipei, and a special exhibit of home furnishings from the early days of Taiwan at the Taipei International Flora Exposition.

In 2020, an exhibition titled "MIN•CHAO" and featuring more than 60 sets of original calendar posters collected by Chang, as well as traditional Chinese dresses and cheongsams, examining 20th-century Chinese fashion trends, was held at the Aurora Museum in Shanghai.

The highlights of Chang's donation to Shanghai Museum are several rare pieces with "Art Deco" style, which evolved from the Art Nouveau movement in the late 19th century and became popular in the 1920s and 1930s. From this batch of sea cheongsam, a fusion of East and West can be seen on the fabric and tailoring technique, reflecting cheongsam's close relationship with the international fashion world at that time.

"I am very glad to have this opportunity to cooperate with Shanghai Museum, and I believe more people will be able to appreciate the charisma of these local cheongsams. I hope this is a beginning, I am in discussion with experts of the museum to prepare the next batch of donations," he said.