Fashion festival showcases Shanghai's Haipai culture
A fashion show was staged at the closing ceremony of the Shanghai Style Fashion Festival on Friday night.
Haipai, or the East-meets-West style of Shanghai, defies specific definition.
It originated from an influential painting genre led by famous Shanghai artist Wu Changshuo (1844-1927) and was later used to identify the local schools of other art sectors, including literature, Peking Opera, jade sculpture and comedies.
Shanghai is striving to revitalize the Haipai cultures, along with its Red cultures, which refers to the city's glorious revolutionary history since early last century, as well as the cultures of Jiangnan, or the regions in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
The annual Shanghai Style Fashion Festival which wrapped up on Friday marked the latest efforts of the city to define and further promote its Haipai cultures.
As a key event of the ongoing "Double Five" shopping frenzy, the Haipai fashion festival aims to promote the city's culture and lifestyle including clothing, food, accommodation and traveling, especially among the young.
Citizens take photos of antique chairs during the festival.
It defines the Haipai culture as "modern, integrated and stylish" and organized events, such as guided tours along Suzhou Creek, a movie night about the city's vintage films, a reading club as well as forums and exhibitions.
During the closing ceremony of the event on Friday night, a fashion show and a dance gala were held at the historical Garden Hotel near the bustling Huaihai Road M. The city's time-honored design brands, such as Laofengxiang Jewelry, exhibited their latest products.
The festival, which began on September 10, attracted more than 3,000 visitors, an optimistic sign that the city's consumption and vitality is being restored rapidly after the COVID-19 resurgence early this year, according to the organizers.
The fair was co-organized by the Shanghai International Fashion Federation and Shanghai Yuelai Culture Media Co.
"This year's festival is themed 'A Majestic Cosmopolitan' to send the message that Shanghai is still a charming 'magic city' after evolving from the long lockdown early this year," said Hu Ping, the general manager of Yuelai.
A pianist performs for visitors during the fair.
