Vantage Shanghai Magazine – A New Perspective on Luxury Lifestyle

Winter Arrives, Art Collectors Step Up

Justin Ting — Thu, 17 May 2012 01:53:11 +0000

Shanghai has become a new center of wealth and affluence, yet when art agent and consultant Terry Huang, VP of Motif Art Consulting Group, came to make inroads into the Asian market, his team skirted around Shanghai. Based in New York, Motif Art Consulting opened an office in Beijing a few years ago, and has since been showing interest in Xi’an and Shenzhen while still avoiding Shanghai.

Chinese Art Buyers: A Profile
Terry Huang believes that today it would be impossible to ignore the art purchasing power of Shanghai’s affluent something that China’s second tier cities have yet to match. However, there are elements of Shanghai’s attitude towards art that he finds worrisome. “Shanghainese are quite shrewd in this regard, and tend to view artworks as financial goods or commodities, and tend to think less about the artistic value of the work,”says Huang. Many of the buyers that he’s encountered seem as preoccupied with the return on their investment as a day trader would be with their stock numbers. Facing these types of investors makes Huang think that Shanghai is a “hard nut to crack”.
Huang is aware that the problem isn’t confined to just one city. In fact, it is hard for this formerly New York based art agent to get his head around the dizzying world of the Chinese art market. People here are constantly talking prices and rates of return, determined to wring some profit from the buying and selling of art. The market attracts enormous sums of investment and there are plenty of hawk-eyed opportunists waiting in the wings, looking for short-term investments that can turn a quick buck. It’s no wonder that in an art market such as this, there tend to be no small ripples, just big waves.
“This kind of short-term thinking and activity not only has a huge impact on the market but changes the entire art world,” says Huang, “for an artist to see their first few works fetch sky-high prices as a result of a bidding frenzy is, I believe, quite detrimental to their continued creativity and long-term career.”

Markets Can Hibernate, Too
Chinese investors are still keen on the Chinese art marketplace; aside from the real estate and stock market, the art market has been another prominent destination for investing money. From 2005 onwards there has been an increasing amount of speculative investments, a trend that continued through last year. During the spring season auctions of last year, 219 auction houses from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and overseas racked up a total revenue of RMB42.8bn, up 112.71 percent from 2010. Not only have prices reached a record high, but the sheer number of expensive items has increased as well. However, as of the latter half of the year, even this sizzling market has been showing signs of cooling off.
Transaction volumes from the autumn auctions were smaller than those of the spring, which didn’t bode well for the continued growth of the market. Earlier this year, market and industry insiders also revealed that the contemporary Chinese painting index has lowered by nine percent, while oil paintings and other staples of contemporary art have shrunk to 50 percent of their former value.
“After so many years of skyrocketing prices, the Chinese art market is entering a cooling off period and I believe it’s going to stay like this for two more years,”says Huang, “but for collectors, this might actually be a good opportunity.”
The hype of former years shows that the Chinese market is still in the midst of sorting itself out, which makes it difficult for art lovers and collectors to get a foothold. Now that things are cooling down, and the opportunists have left the scene, the real collectors can stage a comeback. The cool-down means that many high quality art works are going to re-enter the market, offering collectors a real chance to scoop up good art at competitive prices.

Stepping Out of the Box
Huang left his native Taiwan to pursue studies in the U.S., where he obtained a doctorate in art history from Harvard University, and has been active in the New York art scene since the 1990s. In his professional life, Huang wears many hats: alongside his role with MAC, he is an assistant professor at New York University, and a curator at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. In the past few year, Motif has made big strides in the Asia market, opening offices in Tokyo, Taipei, and Beijing. Huang is making more frequent trips across China’s major cities and has discovered that although opening and reform policies are now three decades old, the Chinese art market is still in many ways closed off to the Western world.
“The Chinese market is a very regionally based market, a particular work or artist might really be hot in China, but once you step out of that box, you’ll fade in the international market.”
After the decade long Cultural Revolution, Chinese people slowly became more receptive to Western art, though traditional Chinese calligraphy, ceramics and other arts are still their first loves and it is this aspect of the Chinese cultural psychology that makes it difficult for Western based art companies to crack into the China market.
This kind of regional affinity and parochialism makes it hard for Chinese art works to enter the mainstream global market. Huang worries about Chinese art and artists getting trapped in this framework. “What China really needs is a stronger sense of aesthetic values, which has much to do with the state of arts education, and is a long-term process,”says Huang. (Translated by Peijin Chen)

The World Behind the Art

Sophia Peng — Thu, 17 May 2012 01:09:54 +0000

The oil painting “Beijing 2008” (also known as “Mahjong Playing Women”) created by Canadian-Chinese artist Lui Liu became world famous after it was hotly debated over its interpretations. It has attracted more online hits than any other paintings, save Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa”and Van Gogh’s “Starry Night”. At the beginning of this year, Liu took these iconic paintings and 30 other art works to Shanghai, starting yet another wave of “mahjong fever”.

This is Lui Liu’s first traveling exhibition in China since returning home after over twenty years abroad. The first stop of his show held at Beijing’s Today Art Museum last year drew good reviews. But this year, the feedback in Shanghai has been overwhelming. One weekend of the exhibit, lines were seen wrapping around the Shanghai Art Museum building a sight usually seen only at major large scale events such as the Shanghai Biennale. At his book launch, well over a thousand people were in line to have Liu sign his new book “Lui Liu – Behind His Works”. The museum’s bookstore sold out all copies and had to remain open well past closing time.
The buzz and enthusiasm that the show brought to Shanghai was not lost on Liu. “Beijing has a much more academic atmosphere, whereas Shanghai is more like a popular social movement, where people bring their families to shows. And kids were peering over the railing to look at my paintings”said Liu.

Who are the Mahjong Women?
Lui Liu was born in Tianjin in 1957 and graduated from the China Central Academy of Fine Arts Oil Painting Department in 1978, along with classmates Chen Danqing, Yang Feiyun and others. In 1991, he moved to Canada, where he established himself in western mainstream art circles, actively exhibiting in various international museums. In 2005, Canadian art channel Bravo! featured him as one of the 10 most notable and talented artists working in Canada.
This time in Shanghai, Liu specially set out to exhibit his most famous and controversial works, borrowing his masterpiece “Beijing 2008” from art collectors, and the oil painting “Mud Girl” from well-known actress Song Dandan. Also making their debuts were his recently completed works after returning to China, “The Legend of Warlords” and “The Phantom Wedding”.
There is no doubt that “Beijing 2008” garnered the most attention. This iconic and striking painting depicting five semi-naked women playing mahjong even caused a stir when it was first exhibited in New York. Many consider the women to represent countries or regions, and the mahjong representing the games or strategies played by nations to achieve their interests based on their strength. The painting has drawn more search hits online than any other paintings except for Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” and Van Gogh’s “Starry Night.”
The most popular interpretation of the painting suggests that the women represent players of the world powers. The player on the left is deemed most innocent and concentrated, silently celebrating a good hand she holds. The woman with her back to the viewers holding a set of “east wind”, a four-of-a-kind “kong” piece, is said to symbolize the rise of China as a world power. The woman in the center, looking to be of non-Chinese or mixed ancestry, absent-mindedly stares off into the light. She is dressed in light colored clothes and wears an expression of worry on her face. The other foreign woman lying down can only sit back and watch, having taken one less tile than required, has lost confidence and fighting spirit. In this particular interpretation, the four women represent Japan, China, America, and Russia, their expressions representing their respective attitudes towards the developments in the game unfolding before them.
While the interpretations might seem imposed or far-fetched, they have created an aura of mystery and narrative around the painting. On his part, Liu acknowledges that the netizens superb imaginations are “far beyond his original intentions”, and at times, he had been astonished by their interpretations. However, Liu has never publicly gone on record and spoken about the real meaning of his paintings, neither confirming nor denying anything previously said by others.
But he said during an interview, “It reminds me of the classic Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber. For every thousandth person that reads it, there are going to be a thousand different interpretations of what it means.”Liu says that he is not concerned about how his works are interpreted or misinterpreted. “I’m just delighted that the audience is interested in my paintings and is willing to contribute their input”he said.

Western Techniques and Chinese Dramatics
In fact, “Beijing 2008” is not Liu’s only work that invites rave discussions. His “Girls on the Net” painted in 2006 depicts two young women playing “cat’s cradle” on two sides of a ruined wall is one such other painting. The hole on the wall appears to be in a shape of the map of China. Some netizens have speculated that the painting had somehow “predicted” the disastrous Wenchuan earthquake two years later. Another painting “Midnight Ride”, from the perspective of a driver inside a car, is sometimes talked about as a premonition of the 2010 Li Gang incident.
Liu maintains that “Everyone has his own dreams; an artist turns dreams into art. I paint because I like people to look at my paintings during the day that remind them of their own dreams at night.”
In the European and American art worlds, Liu is classified as something of a maverick that works in the grey area between “magical realism” and Pop Art. His western styles and techniques are used in subjects that have the dramatic tensions and themes of Chinese contemporary art. Many say that Liu’s success comes from the way he creates resonant and alluring images. Though solidly trained and versed in classical European painting techniques, he also introduces Chinese elements into his paintings. In works such as “Mud Girl”, “Show Time”, and “The Legend of Warlords”, one sees recurring objects such as the Phoenix Crown (used in Peking opera). But while traditional, the women depicted in “Maid in China” are all seemingly European.
“Liu’s understanding of both Chinese and Western cultures is expressed in his own understanding, even when viewed from different national or cultural contexts, his work is always able to resonate deeply with audiences and create space for discourse,” said Zhang Zikang, Director of Beijing’s Today Art Museum. And Liu’s former classmate Chen Danqing says that Liu’s ability to create “forceful realist” and “highly dramatic, expressive and enigmatic subjects” is what makes his art so compelling. (Translated By Peijin Chen)

Mansion Hotel, Turn Back The Clock 80 Years

Lilian Feng — Wed, 09 May 2012 06:22:41 +0000

82 Xinle Road is a known as a legendary place to the old folks here in Shanghai. This French manor-style house was built in 1932, which prospered in the 1930s under the first use of the villa with the Sanxing Company, owned by former mob bosses Huang Jinrong, Du Yuesheng and Jing Tinsun. After the liberation, it served as the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Bureau. It was not until 2007 that the house was finally renovated into the Mansion Hotel.

Mansion Hotel is China’s first deluxe City Heritage Boutique Hotel; it is also China‘s first combination of hotel and a modern historical museum, thus, receiving much attention during its initial construction stage. Taking history and culture seriously, Mansion Hotel not only follows the boutique trends, but also captures the essence of old Shanghai with smart and innovative choices.
Walking into the hall, I seemed to have stepped into a museum, washed over with an intense historical and cultural atmosphere surrounded by more than 300 pieces of genuine centuries-old treasures, including a 1910 hand-cranked phonograph with LPs of the Beijing opera singer Mei Lanfang. There are also various types of financial documents from the 1930s, including bank notes, stock, land leases and other collections including old cameras, movie projectors, and gas water heaters. Even the lobby desk is an antique produced in the United Kingdom that was brought to Shanghai by missionaries in 1930s.

Leaving the “museum”, I went to the cocktail reception hall, the elegant atmosphere of the banquet was vividly demonstrated by the exquisite wooden tables, goblets in bright colors and western palace-style candlestick. The cozy and comfortable rooms, where old photographs adorned the walls, and valuable collections of the last century were placed, revealed the rich atmosphere of the past, along with an exquisite fireplace. In the cafe, an old-fashioned record player was found, playing original Mei Lanfang recordings.
Walking on the thick carpeting, gently running my fingers across collections of the last century, while listening to the phonograph crackling in the background, I felt transported back to 1930’s Shanghai.

(Translated by Rachel Gouk)

CAFÉ SAMBAL

Rachel Gouk — Mon, 07 May 2012 08:30:58 +0000

Tucked away in the lanes of Jiashan Market, Café Sambal is one of the few restaurants in town dedicated to Malaysian cuisine, serving an authentic spread in its earth-toned eatery. Like its well-established counterpart in Beijing, this up-market Southeast Asian restaurant’s pricing can be quite steep.

Starting with a hearty serving of otak-otak, a steamed fish paste wrapped in banana leaf, the fishcake had a rich yet fluffy texture, seasoned with a tinge of chili and a thin layer of sweet curry. Following the starter is the beef rendang, a curry dish with spices and coconut milk slow cooked till the curry has condensed. Using a risky cut of meat, beef shank, the outcome was delectable: the spice-absorbed meat was soft and tender with marbled fat, fused with ginger, turmeric, garlic and lemongrass. Next up is the Malay-style fried honey chicken; the sweet-salty aroma paired with juicy thigh cuts of dark meat is a great combination with rice.

Going authentic, the meal is also served with sambal chili sauce, an extremely spicy condiment of fried chilies, spices and a light lime tinge. Another authentic dish is a vegetarian kacang botol, or four-angled bean, fried in a cashew nut and garlic sauce. For dessert, a warm nyonya creation called bubur cha cha, a medley of white beady tapioca pearls and chunks of sweet potato and yam served in a soup of evaporated milk and coconut cream.

Style: Modern Authentic Malaysian, Casual
Price: 300-500RMB/person
Hours: Daily from 12pm-12am,
Lounge until 2am
Address: Jiashan Market, 37A, Lane 550, Shanxi East Road
Reservations: 021 3368 9529

China Taking to the Skies

Rachel Gouk — Mon, 07 May 2012 08:07:40 +0000

Media teams heaved with excitement as action film star Jackie Chan was presented with a red and gold, dragon-themed Embraer Legacy 650 with the words “JC JET” on the side. Brazilian manufacturer Embraer inducted Chan as their new ambassador, hoping to use his status to break into the Chinese market, attracting a flurry of media attention during the ABACE 2012 press day. However, for foreign aircraft manufacturers, the main focus was the emergence of the immense oriental market.

Surging Advancement

China is currently the most active market for aircrafts, a surging interest in this department of luxury doubling and tripling percentages-wise, but with low initial figures. The lucrative market and its percentages have attracted more foreign companies to set up headquarters in Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong, seemingly waiting for a peak in the business aircraft market.
Slowly, but surely, China is expanding exponentially in the business aviation sector, as more services are made available for the country’s eager and wealthy. According to The Chinese Luxury Consumer White Paper 2012 released by HuRun Report and Industrial Bank, 13 percent of China’s wealthy with personal assets over RMB100mil plan to buy a corporate jet, that’s nearly 8,000 possible buyers.
“China is still in its infancy for business aviation[but] China will find a China way to grow” said Ed Bolen, President & CEO of the NBAA, during the press day.
Comparatively, a private hangar in Orange County, California, has as many private jets than there are in all of China. According to the GAMA, an international trade association representing leading aircraft manufacturers, there are currently 203 private business jets in China. Bolen had positive remarks about its expansion, saying that China will “eapfrog to the state-of-the-art.” But China has a long way before catching up to the approx. 200,000 private planes in the U.S.

A New Era of Business Aviation

Many foreign companies have found their way into China, proposing starry-eyed projects for future expansion by affiliating with the country’s most notable companies. VistaJet, the biggest player outside the Americas signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for a long-term major partnership agreement with Beijing Airlines. Thomas Flohr, founder and chairman of VistaJet said that this is the beginning of an expansion for business aviation that epitomizes the shift of global trade from West to East in the past decade.
This year’s ABACE 2012 exhibition, held in March at the Shanghai Hawker Pacific Center, Hongqiao International Airport, saw more than 150 exhibitors, and the debut of 30 planes at the static display, five of which were from China. Aircrafts on sale ranged from the RMB1.2bn Hawker Beechcraft 900XP to the RMB4bn Boeing BBJ.
Of the exhibitors, aviation industry giants Bombardier, Boeing, Lufthansa and VistaJet were among the booths and pavilions. The exhibition covered all departments of business aviation, targeting possible buyers for trade, sale, cabin completion, safety check, interior systems and all needs pre- and post-jet purchase. To further emphasize the millionaire’s market event, tickets were marked at RMB3000.

Challenges & Trends

Despite the purchasing power in China, the number of privately owned jets is still quite low, due to country’s lack of proper service facilities and information resources. In addition, because of China’s low-altitude limit, flying business aircrafts in China is challenging. However, China’s traffic control authorities have given positive feedback, indicating that the nation would consider relaxing the ban on the low-altitude airspace on a trial basis in 2012, according to a report by China Daily.
An aircraft owner’s main concerns are with airport authorization, structural integrity and safety measures, all of which can be passed onto MROs like Lufthansa Technik. The Technik division is the world’s leading MRO that also offers VIP cabin conversion and completion of personal aircrafts, headed by Jorg Lowes, Deputy Director of Product and Sales Design. Lowes says the many processes for completion is crucial in determining the client’s requirements, including usage, capacity, floor plans and furniture. Similarly, other MROs can service aircrafts from any location for an aircraft transfer fee.
Market trends in China show that first time buyers who now “get it” and understand the benefits of business aviation, want to buy a second aircraft and pass the benefits down the chain of command, according to Asian Sky Group.
Of China’s millionaires, 85 percent plan to send their children to study abroad, and some of which have placed schools on their “to-do-list” during chartered jet vacations. Jane McBride, CEO of holiday charter service Private Jet Journeys confirms that she has received requests for holiday tours that include school visits. These requests are the start of a trend that directs the country’s wealth towards private aviation, spurring a broader range of luxury options.

Spaceyed Out: An Interview with Dayyan Eng

Jonathan S. Levitt — Fri, 04 May 2012 09:20:01 +0000

Following six years after the release of “Waiting Alone”, Director Dayyan Eng has come out with “Inseparable”, co-starring Oscar winner Kevin Spacey and Daniel Wu, released nationwide on May 4. The showing of this rare and exceptional film in China has once again propelled the Chinese-American director to the top of discussion board in the film industry. Dayyan Eng may be China’s best-kept secret, as an influential filmmaker. He may have become the voice for 20 something’s in China, who were sorely underrepresented on screen, but he defies being painted by that definition any longer, as he moves things towards unique and uncharted areas with his latest production.

Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000) in its success set off an intense period in Chinese cinema that caused many directors to rethink their direction. More interested in spectacle and financial gain than actual story, one had to search long and hard for a story of some substance. Twelve years on, in many ways it still hasn’t sunk in for the few at the top that as the world changes so do the tastes of its audiences. This is why directors such as Dayyan Eng herald a change in direction. Which is towards a well written story, that when translated to the screen will not only be able to find an audience here in China, but accomplish what we watch films for on a deeper level.

Eng burst onto the scene with his riveting short film, Bus 44, which showed early on that the director could draw out an intense performance in a limited space, and create psychological tension in a very short time frame. Accolades were many for this film and to this day serves as a reference for many Beijing Film Academy students as a must see film.

No more is this in full display then in his latest and I believe greatest effort to date, Inseparable. A black comedy that is a must see film. It’s a really different type of film than what Eng could have gone on to make for his second feature. Everyone was expecting him following on from the success he had with Waiting Alone to do a sequel, or to follow it with another youthful rom-com. It is also different because it ploughs deeper into questioning the world around us, and has a psychological edge to it, as well as a very deft handling of comedic elements, of which there are many.

Through his writing, Eng is able to bring something new to the way stories are told, and distills different types of performances from his actors that will surprise and charm his audience. In this film Kevin Spacey manages to give a more nuanced performance, finding himself in between the character he played Lester Burnham from American Beauty and Jack Vincennes from L.A. Confidential. The great thing about Spacey in this film is that he is not window dressing like so many foreigners who act in Chinese films; his role actually has some meat on the bone, and he seems to really enjoy the schizophrenic nature of his character. Daniel Wu also turns in a well-tuned performance that seemed to expand his palette, and deepen him in my view. You will leave the theatre saying, “That’s not what I expected from a Daniel Wu film”in a good way.

Speaking with Eng one gets the sense he would be equally at home helming a Pirates of the Caribbean as he is with a smaller more dramatic film. This is why he is in a great position here in China. While things have gone extremely big budget, he hasn’t played that game so far, instead turning in tightly woven stories of his own concoction and keeping it relatively low-key.

“it’s not the filmmakers job to make social commentaries all the time, I do like making films that give the audiences a little something to think about while being entertaining at the same time.”

Q&A
Vantage: You speak three languages Farsi, English and Chinese. Does this multilingual nature inform your films in any way?
Dayyan Eng: I was fortunate to grow up bilingual and in a bicultural household, before I was twenty I had been to 18 countries. Thing is, I never set out to intentionally “leverage” or utilize this aspect for my career as a director when I first started out, it evolved naturally I guess. At risk of over-simplifying, for me it was just about telling universally understood stories for audiences, be it in China or elsewhere. Inseparable isn’t a comedy, it’s more a “dramedy” but in film, people tend to say humor doesn’t transcend across cultures, but I think it’s really about understanding which “jokes” are universal and sticking to that. However, this doesn’t mean it’ll be that way for all my films; I’m sure at some point I’m going to want to make a very localized film.

Vantage: The film Inseparable deals with some very interesting social issues. Do you feel at ease pointing/focusing on some of societies ills?
Dayyan Eng: I think because the film is part drama part black comedy, we were able to point out some social issues without ending up being “preachy”. I think while it’s not the filmmakers job to make social commentaries all the time, I do like making films that give the audiences a little something to think about while being entertaining at the same time. In addition, the issues I bring up aren’t necessarily restricted to China; they are global issues devoid of politics.

Vantage: When you were writing Inseparable, what on earth made you even think that Kevin Spacey would be right for this role?
Dayyan Eng: Normally, for films that I also write, I don’t have anyone in particular in mind while writing it – you never know if any given actor will be available or even wants to do it, too risky. As for how I approached Kevin, my M.O. has always been to “just try first”, worse thing that can happen is he says “no”. Same thing when Chow Yun-Fat agreed to cameo in my first film “Waiting Alone”. For Inseparable, the part needed an actor who understood the quirky sense of humor of this script, and I think Kevin understood the tone. We set out to make a unique film, something genre bending and quirky while universal in its themes, not something Hollywood studios tend to make these days. Kevin said it was the script that attracted him initially.

Vantage: Seeing as you are the only foreign member of the Chinese academy of directors, who do you hold on a pedestal from China as director that you have been really inspired by?
Dayyan Eng: I’d have to say the early films of Zhang Yimou, like, To Live, Raise the Red Lantern, to this day are some of my favorite films — of anywhere, not just China. Those were the films that got me interested in Chinese films back in the day. As far as current films, I’d have to say Jiang Wen’s films.

Vantage: Recently all of these films in 2011 here in China have been setting records for how much they spent budget wise. Do you think the smaller stories, the art film, the drama, are getting through in such an environment?
Dayyan Eng: It’s getting harder and harder for the non-genre smaller budget films. The industry environment – as well as audiences – is changing. Many people feel that if they’re going to spend their hard earned money at the big screen, they want to watch something “big”, which is understandable to a certain extent; however, a lot of the “big films” have been disappointing. One scan around on the Internet and you’ll see local audiences complaining about the recent crop of big films that have sucked really badly. That being said, just because a film is low budget and “artsy”doesn’t automatically make it a good film either. (laughs)

Vantage: Following on from that, do you think being a director in China has major differences than being one in other countries? Is it more hands on, and less hierarchical?
Dayyan Eng: Yes, in China, you have to be much more hands-on and know about intricate details of everything related to filmmaking and the business. In Hollywood – I’m referring to studio system, not indies which are just as difficult – everyone has a clearly defined job. Whereas in China, because some of the departments are still “maturing”, I as the director, need to explain things in detail and sometimes even do their job “for them”. But things are getting better now and my crew was great on my last film. The other difference is, directors in China are more in control of their vision, much like in Europe, where financiers understand the creative part of filmmaking is the director’s job and don’t interfere too much (with the actual filmmaking part of the job anyway). Whereas in the Hollywood studio system, only a handful of directors have the final creative say, and studios usually have powerful producers/executives in charge. In China, there is a shortage of good producers and execs that truly understand both the creative and business aspects of making a film, or at least, understand the craft and share the love of cinema.

Inseparable
Kevin Spacey, Daniel Wu, Beibi Gong, Peter Stormare star in “Inseparable”, a rare non-mainstream film of urban life, humor, suspense, and love, all playing out in Guangzhou, China. Daniel Wu plays a white-collar worker, who encounters overwhelming pressure at work, and at home with his wife, played by Beibi Gong, who works as an investigative reporter. Just when things seem its worst, Daniel Wu’s life takes a turn of thrills and the unexpected when he befriends a “mystery man” played by Kevin Spacey. Co-starring highlights are two top-of-the-line actors, Daniel Wu and Oscar winner Kevin Spacey.

Checking Under the Hood

Rachel Gouk — Fri, 04 May 2012 05:48:04 +0000

The 82nd International Motor Show, Geneva, has come and gone with a bang, running from 8-18 March, showcasing 180 world and European premiers of 260 exhibitors. As a highly anticipated event, this exciting show hosted all the major brands of automakers, revealing many debuting models and a string of luxury car brands concept vehicles. These are some of the highlights from the show.

Lamborghini Aventador J

Billed as “the most uncompromising open super sports car of its entire history” by Lamborghini, the Aventador J super sports car is limited to just one unit, and has already been sold. It is a radically open and exotic automobile – the designers and engineers have not only done away entirely with the roof, but also the front windshield. This one-of-a-kind piece of art is fully functional for road use, but requires drivers to have the right equipment for driving at top speeds higher than 300kmh. A new carbon fibre material called Carbonskin is used throughout the interior, the soft hi-tech shimmering fabric fitting perfectly to every shape.

Rolls-Royce Phantom II Series

To be known as the 2013 Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II, the family of ultra-luxury cars is an enhanced version of the original 2003 Phantom Series. Updated with restyled bumpers and adaptive LED headlamps, the Phantoms boast a “magic carpet ride”with its improved gearbox and direct injection engine. Models include the sedan, coupe and Drophead Coupe, plus a Bespoke Bijan-commissioned Phantom Drophead Coupe.

Porsche Boxster

The comprehensive two-door sports 2013 Porsche Boxster convertible is marked with a new lightweight design body and completely revamped chassis. Both a Boxster and sportier Boxster S will be available, powered by engines with direct petrol injection. The 2013 Boxster will enter showrooms right before summer, starting at US$49,500 for the base model and US$60,900 for the Boxster S.

Aston Martin V12 Zagato

Automaker Aston Martin and Italian design house Zagato recently collaborated on the Aston Martin V12 Zagato racecar that ran in the 2011 Nurburgring 24 Hours, and which spawned a limited-production road-going version that was on display at the Geneva Motor Show. Body panels such as the bonnet, signature “double-bubble” roof and doors are all constructed from carbon fiber. The V12 Zagato is on-sale, priced at approx. RMB3.3mil.

Touring Superleggera Disco Volante 2012 Concept

Touring Superleggera’s Disco Volante 2012 Concept super sports car is based on not one, but two iconic Alfa Romeo designs: the 2007 8C Competizione supercar and the “flying saucer” 1952 Disco Volante Concept. The Disco Volante 2012 Concept is built on the bones of 8C’s spaceframe chassis with hand-beaten aluminium panels and carbon fibre elements, retaining the front engine and rear transaxle layout for optimum weight distribution.

Lotus Exige S Roadster 2013

Originally just called the “Exige S”, Lotus has now taken off the roof to form the Exige S Roadster 2013, fitted with a lightweight, convertible soft-top. The Exige S Roadster is almost identical to the Exige S hardtop, with fine tuned suspension and agile handling, and a targeted weight of just under 1100kg. It is one of the lightest six-cylinder roadsters on the market.

Opel Ampera

Opel has surpassed Chevrolet’s Volt production wait time by launching their own version of a plug-in hybrid with the new Ampera, winning the annual European Car of the Year award. The four-seat Ampera is a range-extended electric car, working with a Lithium-Ion battery for the first 40-80km, extended by the gasoline-powered E85 generator for 500km with a full tank of gas. Opel estimates that an electrically driven kilometre in the Ampera costs about one-fifth the price of a kilometre driven in a conventional petrol-powered vehicle.

Luxury at Sea, Sailing in Style

Rachel Gouk — Fri, 04 May 2012 02:48:42 +0000

Just because you’re in the middle of the ocean, doesn’t mean you should sacrifice luxury. Cruise liners make it easy for weary travelers to visit several places in one go without the hassle of packing and repacking, or making multiple hotel bookings. Here we have listed three different cruise lines that cover some typical categories to consider when choosing a cruise.

Regent Seven Seas
Blazing the Seven Seas on Half-a-Million

The colossal transoceanic cruise liner, the Regent Seven Seas Voyager, has to be the most luxurious (and most expensive) trailblazer of the seas connected to more than 300 ports in all continents. With 12 decks, the Voyager is the biggest of Regent’s fleet , accommodating a maximum of 700 guests and 447 crew members, and sailing to Africa, India, Asia Pacific, Mediterranean and Northern Europe. Apart from week-long or month-long cruises, Regent is also known for “around the world” cruises, traveling from city port to island docks for over 140 days.

All rooms come with their own private balcony, extending out of the ship with unobstructed views of the deep blue. Voyager’s largest accommodation goes to two apartment-sized Master Suites, each with a total space of 130sqm, which includes not one, but two private balconies, marble bathrooms, a walk-in closet and butler service. The price for the Master Suite per guest starts from about $30,000 for the 7-day cruises, and a daunting half-a-million dollars for around the world cruises.

The price tag includes four main dining venues serving steak to continental to vegetarian-kosher, a casino, a two-tiered Constellation Theatre for cabaret and live orchestra, open-air barbecue grills, art auctions, and a classy cigar bar in their impressive list of on-board entertainment. Regent also provides a Destination Services Desk on board to arrange tailored private excursions, for additional costs, to any destination from any disembarking port – such as visiting the pyramids and tombs of Egypt or chartering a private jet to the Taj Mahal.

Royal Caribbean
The World’s Largest Cruise Line

Oasis of the Seas was the world’s largest cruise liner in 2010, until Royal Caribbean unveiled its new sister, Allure of the Seas in 2011, now the largest liner to date. The US$1.4bn Allure is practically its own floating country, with a neck-straining 16 decks, split into seven neighborhoods, 21 pools and jacuzzis, and accommodation for more than 6,000 guests and over 2,300 crew members.

Guests can choose from 37 categories of accommodation, the most luxurious being the New York loft designed, double-floor Royal Loft Suite for six guests at 150sqm of pure luxurious standards including a baby grand piano – prices ranging from US$17,000 to US$24,000 per person. Cruises are available for three to seven nights, circling the Americas and the Caribbean.

Allure’s themed neighborhoods include the New York inspired, open-sky green-space Central Park; Royal Promenade’s shopping area; Pool and Sports Zone; Entertainment Place, Youth Zone and Vitality for spa and fitness.

This family-friendly cruise is suitable for guests of all ages, even providing programs for children from 6 months to 17 years old. The highly acclaimed Allure line’s fame stretched to include a live on-board performance from Taylor Swift in 2011, and has been used to film Jack & Jill starring Adam Sandler and Katie Holmes.

SeaDream
Intimate at Sea & Up the Amazon

Jump into the glittering, luminous bays of the Caribbean, do yoga on the beach, snorkel off the yacht’s marina and cruise rocky fjords. SeaDream Yacht Club’s twin ultra-luxury mega yachts operate five to 20-night sailings in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Black Sea and the Amazon River.

Unlike conventional mega yachts, SeaDream accommodates a private cruise for a maximum of 112 guests, with 95 crew members at their beck and call, catering for intimate itineraries. All staterooms are ocean view fitted with luxurious Belgian linens and first class amenities: Owner’s Suite (41sqm), Admiral Suite (34sqm) and regular staterooms (18sqm). Cruises for the Owner’s Suite start from US$14,750 to US$61,000 per person for a range of destinations and durations.

SeaDream was recently ranked #1 by Conde Nast’s readers in the category of small luxury ships. SeaDream’s compact yacht size also increases port-docking possibilities by visiting smaller ports that larger ships cannot reach. The Upper-Amazon voyage is a recent addition, taking guests on a 7-day cultural immersion trip from Iquitos, Peru through to Brazil and Columbia. From May to October, SeaDream sails in Northern Europe, the Baltic, Norwegian Fjords and the Mediterranean; the Caribbean and exclusive voyages to the Amazon River run from November to April.

Aside from lounge bars, a swimming pool, casino, and 5-star cuisine, the yachts also have starlit movies on the top deck, golf simulation rooms, a fitness center, live music, a spa, and a marina that provides a variety of watersports including glass-bottom kayaks and jet skiing.

Hengshan Cinema: Reviving Memories of a Generation

Rachel Gouk — Thu, 03 May 2012 09:58:54 +0000

Drawn to Shanghai’s fast-growing scene, French-Argentinian architect Marcelo Joulia fell in love with the history-rich city, eventually setting up his design company Naço Architectures. Along with their many other projects, Naco was commissioned by the city to revive one of Shanghai’s most noble historic buildings – the Hengshan Cinema, designed by Naço’s Adam Fang.

Reviving a Memory
In a somewhat mad rush for China, Marcelo Joulia left France for Shanghai in 2005 to open Naço Shanghai, founded solely on his intuition that this city would be the perfect place to nurture his philosophy on design and architecture.

Commissioned in August 2009, Naço undertook the important project to give one of the city’s most iconic buildings a new look, whilst respecting its heritage and without disrupting the affectionate identity it has with the people.

“C‘est complique,” [It’s complicated] says Joulia in French, describing his first impression when he took this historically important project.

Founded in 1951, after the birth of New China, the Hengshan Cinema was the city’s first theatre approved by Chen Yi, the first mayor of Shanghai. It was for some people, their first experience of going to the movies. The fond memories and past experiences at the former cinema played a big role in the redesign, and proved a challenging task for Naço to project the indefinable aspect of memories in a physical portrayal.

“They can‘t describe it (the memory) in words. It‘s really hard to not betray this memory and at the same time, you don’t have a precise identity” says Joulia. Moreover, respecting the people‘s memory would be the catalyst driving the design aspect of this historical makeover.

Open Spaces
Prior to its refurbishment, the cinema lacked open space, being walled up from the surrounding areas. Having been through many transformations, the Hengshan Cinema was originally built as a recreational facility with a plain and simple design that lacked the finesse of its current commercial look.

Naço proposed to connect a garden space to the cinema, as Joulia believed that the garden adds a memorable and unique quality, contributing an indirect romantic experience for cinemagoers. In addition, a wide paved entrance would be added, welcoming and inviting the crowd.

He even considered the current lifestyle: fast-paced and technology driven, which takes away relaxed moments where once people would gather in the garden, in anticipation of the film, rather than planning it as though it were an appointment.

“In the ’30s, it was a slower and smoother time. That was important to imply with the garden. For people to have the time, a moment for relaxation and enjoyment” said Joulia.

Hoping for people to tear themselves away from individualistic activities, he says the open space in front of the cinema can be a waiting space for cinemagoers, giving them an opportunity to mingle, and highlights that experiencing theatre should be a shared moment with others.

Rising Out of the Ashes
Joulia’s project was completed and opened to the public in October 2010. Finished in a 1950s art deco style, the New Hengshan Cinema has made a strong impact on Shanghai, and reactions have been positive about the building’s redevelopment, some feeling as though the building had reappeared and come back to life.

Favouring the cinema’s shielded location away from heavy traffic, the façade design draws upon and reflects the ebb and flow of people and the rise of a new building. Its bold vertical lines stretching skyward and the construction of the white pillars give it a lively cascading rhythm that enriches the building’s revival. A red star atop the tallest central pillar gleams with pride as a reminder of Shanghai’s unique cultural and historical past.

The reconstructed Hengshan Cinema has the latest in visual and audio technology, and contains three viewing rooms, including a large hall seating almost 500 people, and another fitted with 52 plush lounge chairs. The formerly enclosed garden has been completely opened up and provides a welcoming space in front of the cinema, naturally connecting it to Xujiahui Park.

Apart from the Hengshan Cinema, Naço has had a hand in redesigning other iconic locations in Shanghai, including Bar Rouge, Franck’s restaurant, the Monaco Pavilion, and 1933 Shanghai. Joulia is also opening and designing an Argentinian restaurant, Unico, another reason why he’s so committed to the city. Unico, named after two of his other restaurants in Paris and Buenos Aires, is due to open in June and will be located at 3 on the Bund. Will this project get recognized as a new landmark on the Bund? Joulia seems slightly ill at ease as to whether his work will gain the respect of the people, but he is hopeful for the future of designing in Shanghai.
Q&A
VANTAGE: How would you describe Shanghai?
Joulia: Intense, modern and hopeful. It is a city that moves forward and takes initiative for the future.

VANTAGE: Do you have a special connection with the city of Shanghai?
Joulia: After looking at different cities in Asia, like Beijing, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Shanghai, it was very obvious that it would be Shanghai where I would set up my business and agency. For different reasons: the dynamism, the excitement of the future projections of Shanghai, but also the echo of the past through different districts and the architecture in those districts, the history of the concessions. The contrast between the territories was perfect to express my contributions.

VANTAGE: When rebuilding Hengshan cinema, did you have to be cautious about the old building’s originality? How about preservation?
Joulia: The change of the cinema was not as much for protecting this wall or that floor, but it was really to respect the memory of the people. The collaboration with the authorities was very interesting and very challenging to preserve and work on a building that would kind of come back from the past, but without adding anything fake, or in French we say, “pastiche”, to pretend to be another building or façade, but to be something new, still coming from the origin of the building.

VANTAGE: Reflecting on the Hengshan Cinema project, did you gain anything special from the experience?
Joulia: It was very interesting. At the same time, it gave me a peaceful feeling, because everything was going so fast in the project, in the city, in the collaboration, that working on something timeless and in a quiet space gave me some pleasure. And it was also an opportunity to give back some serenity, calmness and quietness to the city.

CHINA BOAT SHOW COMES OF AGE – And a Year Early!

Editor — Thu, 03 May 2012 08:59:39 +0000

Usually one is considered to come of age at 18 but the China (Shanghai ) International Boat Show (CIBS) appears to have achieved that a year early.
In its 17th rendition CIBS’s move to the former World Expo 2010 site which was brought on by the need to move to larger premises has given the show a new character, a new feeling of being an event rather than exhibitors crammed in wherever there was space, a whole new experience for the visitor, largely under one roof, which no other show, certainly in China has so far come close to replicating and what a good move it has proved to be for every reason imaginable.
Figures are just in and they show a turnover up a remarkable 120% to 2.2 Bn RMB with overseas visitors up 50% although they were responsible for a small fraction of the boat sales. That figure was helped along quite nicely by Sunseeker who sold one 40m yacht for a cool RMB 140M.

Overall visitor numbers were up to 31, 835, up a massive 40% on 2011 and with every visitor pass being bar coded and electronically scanned these figures are completely accurate and 3rd party audited, but then again with a 40% increase no hype is required, the numbers speak for themselves.
So absolutely no doubt that the move to the new venue at the World Expo site has not just been a ‘nice’ move, it has been commercially successful for the organizers in terms of ticket sales and visitor numbers but also for the exhibitors with most boats displaying a sold sticker before the end of the show.

The high recorded visitor numbers are not surprising as from the moment the doors opened to the public right after the opening ceremony on the Friday when long queues formed for admission the event was packed with visitors, at times making it very difficult to get from one part of the venue to another.
Those numbers didn’t seem to diminish at any point of the show all the way through to when the exhibitors started packing up on the Sunday afternoon the new venue was busy, at times to the point of being crowded.
All this at a venue that was 31% larger than the previous year and yet still with virtually all the exhibition space sold out.

Exhibition space that was very little “non-boats”. A handful (literally) of cars, a handful of luxury produces, again just 5 or 6, with all the other 500 or so exhibitors being boats, boat bits or boat related.
And it was not just the number of visitors. The exhibition had a definite wow factor (a direct quote from more than one independent visitor by the way) a buzz and a vibrancy about it with words and phrases like ‘what a difference’, ‘it is so big’ or ‘just incredible’ being used by those visitors asked for opinion.
There is little doubt that the China (Shanghai) International Boat Show is comfortably the largest boat show in Asia by virtually any measure, has attracted the public interest or more relevantly the buying public interest but certainly most of the boats had that very welcome of words stuck on them by the end of the show “sold”. So with nigh on 500 boats being exhibited that is quite a few new boat users about to launch onto the seas, rivers and lakes of China

And running behind the public gaze the additional elements such as the industry forums, the Charity Regatta and the Asian Marine & Boating Awards were all well attended and received, a complete event in one of China’s wealthiest cities. Not that all the visitors were local as surveys being run by the organizers ascertained that the ‘local’ visitors were indeed not just Shanghainese but from all over China.

For further details of those boats and values sold please contact Cindy Chen at UBM Sino Expo