Leshan Special - Chinadaily.com.cn

Leshan Special

Runway success

[2011-06-01 08:25]

Any middle-aged Chinese man who wants to appear fashionable these days would have heard of two labels - Pierre Cardin and Septwolves. During the 1980s and 1990s, these two labels injected some color into Chinese menswear that was dominated by gray, blue and black. Pierre Cardin was the first foreign label to enter China, while Septwolves was one of the first local fashion labels to stand out.

Time Line

[2011-06-01 08:25]

1979: Pierre Cardin holds the first fashion show in China.

Now in vogue

[2011-06-01 08:25]

Modern Chinese fashion really took shape only when global products and brands became more powerful commodities in the market. I did not visit China until 2007, but I imagined its fashion to be a homogenous landscape with only the bravest and the richest starting to experiment with dressing for self-expression.

Into the limelight

[2011-06-01 08:25]

I had one of my early fashion experiences watching a Chinese movie in a small cinema back in my hometown in Anhui province 27 years ago.

Chasing changing palates

[2011-06-01 08:25]

One of Bian Jiang's most vivid memories of Beijing in the 1980s was the long queues of people, waiting in the late autumn chilly wind, to buy large amounts of cabbages and sweet potatoes to take home.

Time Line

[2011-06-01 08:25]

Sept 30, 1980: Beijinger Liu Guixian and her husband open Yue Bin Restaurant in Cuihua Hutong in Beijing, the first privately-run restaurant in China.

Now, I enjoy 'dirty towels'

[2011-06-01 08:25]

The way to a man's heart is certainly through his stomach. I don't know about women, but if a city wants to keep her man, she needs to feed him well.

China riding high on a gastronomical tide

[2011-06-01 08:25]

As food is at the core of culture and lifestyle, gastronomy in China is as diversified as its 56 ethnic groups, 23 provinces, four municipalities, five autonomous regions and two special administrative regions, drawing on a 5,000-year-old heritage.

Basking in the glow of its 120 years

[2011-06-01 08:25]

Qingdao is full of vitality, romance and the spirit of innovation

The scene is rocking

[2011-06-01 08:25]

Four music festivals and a marathon concert made this year's May Day holiday the busiest ever for Beijing's pop and rock fans. Each of the events - Midi Festival, Strawberry Festival, China Music Valley Festival, Chaoyang International Pop Festival and the Rock Records 30th Anniversary Concert ?featured dozens of acts and drew thousands of people.

Time Line

[2011-06-01 08:25]

1984-85: Mainland singers release cassettes of cover songs from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Western countries.

Above ground now, and thriving

[2011-06-01 08:25]

When I started organizing rock concerts in Beijing in the late 1980s, the main protagonists of the city's rock scene, including their equipment, could be easily packed onto one bus.