Hongkong Street Style

 

 

 

A hub for style and fashion, streets of Hongkong is filled with people from all over the world with such an interesting style on every angle. And as one of the top shopping destination in Asia, it has incredibly made fashion accessible to its locals, expats and shopping tourists.

 

Here are a few photos taken in the streets of Hongkong.
 

 

 

 

And a few shops...
 

 

 

 





 

Catherine Valencia

Slow Fashion

 

So what is slow fashion about?

Do you remember the day when you went to your grandma’s house and she showed you pieces of clothes that are decades old but still looking nice and neat, quite wearable. Showing you the dress she has met her husband in, or a pair of shoes that she wear for graduation or prom night. I can even recall that my mum has some dresses from 25 years ago that i can still wear today.

 

But what can I say about myself? I think I only have some pieces from my baby ages, the rest is maximum 2 years old. Where are they now? Probably in waste-disposal facilities or given away for charity. The question naturally arises, what am I going to show to my grandchildren? Well, presumably digital photos...

The concept of slow fashion has emerged about four years from now developing from the Slow Movement that has found its roots in society around the Millenium. The Slow Movement means a shift from the fast-paced world toward a slower one. It has all begun in Italy in 1986, when Carlo Petrini started to organize a protest against an opening of a new McDonald’s restaurant in Rome, and later created the Slow Food organization. Over time, the Slow Food movement has spilled over onto other areas of life as well, such as Slow Cities, Slow Living, Slow Design and Slow Fashion.The main philosophy of the Slow Movement is to oppose and resist our accelerated world; appreciate the time of eating, loving, wearing, working and living.

Probably you also have the experience when you tell your grandma that your socks or your sweater has a hole on it. She would probably bring needle and thread to sew it right away, but I would tell her not to bother with it, cuz its just easier to buy a new one...

In 2012, in our highly accelerated world when trends follow each other, changing with every season we need things that are long-lasting and have a good quality. Things as such, need time, caring, the power of individuality, creativity and work invested in it. But in the end and during the process, it will bring happier and more satisfied consumers, as well as more interesting and creative time for people working on it.

What I have found the most valuable about this concept is that despite the need for variety, the basic needs of humans are not changing with seasons. We might need warmer or lighter fabrics, but clothes will always serve their role despite their design and style. Slow movement spur people to have better instead of more, to choose more thoughtful and not to be led or even misled by the current taste of stylists or leading clothing brands that are only interested in changing their collection by every season to induce society to consume more and more and as fast as possible.

What is true for the human nature and to our world is that there are certain things that will always be there, and we are going to need them no matter of what kind of world, or where we live in. Things like love, family, friends, food, a place to live in, compassion, condolence, empathy, grace and forgiveness are also among them.

At the moment what we need is making more thoughtful choices day by day and making every aspect of life sustainable and more accessible for everybody.

Slow does not mean the lack of variety, one-sidedness or resisting to change, it rather means being more detail-oriented, caring and sustainable.

Less is more. Caring is good.

Dorina Gyurkócza

photosources:

Henrietta Ludgate: http://www.henriettaludgate.com/HENRIETTA_LUDGATE.html

Luan by Lucia: http://www.vanity.hu/blog/luan-by-lucia

Understanding China's Mid-Autumn Festival and National Holiday

 

I love holidays. Well, who doesn’t?
 

Every year, Chinese and foreigners in Shanghai would plan on where to go and spend their National holiday which usually lands on October 1^st-7^th. But in China, there seems to be an additional day of holiday as they celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival or Mooncake Festival making the vacation a day longer. Flights coming in and going out of China on these dates would be insanely expensive that most people would consider staying in town despite an amazing long week of no-work and no-school days. Anyway, there is so much to do in Shanghai that even I would consider. And for the smart ones, who booked earlier before prices hiked, let’s have a toast to that!

But what is Mid-Autumn Festival really about?

I was once iMessaging with my good old friend who is now living in Canada and was asked what was special about this holiday. I was dumbfounded. And so, it made me think about researching on a few about this longest holiday in China and write my first post in our blog.

The Mid-Autumn Festival also called Mooncake Festival or Zhongqiu Festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, usually in October. This year, the Chinese are celebrating it on the 30^thof September, a day before the National Holiday. The day is also known as the Moon Festival, as at that time of the year the moon is at its roundest. Tons of legends have been written about the famous festival like Chang E legend, but this one has specifically caught my attention.

The Mid-Autumn Festival was a commemoration of an uprising in China against the Mongol rulers of the Yuan Dynasty in the 14th century. At that time, group gatherings were banned that it was impossible to make plans for rebellion against the Mongols. Liu Bowen of Zhejiang Province, advisor to the Chinese rebel leader Zhu Yuanzhang, came up with an idea to start the rebellious movement on the day of Mid-Autumn Festival. Knowing that Mongols doesn’t eat moon cake, he asked permission to distribute thousands of moon cakes to Chinese residents in the city as a way of blessing the longevity of the Mongol emperor. But, inside each cake was a piece of paper with the message “Kill the Mongols on the 15^th day of the 8^th month”. On the night of the Festival, the rebels attacked and had overthrown the government following the establishment of the Ming Dynasty under Zhu.

But then again it is a legend, so asking a few more Chinese would have different stories. In any case, what do they do during this festival? The most significant custom is offering sacrifice to the round bright moon and eating moon cakes. There would also be a few dragon dances too.

 

And what is a moon cake anyway? As every festival there is in China, there is a special food for each occasion. For the Mid-Autumn Festival, it is basically the moon cake. The moon cake is a kind of cookie with various fillings with printed artistic patterns on the surface depicting the story of Chang E (a legend) flying to the moon. People treated this kind of food as one of the sacrificial offerings to the moon in the old days. Nowadays, moon cakes comes in a variety of flavors which changes according to the region but the common fillings are nuts, sugar, sesame, ham and egg yolk. As the moon cake is round in shape, it signifies the reunion of a family. In the new generation, people give moon cakes as a present to relatives and friends to wish them a long and a happy life.

What about this week-long holiday? Basically called the National Holiday everybody is looking forward to.

A few weeks or even a month before this official holiday, you would hear people asking “Any plans for the National Holiday?”. And when you live in China for quite some time, this you always look forward to. Either doing a cross-country trip or even a much better out-of-China trip, they are all worthwhile. Most people would travel to Southeast Asia since it’s the closest, cheapest trip next to China.

Getting some tan and spending time in the beach to get that island-feel away from the city life or just a few R&Rs before coming back to their usual work-social dinner-bar kind of lifestyle which is quite particular in Shanghai. Because sometimes, you just need a breather and this is the perfect time. But what is there really with the National Holiday?
 

October 1^st is the National Holiday for People’s Republic of China as it is the day it was founded in 1949.From 1943 to 1976, Mao was the Chairman of the Communist Party of China. During this period, Mao was called Chairman or the Great Leader Chairman Mao. The ceremony was held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing and was declared 7-days holiday for Chinese to celebrate. Since then, many government-organized festivities, fireworks and concerts are usually done during the holiday. And in Beijing, many portraits of Mao Zedong are usually publicly displayed.

 

Better yet, if you aren’t really a fan of such a crowd, avoid the big cities and famous tourist spots in China during these dates. You will be shocked with how much population there is in the country.

Otherwise, welcome to the crowd and enjoy the fun.
 

Happy Holidays!

 
 

Catherine Valencia

The Blog

A blog collaboration by Hungarian Dorina Gyurkócza who is currently living in Budapest, Hungary and Filipino Catherine Valencia who is currently living in Shanghai, China.

They were once brought together by life in the lively city of Shanghai in 2009. Despite the cultural differences of the two continents these two became inseparable. Later they have managed to keep in touch and even became closer than ever, thanks to the world of internet and online video chats they really do make the difference. Considering 5900miles distance between Europe and Asia, with such vast difference of lifestyle, history, culture and the mere physical appearance of both individuals. Yes, a lasting ideal friendship is possible.

Interestingly enough, these two writers despite having such diversities are quite involved in the same category of interests in life and are on take on sharing their experiences and knowledge to the world. Food, Fashion, Health & Beauty, Travel & Lifestyle, History & Culture, these are the ones that made the cut.

The concept of putting up together in one blog a European and Asian style of living; giving the prospective readers a view on the kind of lifestyle this European and Southeast Asian writers are immersed on and where people living in both continents can relate to.

One World. One Love.

About Us


  

Dorina Gyurkócza

I was born in Budapest, Hungary. I traveled a lot since childhood and was always open to other cultures and people of the world.

I love my family, friends, travelling, dancing and fashion. It has always been interesting for me to get to know new people, cultures, places and countries. I love to talk with others about their conception of life, history, food, fashion and culture.

I graduated in International Relations and Politics from the Corvinus University of Budapest, but also studied Chinese language in Shanghai as a scholarship grantee. During my studies in Shanghai I met Cathy and many more wonderful people that had an enormous positive impact on my life. During my one year in Asia I got introduced to the Asian culture and way of life that simply amazed me. Later, this life changing experience gave me a push to start a blog that hopefully facilitates better understanding, cooperation and connection between the two cultures. 

Catherine Valencia

Proud to be born and raised in the Philippines.

Being in a country with 7,107 islands, I love the beach so much and traveling is one of my passions in life.

I am now studying as an international student in Tongji University under the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery in Shanghai, China. After finishing my undergraduate studies in Pharmacy in the Philippines, my love for science and the idea of reaching out to people, being a part of something different has inspired me to proceed to medical school and take on a new journey.

Though not as usual as other medical students who took medicine straight from university, I flew to China to take on a new adventure in life and study Chinese. China has truly opened many doors for me. Meeting wonderful people from all around the globe and making friends, learning different insights and culture, opening up global opportunities that has never in my life had imagined was possible.

Certainly, my living in Shanghai independently is a love and hate relationship. But being in a fast paced developed city in Asia that has become global had made me consider that the future might actually be in Shanghai.

Now taking a new height in the world of blogging, I was motivated by people who gave ideas of coming up with a blog and writing topics that interests me. Working part-time for a company as a food & restaurant critic and a freelance english teacher; my enthusiasm for beauty, fashion, world history and culture has made me decide to pursue my writing to share and connect with people globally.