Chinese Culture Event

Foot-binding existed in China for over 1,000 years. In feudal Chinese society, a pair of tiny feet was regarded as the biggest treasure a woman could possess. Mr. Yang began to collect ancients shoes in the 1980's. He has spent decades building his collection of nearly 3000 pairs of shoes of the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties, and the Republic of China, covering men's, women's, and children's shoes as well as San Cun Jin Lian (the "three inch golden lotus", an extremely small shoe for women in footbinding), which systematically shows China's shoe culture.

Shanghai's first textile and costume museum is located at Donghua University, this huge gallery showcases Chinese fabrics and replicas of machines used in the nation's textile industry in ancient times. In there, we will receive a guided tour and learn everything about the Chinese textile and costume. China has a splendid history of weaving techniques and its textiles have been sold every-where in the world, Chinese silk also has been synonymous with beauty and elegance.

Woodblock printing is a technique used in printing text, images and patterns used widely throughout East Asia and originating in China as a method of printing on textiles, and later, paper. As a method of printing on cloth, the earliest surviving examples from China date to before 220, and from Egypt to the 4th century.

Yinyi Wang, a brilliant Chinese artist with master degree of Print & Exlibris Research from the Fine Art of Shanghai University and the founder of Shanghai Fu Xian Zhai Exlibris Society, will open her block printing studio and exlibris gallery to guide us through creating

Chinese Customs Talk by Janny Chyn

Have you always wanted to know more about Chinese customs on topics such as weddings, funerals, pregnancy, and naming children? In this fascinating talk by Janny Chyn, we will learn much more about these traditions. Wedding topics include the proposal, betrothal, wedding preparations, wedding day activities, post-wedding rituals, and contemporary wedding customs. Funeral topics include the wake, funeral ceremony, funeral procession, burial, mourning, and return of the dead. Pregnancy topics cover pre-natal treatment, and post-natal care and confinement.