One of the hospital theme party held in Fee Café.

Alice works at a gothic-themed hangout tucked into a quiet street in Shanghai. We were keen to share her impressions of the sub-culture and understand how the cafe helps to build a community.

The Bergstrom Group: What products and services do you offer besides coffee and drinks?

Alice: We also sell Gothic style clothes, do Tarot cards readings, organize themed events, and host a weekly movie night.

TBG: Could you tell us more about the Gothic style clothes? Who are the designers or brands?

Alice: There are more and more original Goth or Gothic Lolita brands, such as 表面咒语(Surfacespell), 第69部门(The 69^th Department), Kred Lanrete, and le Flacon. Some of the brands have 7-9 years of history, they are sold online, some even internationally. The designers and most of the customers are Chinese youth. These indie brands belong to an underground culture, we just provide a platform for them.

TBG: Describe your events.
Alice: We have organized regular events focused on a theme. Sometimes, the focus is general Goth, cult or Tim Burton movies, Tarot cards, Otaku, or Halloween. Event notices are posted on Douban and after the event, we report back to our audience with notes and pictures from the party.

Alice: The founder of the café and his friends help select the music. We usually choose songs from Dark Wave and some local indie brands like Dying Art. We hold Gothic music appreciation activities and let Goth culture fans play music they have in their own collections. We also help promote dark music bands from Shanghai and abroad to perform at Yuyintang and Mao Livehouse.

Alice: I would say that in the last two years, the Yangtze River Delta Area has gotten more active in growing a fan base that appreciates dark music. In that area, you can find more than 100 participants at each event. Some people who go know and love Goth, some people are interested or even just curious. Some customers used to be “Cosers” (AKA Costume Players) and, over time, they get more specific to become Cosers and Goth lovers or Cosers and Lolita lovers. We are glad to help in spreading and sharing people’s knowledge of subcultures.

Alice: Non-mainstream exists in other countries but in China, it’s in the developing phases. It’s never too late to start if one sets his mind to something! At our cafe, we’d like to grow with young Goth fans and become an important platform for them.

Jack & Jones experience show (on the left), gothic style (in the middle), Jack & Jones promotional photograph on its international site (on the right)

Danish menswear brand Jack & Jones’ gothic-themed tour came to an end in Shanghai this December. The tour was named “Gothicise Your Wardrobe 2011, Jack & Jones Brand Experience Show” and hit many cities across China including Dalian, Beijing, and Jinan.

On the site of the event, Jack & Jones lured attendees with stickers of a human skeleton, virtual fitting rooms, free installation of Jack & Jones smart phone applications, and interactive games. According to a spokesman, Jack & Jones interpretation of gothic fashion was made more modern, energetic, and powerful by trading in traditionally dark colors for less dramatic grey, white, and blue.

I don’t know much about Gothic style. My first impression will be black and red colors, heavy make-up, and manga characters. Jack & Jones is more of a casual apparel brand for 20-30 year old consumers in my opinion. I have some clothes from Jack & Jones but I think their designs have been lacking in creativity in recent years. However, I am curious to see what the gothic series look like this time. H&M’ is known for its collaborations with top designer brands. This time, Jack & Jones is introducing a style of gothic fashion to Chinese people. I don’t think the gothic style is misplaced in Jack & Jones brand image; it actually may attract a different kind of customer.

- Eric, 25, male, Shanghai

Yuerong (in the middle) and the model with her design on (on the left)

Creating a collection to be sent down the runway, students got a taste of what pursuing a career in fashion would be like. 

In her junior year as a fashion design major, our trendspotter Yuerong was enthusiastic to share her experience with us:

This is the first time that students in our year held a fashion show by ourselves. The theme is Tibet and my inspiration is Tibetan patterns, prayer wheel, and garments made from llama. We all took it very seriously but because we don’t have very much experience, the show might look a little immature. It’s worth mentioning that a lot of students got inspiration from international fashion designers like Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, and Marc Jacobs.

- Yuerong, 19, female, Shanghai, Fashion Design student

Other designs from the fashion show:

Mid-November marked the height of online shopping in Shanghai with the rise of “social” shopping websites, such as Mogujie, Meilishuo, and Duitang. This new breed of online shopping sites combines e-commerce and social networking by allowing users to share fashion photos. Users can sign up via a Sina Weibo or a QQ account, which makes it easier for them to share new fashion and fashion items they like on Sina or Tencent Weibo or Qzone.

These “social” online shopping communities facilitate the online shopping experience for their users by including item sharing and recommendation features. Each recommendation from other users comes with a Taobao link so a user can buy the recommended item instantly after viewing it. Users upload photos of fashion items they bought or they like and offer personal style guides. As these websites develop, we expect to see a dramatic surge in online sales this holiday season.

E-commerce boom was particularly notable on this year’s Singles Day. (This is a Chinese holiday that celebrates single men and women. The idea comes from the fact that the numbers of the date looks like a person standing alone). On 11/11/11, many merchants on online shopping malls gave a 50% discount on their sales items, which caused hikes in revenue. Just over 16 hours, Tmall received two billion RMB worth of online orders, while the sales number for same day last year was 936 million RMB.

We spotted some fun new vending machines for magazines in Shanghai metro stations – an easy and fun way to grab a read before a commute.

The machines are well lit and include titles such as Marie Claire, Elle and Elle Men. We’re interested to see if this kicks in elsewhere. For previous reports on vending machines: crab, fresh fruit and subway souvenirs, and fresh fruit juice.

Once upon a time, 80s youth used to pay 19 RMB to play at Be For Time tea houses with an all-you-can-drink menu. Recently, we checked out one of the popular spots in the Zhongshan Park area of Shanghai to see how game bars have changed. Located in a normal apartment on the opposite side of Cloud Nine shopping mall, the bar was full of young people playing Killer of Three Kingdoms (aka KTK or 三国杀 in Chinese). Entrance and drinks is now 35 RMB but – as you can see – cups are also printed with characters from KTK.

Jimmy is a 24 year-old Shanghainese who just got married. Marrying at this young age is uncommon in Shanghai – his career is just starting and most of his friends are still single. We asked Jimmy to give us his perspective on sex, marriage and gender dynamics.

TBG: What do you and your wife think of premarital sex?

Jimmy: We actually had sex for the first time one week after we started dating exclusively, but it was not what I had intended to do. I accompanied her one night for her CET4 (College English Test 4). I told myself – and her – that nothing would happen. We talked about our past and then naturally, it happened. We had a serious talk afterward. Because we love each other, we didn’t feel bad or guilty. We agree that sex is one of life’s desserts, but not a necessity.

TBG: So would you say you do not share the Chinese tradition of prizing virginity?

Jimmy: The last generation (our parents’ generation) is much more traditional. My wife’s mother accidentally found out that we had sex and that’s why her parents wanted us to get married sooner.

As far as I can tell, my wife is more liberal than me about sex. Because she didn’t give her virginity to me, I don’t feel responsible in terms of sex.

TBG: What do you think of abortion? How would you feel if your wife had had one before dating you?

Jimmy: I accept her as a whole person so I don’t worry about these things. I value her character and personality. We wouldn’t even have to have a baby if she wasn’t able to have one.

TBG: What requirements did you have to fulfill as a husband-to-be?

Jimmy: My family had to come up with 100,000 RMB as a cash gift and 50,000 RMB for jewelry. These requirements gave me a headache! Her family is from Shanghai and they abide by local rules and own a lot of property. I am glad my family owns two houses too, otherwise I would have been a son-in-law and my future child would have to bear my wife’s family name. Her family and friends would probably look down on me too.

TBG: What did your wife think of these requirements?

Jimmy: She agreed with her family and thinks that it is my responsibility to prepare these things. She didn’t want me to be a son-in-law and she was afraid her friends would think she married someone without a well-off family… I don’t think she asked too much. She just wanted what other local girls got.

TBG: Did you and your family have any requirements for her?

Jimmy: Not really. We only ask her to be nice to me and treat my family like her own. It’s hard for her but I can tell she is trying her best. You have no idea how good it feels when she does what I tell her to do in front of my parents!

TBG: Do you think Shanghainese women have more power than women in other cities and if so in what ways?

Jimmy: Of course! Most of my female colleagues are not from Shanghai. They come from Hunan province and they listen to their husbands’ opinions and follow their direction. But in Shanghai, women decide almost everything. At least the people I know.

I hand in more than half of my salary to my wife every month, but I pay most of our expenses, too. In my case, I give my wife my opinions and suggestions but she makes the decisions, from the small details to a big plan. She has to be involved in everything. For example, today I asked her if I could go pick up the passports for our honeymoon by motorcycle. And she said “no, taxi.” So I took a taxi.

On a Sunday in September, Hong Kong Plaza played host to Shanghai’s first Fashion’s Night Out. The event, sponsored and organized by Vogue, began in New York City three years ago as a remembrance of 9/11 and to promote the retail industry. This annual event keeps shops (generally luxury brands) open late. In Shanghai, participating shops included Longchamp, MCM, Coach, Tiffany’s, Ugg, and more.

In New York City, Fashion’s Night Out (FNO) takes over the Soho district in Manhattan. Stores, from Kate Spade to Gap to Nine West, host their own events and promotions throughout the evening. Celebrity appearances, cosmetic make-overs, live music, and free food draw queues of eager shoppers.

Shanghai’s first attempt did not have the pizzazz (crowds or events) that we have witnessed in NYC but we are keen to see more at the next event. Jia you Shanghai!

When Toni, a member of The Bergstrom Group, found a wallet outside our office, she was determined to help track down the owner. She asked around the neighborhood without any luck so the next step was to notify the police. But instead of looking up the phone number, Toni did what for her was the easiest course of action: she posted the find to her Sina Weibo account. Toni directed her message to police with Weibo accounts in the area confident that she would get quick response.

A few hours after the news had been posted and shared, policeman Wang (a post-80s who was specifically called out with an “@” in the post) noticed the appeal and sent a message to Toni via Weibo. The next day, accompanied by another enthusiastic senior policeman, officer Wang showed up at our offices to retrieve the wallet. As you can see from the image (that we took but officer Wang expertly doctored), the journey from online plea to offline encounter was pretty exciting.

Until the officers left and we realized that they had forgotten to take the wallet with them. Doh!

The story came to a happy ending however as officer Wang managed to find the rightful owner. A local newspaper and TV station were anxious to report the news and joined Toni and officer Wang at the police station when the owner picked up the wallet.

New ads have been launched to promote the Adidas Fitness Academy in Shanghai. Commuters are encouraged on the subway platform: “You spend 152 minutes a month waiting on the platform; why not run in place instead of wasting time”. (our translation)