Feb with Hanfugirls: Feasts & Fashion

Here it is! Your chance to be able to visit our new space at the Stamford Arts Centre!

Shall release the first weekend’s registration information first for registration while I procrastinate over the others on the list.

This is the first time I’m doing these two lectures in public, and in English as well. If the response is good, I might do it again, otherwise, I guess I’d better stick to blogging! 🙂

As the space is rather cosy, and I prefer a more intimate group so we could have more casual and candid sharing, the available tickets for registration will be limited, so please think twice before registering and if you can’t come, please try to find a replacement.

The space has been decked out with cushioned flooring, and no seats. So please dress comfortably with easy-to-remove shoes (yes, Asians don’t wear shoes in our living quarters, and we kind of fashioned the space to be courtesans’ living quarters).

Finally, if you/your family have just returned from China within the last 2-3weeks before the lecture date, and would really like to attend this lecture but unable to because of self-quarantine measures, please write to me (hanfugirl@gmail.com). I will consolidate the requests and if sufficient requests I could always do another one for those who missed out when this whole thing blows over! You won’t lose out because of you being socially responsible!

Reimagining China through Fashion
Speaker: Gong Pan Pan (Hanfugirl)
15 Feb (Sat) | 2pm–3.30pm
Project Studio #01-02, Stamford Arts Centre
155 Waterloo Street
Pre-registration required (Registration URL: https://www.eventbrite.sg/e/90601400227)

When one says never judge a person by what he/she wears, it clearly does not refer to the ancient Chinese! Fashion was never frivolous to them who had been codifying their dressing and styling for over 2500 years. From Sogdian-influenced fashion to Tibetan-influenced make-up, stylings of aristocratic women gave important clues of cultural exchanges between ancient China and the world at large. One could catch a glimpse of ancient China and its evolving clothing identities through this talk.

Workshop & Lecture: Reliving the ancient Silk Road through Chinese textiles
Speaker: Gong Pan Pan (Hanfugirl)
16 Feb (Sun) | 2pm–4pm
Project Studio #01-02, Stamford Arts Centre
155 Waterloo Street
$20/person
Pre-registration required (Registration URL: https://www.eventbrite.sg/e/90607911703)

Did you know that many textiles and related crafts such as batik and beaded embroidery date back to over 1,200 years ago in China’s Tang dynasty? While most associate silk with the Chinese, the average Han Chinese in China didn’t used to wear silk and the habit of donning silk was very much an aristocratic privilege. Many of the imperial crafts are still being continued in Japan and China today, including the famous carved silk tapestry kesi weave. This lecture will take you on a 2,000 year journey through the use of Silk in China and the evolving Chinese aesthetics. You will get to see first hand some of the rare silk crafts mentioned in ancient texts and used only by the imperial family, and see some of the replica dresses from those periods. Tips will also be provided on how to differentiate a truly handmade and valuable piece of textile from a mass-produced low-value one!

OTHERS COMING UP!

Origins of the Geisha: Women and Art in Tang China (Lecture)
Speaker: Gong Pan Pan (Hanfugirl)
22 Feb (Sat) | 2pm–3.30pm
Pre-registration required. Registration information TBC.

How pop culture (mis)represents traditional Chinese garments and artforms
Speaker: Gong Pan Pan (Hanfugirl)
23 Feb (Sun) | 2pm–3.30pm
Pre-registration required. Registration information TBC.

Food and Feasting in medieval China (Tang dynasty)
Speaker: Goh Yih-Shian
29 Feb (Sat) | 2pm–3.30pm
Pre-registration required. Registration information TBC.