On July 24, 2024, the Shanghai Museum held a donation ceremony for Mr. Zhang Xinzhe's cultural relics. From his collection of thousands of cheongsams, Mr. Zhang Xinzhe carefully selected 12 representative costumes of the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China to be collected in the Shanghai Museum.
Some of the Shanghai-style cheongsams donated by Zhang Xinzhe to the Shanghai Museum
Zhang Xinzhe loves to visit the Shanghai Museum
Born in 1967, Zhang Xinzhe is not only a famous singer in the Chinese music scene, but also a collector and curator. He has initiated a number of exhibitions such as "Chao Generation: The Seamless Embroidery of Qing Embroidery", "Min· Tide - Rare Sketches of the Moon Brand and the Fashion Trend of the Twentieth Century", and published "The Philosophy of Playthings", "Character Privacy", "The Tide of the People's · - The History of the Image of the Moon Brand" and other works.
Zhang Xinzhe has a deep affection for Shanghai, and he also likes to visit the Shanghai Museum.
Zhang Xinzhe
When Zhang Xinzhe learned that the "Jiangnan Creations" theme exhibition being prepared by the Shanghai Expo East Museum had a demand for Shanghai-style cheongsam, he proposed that he could select the needs of Shanghai Expo from his collection of more than 1,000 cheongsams and donate them free of charge to fill the vacancy of such collections.
After more than 10 rounds of repeated selection, 10 cheongsam collections with different characteristics were selected. When Zhang Xinzhe learned that the Jiangnan characteristic category of Qing Dynasty women's clothing in the Shangbo collection also needed to be supplemented, he generously donated 2 Qing Dynasty shirts and gowns.
Qing Dynasty women's costumes donated by Zhang Xinzhe to the Shanghai Museum
From the collection, you can see the temperament of the integration of Shanghai cheongsam and East and West
The collection of 12 costumes donated by Zhang Xinzhe highlights the artistic style and craftsmanship level of Jiangnan and Shanghai-style women's clothing in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, and has very high research value and display value. These cheongsams are hand-sewn with fine and elegant Jiangnan or Shanghainese embroidery, flower buckles and other decorations; The fabric pattern samples are rich and artistic, with luxurious fabrics such as velvet and jacquard, supplemented by embroidery, flower buckles, contrasting colors, inlay and other decorative processes. Among them, 3 cheongsams are the works of well-known brands at the time, such as "Sincere Co., Ltd.", "Xinxin Co., Ltd.", and "King Kong Company", etc., and several are considered to be a rare but important "Art Deco" style among Shanghai-style cheongsams.
From this batch of Shanghai-style cheongsam, we can see the artistic temperament of the fabric that blends East and West, and the fashion changes of clothing tailoring technology from foreign to Chinese, which can prove the close relationship between Shanghai-style cheongsam and international fashion, and the emergence of domestic cheongsam brands also confirms the commercialization of clothing and the development of China's department store industry at that time.
Some of the Shanghai-style cheongsams donated by Zhang Xinzhe
The selection criteria for donating cheongsams are not just good-looking
Talking about the origin of this donation, Zhang Xinzhe said that he had communicated with the experts at Shangbo before, asked them professional questions, and they also knew the direction and system of my collection. It just so happened that they had a need for this, and they had the idea of this donation.
Regarding the criteria for selecting donations, Zhang Xinzhe said that the selection criteria are not just as simple as looking good, but the historical materials and stories behind the cheongsam, and more considering the academic needs of Shangbo. For example, most of these cheongsams were made in Shanghai in the thirties and forties of the twentieth century, and each one of them had the trademarks of the big department stores and big silk manufacturers of that year.
Some details of the Shanghai-style cheongsam donated by Zhang Xinzhe
Both his maternal great-grandmother and maternal grandmother left him with cheongsam memories
When talking about the cheongsam collection and his fate with Shanghai, Zhang Xinzhe said, I went to Shanghai for the first time in 1996 and held a solo concert in Shanghai in 1998. Shanghai cheongsam is an important indicator in the traditional cheongsam, my collection of cheongsam and my maternal great-grandmother and maternal grandmother are related, when I was a child, I saw that they had to dress themselves carefully every day, wear a good cheongsam before going out, there is such a memory, which made me slowly become interested in traditional Chinese clothing, and then began to collect.
Zhang Xinzhe's collection is not only a category of cheongsam, he also collects modern furniture and original manuscripts of old month cards. He said that although the collection of manuscripts of the month plate is very niche, it is an important commercial art and an important historical record. We often see printed posters, but very few of the originals have survived, which is also a valuable item related to Shanghai in my collection. I have a deep affection for Shanghai, and it has inspired me a lot in terms of music creation and collecting.
Zhang Xinzhe's donated costumes and local details
Collecting is a balance after work
When it comes to the mentality of collecting, Zhang Xinzhe said that the important thing about collecting is not how many things you have, but through a collection system, you can learn new knowledge and share it with more people, which is the joy of collecting. Collecting is another balance after work, the work is very hard, but through these collections, I have my own space and calm down; Through the dialogue and exchange with the collection, you can learn interesting new knowledge; Through these cultural backgrounds, my music works can have a deeper and broader dimension.
"Shangbo can have today, that is, there are countless donors"
Chu Xiaobo (left), director of the Shanghai Museum, presents a donation certificate to Zhang Xinzhe
Chu Xiaobo, director of the Shanghai Expo, said that Zhang Xinzhe has his own research in the field of clothing and has a very good collection, and the relevant professionals of the Shanghai Expo have established contact with Zhang Xinzhe very early. Zhang Xinzhe also likes to come to Shangbo to see the exhibition, especially there is a minority costume hall on the 4th floor of the Shangbo People's Square Pavilion, which he often visits. So based on his affection for the Shanghai Museum, he made this donation. We are very touched that Shangbo can have today, that is, there are countless donors who donate their beloved things to Shangbo. Nearly a quarter of the precious cultural relics of Shanghai Expo now come from donations from all walks of life. We plan to hold an exhibition related to clothing next year, and Zhang Xinzhe's donation is expected to be exhibited in this exhibition. In the permanent exhibition of the East Pavilion of the Shanghai Expo, the donation of Mr. Zhang Xinzhe will also be exhibited.