Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Non-Fiction 2017 | Page 46

Old Shanghai
St. Paul's Convent School, Lui, Karen Tsz Ching - 13
I
n this humongous world, there are a variety of old cultures and traditions around, such as Europe,
China and America. But if you ask me, which place has my favourite style of culture, I would say
the old Shanghai. I am really interested in its unique tradition – foot binding, its old architectural
style and the lifestyles of old Shanghai people. Let me explain the above features to you.
At the tail end of the Qing Dynasty, China was already a modern city, but one traditional belief that
still existed – foot binding. For this belief, tiny and narrow feet were considered as beautiful, and if the
girls wanted to find a husband, it was mandatory to have this process, as a result having broken feet and
wrapped tightly in bandages. Bound feet prevented girls from walking so well, so this restricted the girls
from going out, thus increased their dependence on their husbands. Apart from the traditional foot
binding, the fashion style of women was also very traditional. They normally wore qipao as it reflected
the Chinese culture.
In the early decades, qipaos were loose-fitting, generally with long sleeves together with plain hairstyles.
Gradually, modern qipao was developed and people learned to wear more modern form of qipao.
Modern qipaos were more form-fitting with high cut. Because of the introduction of the modern
qipao, traditional skills were replaced by cheaper contemporary textiles which also led to a greater
variety of designs. Unfortunately, all these modernisms came to an end in 1949.
Secondly, old Shanghai’s architectural style is very special too. For example, for Shi Ku Door, its
architectural style was originated from the Taiping Rebellion Period. In the houses of old Shanghai,
they had doorframes made of stone materials and the door leaves were solid slab painted in black. As
soon as this style was spread, this architectural style was called “Shi Ku Door”. More and more people
learned about it and copied it onto the doors of their own houses.
Thirdly, when comparing the lifestyles between old Hong Kong and Shanghai, they differ greatly. In
the olden days of Shanghai, there were a lot of clubs all around the streets of Shanghai. This prove that
the lifestyles of Shanghai people could not do without nightlife. People often went out early and
returned home late, it is because they went to various music clubs and casinos.
Other than going to clubs at night, people also had activities to do during the day. For old
Shanghainese people, they would usually go to parks early in the morning, often with their
grandchildren. They were all doing different kinds of activities, such as practicing tai chi, martial arts or
doing local dances. In the afternoon, they would go to the theatres to watch The Ancient Art of
Pingtan or Shanghai Opera. Pingtan is a form of storytelling that consists of only one performer, he
would do storytelling and balled singing to the audiences. This kind of leisure activity was very popular
among Shanghai’s elderly men in those days; in the evening, many middle aged and elderly people
would go to parks to do western style of dance such as tango and cha cha.
In conclusion, I am really fond of the old Shanghai culture, because all of those features have their own
uniqueness. As its culture is really attractive to me, I will continue to learn more about it and broaden
my horizons!