This is an interview from the airport, the plane for me to fold the geographical space of Taipei to Hong Kong, straight through the first Hong Kong cheongsam rental Shop "Yan Chang Kee" to 28-year-old Hong Kong woman Ding rented "mood for Love" scenery.

Brush out the central subway gate, set foot on the escalator, the city of Hong Kong landscape gradually in front of the download.

Loading 10%, the ground light sprinkle into the escalator; 30%, listening to the ambulance whistling through; 50, the road warning sound is on board; 70, the man in front puts his mobile phone into his pocket, tightens his hips, and 90% sees thousands of shoes rub over the ground; Loading 100%, Download complete, I draw out the surface.

The central ring is full of high-rise buildings, the streets carry all kinds of human batteries. To Hong Kong, like a new level of electric promotion: More crowded, more chaotic, more compressed, faster to wipe the shoulders more, but less sorry.

Yan sang in the southwest of the central ring, along the road is full of climbing, turn right yili into the street, no signs of Yan dress quietly lying on the second floor of the street, the same apartment is "Soho Hotel", I turned to give way to the Indians are moving, and dressed in Cheongsam woman in the doorway to wipe the shoulder, like a succession of movie scenes, I stopped.


Look up from the street to see the mind
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Walking in Hong Kong, I often feel that the roadside stuffed with the story of no one to hear, not film the script.

The boss Ding friend Elmo has opened the door to greet me on the second floor. Elmo born white and cold, fine eyes fine lips, she opened lip seam gently said: Ding on the road then came, you wait a moment.

Ding not too long, and Elmo breath different, Ding eyes round and large, brown hair, dark lipstick, black dress. She smiled gorgeous but give people a sense of familiarity, like the old home playmates together. See her standing in the shop hanging 200 cheongsam, sometimes illusion is magic witch, hand to which point, Cheongsam will have to gu from Vivid up walk cat step.


Sitting in the middle of the shop Ding
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Still thinking about the relationship between Ding and Cheongsam, she has amoy out the bag in the camera, handed to me.

My camera broke in Hong Kong, online and Ding chat to this matter, she did not two nonsense, "I bought a new camera in Japan to borrow you!" Then he carried a heavy camera over the hill and handed it to the strange woman who had just dropped the camera.

A wasteful, forthright and agile Hong Kong woman. With her for three minutes, you can imagine how she only spent six months opening "Yan Chang Kee."

Taiwan, Kyoto, Hong Kong: Three cities to reflect the "Yan Chang Kee" embryonic form

From a flash, want to plan, make cheongsam and store, start the name, six months time, Ding a person a hand, build Hong Kong's first cheongsam rental shop "Yan Chang Kee." By lending a cheongsam to her beloved city of Hong Kong to move the scenery.


Elmo
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One months ago in Taiwan, see "Yan Chang Kee" Network report, exclaimed Hong Kong rental cheongsam is a great idea, how now people do! I asked the "Yan Chang Kee" preparation is expected? She laughed at the end of the screen. "In fact, friends at that time did not support, Hong Kong has not been such a shop, open shop and must invest, around the feeling of adventure." 」

Ding University to read fashion design, because Hong Kong to do fashion survival is not easy, she graduated after the airline executive, coffee shop manager, did not want to return to the relevant industries.

But no matter what to do, she still maintains delicate sensibility to the clothing in the space. Ding to Kyoto to travel on a rented kimono, wearing local traditional costumes through the market, she found that the body will be alienated from the space and the chemical effect of interaction. Clothing will transform your sense of place, and you will have a deeper memory of the landscape and the body moving in the landscape.


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She took off her kimono and returned to Hong Kong, like an eye, in the middle of the shuttle found in the old scenery everywhere. So she asked herself, "Can Japan lend traditional clothes, why not Hong Kong?" "In addition to the retro wave of Hong Kong in recent years," I feel that if I don't open the shop again, someone else will open it. "2017, she gave birth to a sense of urgency.

It is worth mentioning that the other point of opening the shop is from Taiwan.

The stand play "The Kiss of Mischief" and "Meteor Garden" grew up Ding is Taiwan Tong, "a few years ago, I was on the Internet by the Taiwan PTT villagers excited!" She said it herself and laughed.

"Do you remember Taipei Mayor Kovinge said Hong Kong is not fun," said the PPT, and I thought to myself, why is Hong Kong so despised? If Hong Kong does not feel funny, it is because most of Hong Kong people do not carefully tap the characteristics. 」

In fact, the lack of awareness of the daily beauty of the people, the most easily feel that things have no characteristics. When Taiwanese villagers say that Hong Kong is boring, Ding not waste time arguing, "just do it for them." She said it was a joke at the end of the screen, but even a joke was a backbone.

Taiwan villagers broken mouth in Ding heart sowing, she went to Kyoto wear kimono, the seeds will quietly sprout, to Hong Kong roots, long out "Yan Chang Kee."

The martial arts of a 28-year-old Hong Kong woman: Ding and her 200-piece cheongsam

There is not enough backbone, but also have courage, courage often rely on no conspiracy. Ding said that he was not a very planned person, "from said to open a shop to the real opening, is three months." She took out her previous work savings and rolled up her sleeves.

"The shop is also the decoration of their own and brother two people get, try not to too many things." 」

The store is not big, hung two-pole cheongsam 200 pieces, two window, a counter, a dresser, a sofa, a dressing room is almost.


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The first batch of cheongsam she bought from Shanghai and Suzhou and Hangzhou ready-made back, faster. "But the ready-made clothes, after two months, I decided to go to Shanghai to find cloth for the master custom-made." 」

Ding said cloud light wind like process easy, the fact is that she first traveled to Hong Kong, understand in the order of the price of cheongsam before deciding to go to Shanghai. "I didn't go through the cheongsam before I opened the shop, because it was too expensive," he said. There are some shops in central, I went in to ask how much to make a cheongsam, the other side said 20,000 Hong Kong dollars, but also with sewing machine sewn, not hand seam. 」

I suddenly understood why her friends were discouraged at first. The expensive price is showing that the Hong Kong cheongsam culture is fading.

Cheongsam in Hong Kong's most beautiful golden age, is Wong Kar-wai film "In The Mood for Love" background set 1950-60. 1940 's Kuomintang Civil War, Shanghai giant Jia brought home to Hong Kong, capital and various cultures from Shanghai to transplant Hong Kong, Cheongsam Tailor Master's skill is one of them.


Picture Source | movie "The Mood for Love" stills

During the anti-Japanese war due to the need for thrifty, cheongsam from the initial and the length of the cut to the knee, the original satin silk cloth also changed to a large number of domestic cotton, the more concise style, sleeve short, or even sleeveless, the overall is subtraction convergence. Zhang Ai-Ling described the 40 's cheongsam in the book of dressing:

The most important change in recent years has been the abolition of sleeves. (It seems to be extremely difficult and dangerous work, carefully, after 20 years of time to completely cut.) At the same time collar short, robe body short, decorative nature of the set roll is also free, instead of a plate-flower button, and soon even the button was unlearning, switch to pinch button. In short, this is a total subtraction-all embellishment, whether useful or useless, all tick. The only thing left was a tight vest, showing the neck, arms and calves.


Zhang Ai-Ling's illustration of a woman's hand-painted dress

The end of the war, Chinese women under the Communist Party under the control of the dress to wear Mao, Hong Kong women inherit the 1940 's Shanghai Women's freedom, fashion and body, for the entire Chinese women to wear a fit cheongsam, on behalf of their busy life. From the ordinary cloth to high-grade fabrics have, cheongsam crafts also reached the peak in this time.

However, entering the 1970, the global integration of fashion and textile industry more comprehensive, cheongsam fashion decline, turned into special occasions, clothing, also because of loss of life and gradually desolate.

After the 70 's, the image of the cheongsam like Zhang ailing 19-Year-old wrote: "A gorgeous robe, crawling over the flea son." 」

Carefully see "Yan Chang Kee" cheongsam, in fact, are inherited Hong Kong 1950-60 Golden Age style, very daily, wear the streets in central, Sheung Huan, to take a sting-ding car, in fact, all good natural.


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Ding consciously wanted to reproduce the golden age of Hong Kong through the cheongsam daily. Cloth and pattern will be the key to daily life, the traditional silk satin, insect fish flowers and birds are too grand, she decided to choose a piece of cloth. "This is also fashionable some, so-called fashion or fashion, in fact, from the previous things constantly renew (renovation), I think the cheongsam can be renew once." "Later Yan Chang Kee added more than 100 cheongsam, are all Ding their own pick cloth, sent to Shanghai to find a master production."

This meeting happened about in Ding to Japan pick cloth 15th back to Hong Kong the next day. She carried more than 10 kilograms of cloth did not shout tired, returned to Hong Kong the next morning to meet me, on my back to borrow my camera, with her in Japan to buy the giant peaks grapes please me to eat.

Ding is such a hard neck and gentle Hong Kong girls.

Dressing note: Wearing cheongsam and love, in fact, the same reason

In the shop cheongsam pattern, the style and the cloth are many, the 60s pop art hits the color, the simple Tankaia, the stripe dot, the flower leaves, the sleeveless oblique lapel, the short sleeve double, the skirt long knee, and the knee, the knee, and the ground all have.

Clothing Neck stretch sexy pride, pick which pieces, neglected which, do not detract from the value of the other 200-shirt cheongsam and the United States. They uphold tall and straight in the world, the existence is full of pride, and others favor stemless.


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The relationship between Cheongsam and people is also not a one-way selection and selection, active and passive, which is similar to a close love. In front of the mirror special attention to the cheongsam, try to find not fit: Taisong, slightly tight, or with this season their temperament is not so suitable.

My left hand carries a deep brown cheongsam with the autumn feeling, likes, the sleeve is obvious loose, the right arm hangs the recommended green grain pattern, unexpectedly wears but is very close, the others say the bright eye.

In fact, cheongsam wear the upper body to know which one is suitable. But for the autumn this shirt I always worry about, hanging back to the hanger did not make the decision, think again around, will it from many cheongsam salvage. "Shall I go and wear it again?" "ding very accustomed to the girl's half-hearted, laughing said no problem ah.

In fact, the dress is also very good-looking, Ding to say is really good, but some angle is invisible to themselves, such as the cheongsam from the front looks beautiful, but a little loose waist, did not highlight the body lines.

Sideways look sure enough, wear a long time to see the difference, willing to dress fit that.

Wear cheongsam and Love is the same truth, some of the style is gorgeous, wear also quite suitable, but always feel where loose. Some cheongsam seems flat, the body slipped in, the shape will be different, you know is lit up with each other, this is not with another cheongsam will not have a relationship.

In Yan Chang remember understand: beautiful cheongsam too much, but only a few can side light each other. You know that you and that cheongsam are not the most in the world, but when you are in each other's clothing, there is no other match.

See I finally happy also reconciled to choose, Ding hands a beat, smile brilliant bright. I feel that she has a mission to find a place in the cheongsam for the world's female body.

Indeed, she said, "at the end of the year, you want to start designing your own collection." 」

Looking at the current market, she found that cheongsam prices are not too high, is too cheap, low quality. Compared with the Hanse and kimono have more daily brand and style, Cheongsam has not yet developed the middle route.

"Although both hand and cloth are not cheap, I don't want to make it too expensive," he said. "In the Mood for Love" Maggie Cheung wearing a cheongsam from Hong Kong "years" cheongsam shop, the simplest style to 6,000 Hong Kong dollar Take-off, but these senior cheongsam fabric is usually not elastic, this year can wear, the next year fat and thin will not be. 」

"Use elastic cloth, can make cheongsam become daily wear, fat or can wear." 」

Entering the market is always an adventure, I hope Ding success not only because I like her and selfish, but also hope to recapture aesthetic interpretation from the daily level, from the west, "lanky legs" dominated aesthetic exploration, oriental women have their own body beauty.

To open a shop is to hope that Hong Kong can find the way home

I secretly wanted her to open a shop in Taiwan and asked her if she wanted to have a shop. She quickly answered me, "I would rather have some help to the society than to make money from the exhibition shop." 」

"Now Hong Kong is not the former Hong Kong, the gap between the rich and the poor is greater, the more unjust, the overall environment gives people a sense of powerlessness, the young people are very confused." I may not have the strength to help before, and with this shop I find myself able to do something. "ding said and thought how to explain to foreigners understand.

"There are two groups of young people in Hong Kong who have nothing to do but have money to earn, but a group of people of my age are very willing to work for the community and want to contribute to change." 」

She has a passion, "I am driving a shop, not to make money to buy a flat, very successful or something, I actually hope that through their own to help Hong Kong find their own sense of belonging." 」

I drive a shop, not want to make money to buy a flat, very successful, is to help Hong Kong find a sense of belonging.

Ding Yung

Ding tone indifferent, I guess she probably thought for a long time, just put such a warm sentence into ordinary.

Writing an interview, I kept ruminating on the last minute of the interview, a sentence. It is very rare to think that dressing can really identify oneself and may find a way back home.

I also think, to create the ideal country does not need to shout at the top of the lungs waving flags, everyone in the world has a suitable social participation method, a cheongsam rental shop has her social involvement, so no one has reason to dodge, but not which is the most correct. Changing the world often does not depend on overnight, but on the daily details of the revolution. A Hong Kong woman through fashion practice her participation, 200 cheongsam can be martial arts.

The plane back to Taiwan air, I think Stephen Chow "Kung Fu" movie scene: The original waste firewood neighbourhood, Fat Man charter, in the fire cloud evil God came to Fujian Earth building after drop kitchen knife, pull out the volume, cut out the steps to prepare a posture.

The original is all the road heroes, hidden decades in their own positions daily temper, quietly waiting, the key moment they will throw out the daily skills of 18 martial arts, for the faith of simple and gorgeous battle.

People often say that Hong Kong is too secular, but when I think of Ding, I think of Stephen Chow movie that scene: Erie into the second floor of the street, there are hidden in the city of Cheongsam shop, when the Hong Kong twilight look back, there are cheongsam under the lamp, someone, perhaps to find a home road.