Shanghai Fashion Colors by Zhang Ailing

In the literary history of the 20th century, Shanghai is a city that has been repeatedly written by many writers. The writers recorded Shanghai at that time and its ups and downs with their own unique perspectives and distinct brushstrokes. Zhang Ailing is one of the writers who cannot be ignored, and her unique perspective is color.

Eileen Chang loves colors. She once said in "Talking about Music": "The color is only miserable when it is not faded, but it is always commendable when people notice it, it makes the world appear more real, and there is a color there. It makes people feel at ease." Her happiness and misery were distinguished by whether or not she could see colors, which shows that she has a special liking for colors. In her memory, each past event has its unique and striking color. She endows all memories with color, and uses color as a carrier to record the bits and pieces of life and the trajectory of growth. Almost everything she sees, thinks, and thinks has been transformed into meaningful colors and preserved as treasures. Eileen Chang's keen color perception stems from innate intelligence and endowment, and is closely related to acquired family education. Her father inspired her with old-fashioned culture, her mother taught her painting skills and her perception and pursuit of fashion, and her confidant Yan Ying, who has unique insights into art, also subtly influenced her in her interactions.

Color is an important external image display of an object. But color cannot exist independently and must be attached to form. For this reason, Eileen Chang, who is extremely sensitive to color, found the medium of imagery for color. When Zhang Ailing created her works, she used colorful words to form colorful images. These color images conveyed her personality, showed her aesthetics, and also constructed the unique cultural image of Shanghai at that time.

1. Clothing and colors

Eileen Chang is infatuated with colors, and at the same time, she is deeply in love with clothing. In her romance novels , some of the costumes are subtle and brushed; some are richly colored and meticulously carved. Clothing is the most intuitive object that reflects a person's character and a period of culture. She integrates her own aesthetic concepts into the color matching of clothes and accurately fits the characters, which not only helps us to understand the work further, but also enables us to have a deeper understanding of Eileen Chang's unique aesthetics and the time. Shanghai clothing culture.

(1) The matching of clothing is appropriate and diverse

In Eileen Chang's writings, every wife brought out a splendid scene. Cheongsam is an indispensable classic work in Shanghai in the 20th century, and it is the representative of Shanghai's fashion and culture. "Bai Dizi Red and Yellow Small Flower Yarn Cheongsam", "Little Lotus-colored Hollow Yarn Cheongsam", "Bai Yangsha Cheongsam", "Blue Cloth Cheongsam"... Each piece is classical and colorful. These colorful costumes give people a beautiful enjoyment, which is in line with the character's image and temperament, and more intuitively reflects the fashion and social environment of Shanghai at that time. In "Blockade", the heroine Wu Cuiyuan appeared: "Wearing a white foreign gauze cheongsam, rolled with a narrow blue edge - dark blue and white, very simple." The cheongsam in the mid-1930s is no longer There are large areas of embroidery and inlaid scrolls, which are replaced by thin border inlaid scrolls. It is very delicate.” The cheongsam is made of foreign gauze, which adds new elements to the classics. At the same time, the elegant white and blue match is simple and elegant. The thin-edged inlaid rolls are more delicate, and vividly shaped the demure image of the " girls " in the attic at that time. In "Half Life", Man Frame "wears a blue cloth cheongsam with a light green short-sleeved fleece sweater on the chest. A row of green beads and buttons", in the mid-1930s, the popular cheongsam was matched with a Western-style wool vest or cardigan under the arm, which was a fashionable way to wear it at that time, especially for intellectual women." And it can keep out the cold, and at the same time, as a symbol of intellectual women's clothing, it shows the dignified and virtuous temperament and intellectual personality charm of the man frame. This kind of outfit is popular enough. Yan Danzhu's cheongsam in "Jasmine Fragrance" wears a white gauze coat, and Cuizhi in "Half Life" wears a red cheongsam and a red wool sweater. In " Golden Locks ", Chang'an wore an "apple green georgette cheongsam with high collar, ruffled sleeves, and a half-western pleated skirt below the waist." Apple green is a fresh and young color, and cheongsam is a representative Chinese-style clothing, with Western-style ruffled sleeves and pleated skirt design, this combination coincides with the image of Shanghai as a fashion center, which can perfectly reflect the diversity and fashion of Shanghai during the cultural fusion period.

In addition to cheongsam, robes are also a type of clothing that cannot be ignored in Eileen Chang's romance novels . The free robe gave Zhang Ailing's unique color concept to use, for example, Jiaorui in " Red Rose and White Rose " "wears a robe from a different place, which is the most fresh and wet green, and it is dyed green when it sticks. The clothes seemed to be made too small, with an inch and a half of slits in the sides, and green satin criss-crossed all the way to reveal the dark pink skirt inside." The contrast of red and green reflects the distinctive personality color of "red rose", and the hot and humid green and rich dark pink contain profound meanings. Bright but sad, like a butterfly specimen in a glass box, just like the broken fate of the red rose later. This kind of collocation has to remind us of the writer himself who likes bold contrasting colors and is unconventional. Eileen Chang loves mixed contrasts. "Peach red and willow green" is very in line with Eileen Chang's unique color concept and unique and public personality. It is similar to her legendary life color, and it also makes people imagine the feasting life in Shanghai at that time, as well as openness, tolerance and diversity. Messy image.

Whether it is colorful cheongsam or free robes, these diverse collisions of classical and modern, traditional and modern, local and exotic, allow us to better understand the characters in the book, and at the same time appreciate the author's time at that time. The bold and fashionable demeanor of Shanghai women constitutes a classical and trendy image of Shanghai culture.

(2) Choice of accessories. fine and chic

The accessories in Eileen Chang's little book are chaotic and numerous, red, gold and green jade, each of which is extremely delicate, and sometimes even the finishing touches to the shaping of the characters, which can best reflect the pursuit of exquisiteness by Shanghai women at that time.

In her novels, jade earrings, ruby hairpins, jade bracelets and other very classical Chinese-style jewelry often appear. For example, in "Golden Lock", on the day of the Chang'an blind date, "I wore a two-inch glass jade pagoda pendant on my ear. Then I put on an apple green cheongsam cheongsam, with a high collar, ruffled sleeves, and a half-western pleated skirt below the waist." The classic charm of the pendant and the new cheongsam are the intersection of traditional Chinese culture and new western civilization. intuitive representation below.

From the 1920s to the 1930s, with the west wind blowing, the "imported products" surged and became the favorite of the ladies and ladies at that time. These accessories are indispensable in Eileen Chang's novels. When Mrs. Liang first appeared, she was "all black, with a green face web hanging from the brim of the black straw hat, and an emerald spider with the size of a fingernail was fastened on the face net." The face net was a popular style design in Paris in the 1930s, which shows Mrs. Liang's sensitivity and pursuit of fashion, which was also the fashion choice of the courtesans at that time. The superposition of black and green colors also shows Mrs. Liang's sinister image vividly. In addition, Mrs. Xu's navy blue fedora hat with gray curly hair, and the lake green wool scarf framed by Man are all unique and different.

The matching of pleasing accessories not only plays an important supplementary role in the performance of characters, but also reflects the delicacy and tolerance of old Shanghai women everywhere, showing a gorgeous and colliding Shanghai.

The makeup and color

The rivalry among Shanghai ladies will never be limited to the difference in clothes, as delicate as they are, they are also very careful in the choice of face modification and hairstyle. Most of Zhang Ailing's heroines are modern girls with fair skin and delicate makeup. She vividly outlines the images of Shanghai women at that time, showing the true state of Shanghai women living under the collision of cultures.

(1) Facial modification, heavy makeup and light application

Dancing girls are the first experiencers and trend-setters of old Shanghai fashion. They are a special product of the cultural collision of that era, and their makeup is also very distinctive. Man Lu, as a dancer, her makeup mostly uses large pieces of bright colors to show her charming demeanor. Eye shadows that are too thick to be removed and delicate red lips are the bright symbols of her makeup. Through detailed descriptions, we seem to be able to see the scenes of the "Manlus" on the feasting dance floor, with thick makeup, wearing high-waisted one-step skirts, and singing charmingly and casually. In addition to dancing girls and courtesans, Zhang Ailing also wrote elegant ladies such as tassel with a face like "translucent light green jade", Cuizhi "like a peony flower with a faint brushstroke".

In Zhang Ailing's writings, all kinds of life correspond to all kinds of makeup, "heavy makeup is always suitable". Through these specific makeup descriptions, we can appreciate the exquisite demeanor of Shanghai women at that time, know the modern trend of Shanghai at that time, and let us know the cultural state at that time through makeup.

(2) The design of hairstyles, bringing forth new ideas

Of course, modern women will not forget to design a hairstyle that matches their temperament. The ladies and gentlemen of old Shanghai always want to be clean, neat and symmetrical. Whether it is Shanghai or Paris, the retro hairstyles of the 30s are the iconic curly hair. In addition, there are also Chinese-style buns combed by old-fashioned women in the novel. Different hairstyles symbolize different characters and cultural spirits.

In " Serial Set ", Nixi "combs her fashionable fur hair, curls the top of her hair with a comb, and has crescent-shaped front bangs hanging below it, with long water temples". In Shanghai at that time, modern women began to comb a single bun high on the back of the head, in the shape of a "crisp egg bread". Curly hair is a symbol of fashion and modernity. Shanghai women at that time, including Zhang Ailing herself, were very fond of such curly hair styles in their lives. The feudal Qiqiao and others still wear Chinese-style buns.

Delicate curly hair and Chinese-style bun are representatives of old and new hairstyles, indicating that women's fashion awareness and the fusion of old and new cultures in Shanghai.

3. Home and Color

The fashion elements in Eileen Chang's novels are not only reflected in the characters, but also in the details of daily life. The combination of Chinese and Western elements, compatibility and preservation have become the distinctive features of the furniture of the Republic of China. The home decoration that combines old and new cultural elements properly and intuitively shows the fashion aesthetic pursuit and people's living conditions at that time.

(1) The depiction of ornaments, classic legends

Zhang Ailing's description of home furnishings is undoubtedly a lot of effort. She colorizes each piece of furniture, red or green, purple or gold, some are classical and elegant, some are novel and fashionable, and colorful. "Love in a Fallen City " wrote: "In the haze, you can see a row of book boxes and red sandalwood boxes piled up and down along the wall in the hall. "Golden Locks" wrote: "The bamboo curtain and a pair of golden and green landscape screens reflected in the mirror are still rippling back and forth in the wind." , The classic Chinese color matching and style design exudes a strong Chinese flavor everywhere. The detailed and detailed descriptions benefit from the accumulation of Eileen Chang's noble life when she was a child. Through the description of classic and unique home furnishings, it not only reflects Eileen Chang's keen and unique fashion concept and aesthetic taste, but also gives a glimpse of Eileen Chang's inability to let go of the classics. complex.

In addition to the classical Chinese ornaments, there are also novel and avant-garde Western-style furniture. During the Republic of China, the furniture not only inherited the style of Qing Dynasty furniture, but also learned the skills of Western-style classical furniture. The decorative parts are flexible and changeable, and the style is not fixed. The milky yellow spherical glass cover, the pink fake marble long table, the silver teapot, the white lacquer furniture, the rose-red lampshade, the small red leather three-legged stool, the lake-green small soda cookie jar, the green iron bobbin, etc. appearing in the novel are all of them. Representative of Western-style furniture.

Although the foundation of Shanghai is old-fashioned, the western-style culture continues to penetrate and blend with it. The collision and fusion of old and new cultures made the home furnishings at that time both fashionable and classic. From this, we can also see the classical and trendy of Shanghai at that time. .

(2) The depiction of soft ornaments. wonderful and colorful

In different environments, Eileen Chang uses different colors to depict different soft decorations, which are wonderful, colorful and novel and classic, such as green bamboo curtains, rose and purple embroidered chairs covered with tablecloths, big red flat gold and five phoenixes flying together on the screen, water red soft satin couplets, etc. . "Love in a Fallen City" wrote: "There are vermilion couplets hanging on both sides, with golden longevity flowers shining, and a flower holding a large ink dripping character." Gold and red have unique meanings in traditional Chinese color theory. It is a festive color in traditional Chinese culture and has a different kind of solemnity. In "The Story of the Golden Lock", when Qiqiao understood Ji Ze's sinister intentions, the increasingly desperate Qiqiao walked to the window of the "dark green Western-style curtain with small pom-poms". The dark green is a mixture of black and green. The dark color creates a depressing atmosphere. Curtains are used to block everything from the outside world. There is a sense of tension and suffocation that the mountains and rains are about to come and the building is full of wind. It vividly represents the old-style culture that covers the outside. The light of emerging hope and the depth of its color represent the deep-rooted feudal ideology.

In her novels, Eileen Chang spares no effort to describe the complex homes in old-fashioned families. These color combinations often bring readers a strong visual impact and unique aesthetic impression. The bold and advanced color sense gives the home environment a colorful and dazzling fashion atmosphere. This is the presentation of her keen sense of fashion, and it is also a true portrayal of the colorful environment of old Shanghai.

4. Architecture and Color

As an important visual factor for the external image of a city, color interprets the unique charm of a city at different times and spaces. Architectural color is an integral part of urban culture that cannot be ignored. Through the psychological association of color language and color, the theme of the city is distinctive.

(1) The construction of bungalows, a mix of old and new

As the earliest port city in modern China, Shanghai was the first to be impacted by Western culture. Therefore, the introduction of bungalows in Eileen Chang's novels is not rare. For example, in "Little Reunion", Mr. Yu's uncle's small house is: "There are rockeries and goldfish ponds in the yard, but the outside is Italian-style dark pink walls, and the pink walls have a white, pink and black halo." With the Chinese-style "pink wall and black tile" style, it is a vivid embodiment of the fusion of old and new cultures. The color elements in the building reflect Eileen Chang's sensitivity to color and profound artistic quality, and also illustrate the advanced status and fashion trend of Shanghai in that era.

(2) The construction of dwellings, both refined and popular

The alley is the common name of the Shanghai people for the alley. It is a local specialty after the opening of Shanghai's port, and it is an indispensable typical symbol in Zhang Ailing's works. In the late 19th century, Shikumen became a fashionable style leading the mainstream of residential buildings in Shanghai. Man frame's home in "Half Life" is an alley-style slab building, and Zhenbao's home in "Red Rose and White Rose" is a small Western-style Shikumen silk hall. "Little Reunion" also mentions a three-bay house Shikumen house. In Eileen Chang's novels, there are many descriptions of apartments. "A gloomy concrete house, the tin water pipes are covered with dark mold and moss, only one window shows the light, and the lamp is covered with a broken newspaper." There are also "white, rough yellow houses", rough Yellow and gray cement walls, dark moldy moss... A series of high-gray colors are stacked together to form a very representative color image to form a vivid residential map, which clearly shows the architecture of Shanghai at that time. style and people's living conditions.

V. Conclusion

Color contains profound meanings, and is a material carrier with special meaning to express the author's thoughts and feelings and reflect the picture of social life. The pictures conveyed by Eileen Chang through color are not just purely objective narratives, but the pictures themselves contain many deep meanings. It captures people's memories of living in different eras, and vividly expresses her personality and fashion outlook. At the same time, these color images also make the city's theme clear. Through the connection of colors, the city is concretized, and the cultural image of Shanghai is intuitively constructed.

Shanghai Eileen Chang's works is very charming. Because of this woman, the already colorful Shanghai has become more and more legendary. Through the color images in her novels, she recorded the real life in Shanghai under the influence of both oriental culture and western culture at that time, leading Shanghai fashion. Various cheongsams, exquisite makeup, classic furniture, and flexible architecture all express her own unique fashion concept. Nostalgia and novelty, classical and modern, traditional and exotic, extreme collisions and staggered contrasts, seemingly contradictory, but harmonious. Such inclusiveness is also in line with the regional temperament of Shanghai. From the colorful images of her personalities in her novels, we have a deeper understanding of Zhang Ailing, a confident, bold and elegant person, and a deeper understanding of that period of history, as well as a more comprehensive understanding of Shanghai, where cultures were intertwined during that period.

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