Confession: I know I’m Chinese, but I could never see myself wearing a qipao, a traditional and well-known Chinese dress. I think it’s because I’ve seen too many cheap fetish versions for Halloween — aptly named “Sexy China Doll Costume” or something similar. Hm, no.
However, NE Tiger, a Chinese luxury label, presented its 2009 Haute Couture collection at China Fashion Week with traditional Chinese motifs and modernized silhouettes — a collection that could represent modern China itself with its eastern and western influences.
Of course, the traditional high-necked qipao is still evident in these designs, …

China is a country founded on the past and tilted toward the future. Amid the art deco skyscrapers are sensational ancient palaces and temples in bright colors rivaling those of Missoni prints. All women wear high heels no matter how much they have to walk (image is very important over there). Children go to school from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in hopes of gaining entrance into the top universities — for some, it’s their only escape to a better future.
My father came from a poor farm village in China, and …

Reuters recently posted this article on “reverse migration,” which says that Asian professionals in the U.S. are starting to “Go East” in order to seek better job opportunities.  As I watch most of my international friends in New York move back to Asia to seek better jobs, I can’t help but wonder, since when did Asia become more of a hot spot than New York City?