A right royal yarn about a princess
- Source: Global Times
- [11:22 June 24 2010]
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The cover of Shanghai Princess. Photo: Greg Tantala
By Greg Tantala
These days when people hear the term "Shanghai princess" they think of young ladies sporting Prada, Louis Vuitton and a whole range of other name brands, wandering the shopping malls of Nanjing Road.
It is regarded as a recent phenomenon, but rarely do people consider that in the first half of the 20th century the rich and elite of Shanghai wandered the same streets in search of their own luxuries. In her nonfiction book, Shanghai Princess, Chen Danyan takes us through the life of one such Shanghai princess.
Chen, initially gained fame as a children's writer and has now crossed over to nonfiction focusing on Shanghai history. In her first biographical novel she takes readers back to old Shanghai and delivers them to the heartbreaking tale of Australian-born Daisy Kwok, daughter of an affluent Chinese-Australian businessman, who in 1918 moved with her family from Sydney to Shanghai.
Using information gathered from over two years of interviews with Daisy, Chen navigates through the story of Daisy's life. She presents her life in a frankness that depicts a woman of strong character and perseverance that remained forthright and positive despite unimaginable hardships.
Arriving in Shanghai at age 6, Daisy was educated at the prestigious McTyeire School for Girls, and they were all taught in her first language: English. Her father increased the family's wealth by investing in the Wing On Department Store (a building which still stands on Nanjing Road East today) which assured that Daisy was never in need.
It is clear early on in the book that Daisy was a modern woman who would not be happy living the life of a socialite. Instead, she furthered her studies at Yenching University, where she graduated with a psychology degree in 1934.
After her father's sudden death Daisy became a shareholder in the Shanghai Wing On company. Her life in 1930s Shanghai was typical of many of the young and wealthy in Shanghai today.
She wore the latest fashions, took lessons from pastry chefs and even opened a fashion boutique with a friend providing garments for a cosmopolitan clientele.
Throughout the book Chen provides readers with photos and news articles of the time, taking them through the lives of Shanghai's rich and glamorous. From there she takes readers to 1949 and the end of the Chinese civil war. It is interesting to note that many of Shanghai's rich were also filled with the enthusiasm of building a new nation.
