May-May's Diary
Entry for November 16, 1998
Boys and girls! I had the most extraordinary experience just a few
nights ago when I went to dinner and found myself sitting next the
famous and now rather aged Shanghai born artist Mr Zao Wuki. He was
visiting our fair city for just a few days for the first time in
something like twenty years. He lives as you probably know, in Paris and
is extremely French in a Chinese sort of way. He asked me if I would
like to see his etchings. Well, in fact he said paintings, but I'm sure
it meant much the same thing, and I looked through two collections of
his works while he sat beside me waiting eagerly to hear my reaction. I
don't know if you have ever seen the paintings of Mr Zao, which sell for
over one million US dollars each, but to me, they looked like mad
representations of nature - deserts, volcanoes and dark hidden places.
I asked the charming Mr Zao what he saw in his own paintings, which are
all without exception untitled. He replied with one word: "Silence".
Mr Zao was also the guest of honour at the special, splendid and
star-studded evening at the new French consul-general's residence paid
for by L'Oreal, that generous French cosmetics company which wants to
raise its profile in the China market. Well my loves, we are very happy
to help, are we not?! It goes without saying that the champagne was
excellent, and I think I recognised the jazz band in the corner of the
garden. There were hundreds of guests and dozens of beautiful and
handsome models, dressed in 18th-century French costumes specially flown
in from Hollywood for the event. The models stood stone still for just
about the entire evening, displaying an impressive level all patience
that I know I would be incapable of!!
I stopped in for a quick drink the other night at a new bar on Shaanxi
Lu called Midnight Cafe which is very much silver in personality. The
location is wonderful but it is one of those places that is good or bad
depending entirely upon clientele. The night I was there are there was
nobody around that I knew, and the music was not to my taste, so I
finished my drink and went for a walk down Nanchang Lu to YY's where I
knew I could find people I would be able to gossip about tomorrow. But
you never know with places like this. It could be that next month
Midnight Cafe becomes the main meeting spot for the entire city.
I'm hearing good recalls about a new band that is playing at the
Shangri-la hotel in Pudong. No details yet, and Pudong is still just a
little bit too far away for me to consider on most nights but I really
will try to go over there and checked them out as soon as possible.
My good friend Tony, who owns the sunshine cafe (oh THAT Tony! As you
will remember, scientific evidence proves conclusively that most
Shanghai men have chosen Tony as they are English name) .... But now I
am confused. Let me begin again. The sunshine cafe's Tony has opened a
new establishment on the golden strip of Hengshan Lu, in the same
building as the Oudeng bowling alley and his second sunshine cafe. It's
a disco called Real Love. I haven't been there yet, but with a name like
that my expectations are very, very high. Tony has a tradition of
creating venues which are pleasant, well operated, and reasonable in
price. The sunshine cafes and the cotton club fit well into this
concept. So next weekend when I want to boogie I think I will try some
Real love.
I see that American singing group Boyz2men is scheduled to perform here
in our Shanghai later this month in the stadium. I am sure that it will
be very successful and I understand that all but the most expensive
seats have already been sold out. The harmonic melodies of Boyz2men are
absolutely spot on in terms of the musical taste of people here in
Shanghai, who are still totally besotted with Mariah Carey. The good
news, however, is that Michael Bolton seems to have faded away and for
this we are truly thankful. Can I touch you there are? No, you can't.
Byeeeee!!!
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