logo

The ’20s Gala: Farewell, 2020, Hello, 1920s!

It was a 1930s photo of a grand soirée in the ballroom of the Cercle Sportif Français that inspired the “Farewell 2020, Hello, 1920s” Gala. Hu Ping, the founder of the Shanghai Culture Society, showed us the photo, and the rest … is Gala history.

Left: The inspiration. Right: The ’20s Gala. Same ballroom, same spirit, different century.

On December 13, in the true spirit of old Shanghai, Historic Shanghai and the Shanghai Culture Society joined together to bring fans of Shanghai heritage, expatriate and Shanghainese, to that iconic Cercle Sportif ballroom for an evening of music, dancing, fashion, and old-fashioned fun!

Everyone looked amazing, decked out in period finery, from qipaos to flappers, dandies in tuxes and changpaos, which really gave the night its vintage feel…along with the tunes by the Charlie Big Band!

The evening marked the inauguration of the Tess Johnston Awards for Outstanding Contributions to the Understanding of Shanghai Culture and Heritage, named for the pioneer in researching the western presence in old Shanghai, and co-founder of Historic Shanghai.  The awards went to George Wang, Betty Bar Wang, and Livia Szentmartoni.

From left: George Wang, Betty Barr Wang, and Livia Szentmartoni, the inaugural recipients of the Tess Johnston Awards.

George Wang, in recognition of his lifelong pursuit of enlightening generations through his books and lectures about life in old Shanghai from the perspective of an ordinary Chinese.

Betty Barr Wang, in recognition of her tireless contributions to increasing our understanding of World War II in Shanghai and of life in old Shanghai from the perspective of a young expatriate girl.

Livia Szentmartoni, in recognition of her incredible work to discover the stories and legacies of the Hungarian community in old Shanghai, bringing together Chinese, Hungarians, and all who love old Shanghai.

We were treated to a fashion show by WJX, with models decked out in jewelry by Lao Feng Xiang, the Shanghai-born heritage brand, vintage tunes by the Charlie Big Band, logo designs and those great Art Deco buildings by Lucy Young of Paper Tiger.  A huge thank you to all of our sponsors, partners, colleagues and members, who made it a night to remember!

Watch the video below:



Comments are closed.