All that most Chinese know of an-costumes is what, they see tors, but. the Intter any' distinction between the ties, and in any play which has its' setting before the Ching Dynasty, "ancient cos-fumes," (the gonctal term) are used." This may be best illustrated Ju the costumes of no other person! than the king of actors, Mei Lan-fang, who wore the same kinl of Gresses while acting as Hsi Shih, the beauty of the Chow Dynasty and as Young Kuei-foi of the Tang Dynasty, there being a lapse of over thousand years between the two women, Since the introduction of the movie industry in China, the question of costumes has become one of importance, and it is probably owing to this difficulty that few his torical "pictures are being. filmed. Many people are now studying closely, and this they do by looking {nto old books of literature and old!
Paintings.
not to be thought that the costume of the Ching Dynasty was the popular apparel worn, on the contrary, ito use was limited to the Manchus and those that attended them. The Chinese had their own type of costumes, but due to Mancha Influence they were modified. The skirts which had once been long and used to trail the ground gave place to dresses below the knees. and trousers. Skirts then were worn only on festivals, But as girls began to go to schools, these came to be Popular, partly due to Western influence.' Ten years ago cane the Jong gowns into use, a style adopted; from the Manchus, and three years ago, the long waistcoats. Tracing y the change of styles thus, would 3 have aroused much interest, and hope that the next fashion' show! will show the evolution more distinctly.
Proving "Parisian" Boast Shanghai has been compared to the Paris of China, and indeed the comparison is not' an empty one, for it is here that all new fashions ave their beginning. It is of terest to note that unlike Paris, which has tailors to make the fash-jon, the art used to be in the hands sing-song girls of the higher class. Then these women married amd became members of big households, where they still continued to think out styles. For the Jast ten or 20 years, however, the privilege has unconsciously dropped out of their hands into those of the movie retresses and the society Indies. And as shown in the fashion show, the Intter showed much originality in various dresses.
Chinese dresses are usually divided into four s and it is something new to 'a further elassification into sports, afternoon, and evening wear. Nevertheless, it is a very fine idea. There ig one thing which must be modified. 1 think, and I am sure many others will agree with me, and that is the Western clement being too strong in most of the modern dresses. The difference of some of them from a foreign dress, does not go beyond the collar. It is always good to introduce anything which heightens! the effect, but is it mot that they are overdoing it? No matter what and how much is added, the domi ant note must remain Chinese, The fashion show has done not little to teach the people the art of dre Chinese, as a rule show very little individuality in clothes, they follow blindly a new style, with disregard to their own stature, figure, colour, ete., and this attempt to raise their wsthetic taste will, 1 hope, bring success.
Two More Performances So great has been the enthusiasm of Shanghai over the Show that it has been decided to give additional performances on the evenings of December 28 and 29.
The following given again last Fi 1, Overture Es
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.