Images below were either from my mom’s side or my dad’s side.
My mom grew up in a relatively financially-stable family. Thus the photos from my mom’s side are more than my dad’s side. It just struck me how fashionable my mom and aunts were comparing to what they wear right now (I keep wondering what were the causes behind this). This is the first time that I see my parents’ photos from their childhood/teen years. I LOVE what they were wearing. The fact that my mom used a white headband to match with the outfit on the first two pictures and the buttons made of the same fabric for the suit made me want to travel back to that time period and learn what their life is like and how people back then teaches tailoring. Most of my aunt back then had learned tailoring before, except my mom, “anything requires patience and sophisticated hand skills is not for me” as she said. My mom now always wears dark tone outfits because she thinks she’s out of shape now. But from the photos, I realize that she loved colors. Since 1978, Deng started Reform and Opening, the style people were wearing from the mainland were mainly influenced by Hongkong.
I am a color lover too. Memory is a big part of my design process. Analyzing my childhood and trying to understand myself from patterns from my childhood is my favorite thing to do. Knowing the root of my likes and dislikes makes me feel grounded.
This was taken in the 85s. My mom was hanging out with her friend on a beach close to her home. The suit she’s wearing a suit with suspenders. And a headband. This outfit was made by aunt Yumin (my mom’s cousin) who just started to learn tailoring back then. My mom was around 17 years old (around 1989).
She had her hair done in a local salon. Back then, hair salon would post trendy posters on the wall.
Bruno Barbey amazing Color Photographs of Daily Life in China in the 1970s
Left to Right Aunt Yumin(My mom’s cousin), Aunt Luping (My mom’s elder sister), Aunt Liping (My mom’s eldest sister). It was aunt Luping’s wedding who is a doctor and a teacher at the same time.
Taken in the 80s. My roommate’s mom stood next to her father’s car. The coat was from a hongkong relative.
Uncle and Aunt Luping
Back: from left to right Mom, Uncle (aunt Luping’s husband), Aunt Luping Front: Left to right Grandma, my great-grandma Location: my grandma’s house before renovated. The pink beret and over-sized sweater were bought from Shanghai. The film camera belonged to my uncle.
Photo’s on my dad’s side:
The stories behind photos from my dad’s side were more political. The old man who wore black-framed glasses was my dad’s grandpa. As a supporter of the Nationalist Party (Kuomintang), he worked for Chiang Kai-shek as an administrative contributor. When the communist party won, he fled to Taiwan with Chiang Kai-shek and had another family there. The photos below were the first reunion after the escape in 1949.
Front: left to right my aunt Rongjuan, aunt Li, Uncle Ronghai, and my dad Back: My dad’s grandpa in the middle, and my grandpa next to him
My mom’s side:
Left to right aunt Luping’s colleague and aunt Luping This photo was taken in an elementary school aunt Luping was teaching. Her colleague was a substitute teacher. Back then they teach everything.
