Hasta La Ideas

European luxury and traditional Chinese craftsmanship in a Shanghai boutique

by Alessandro De Toni

In a bustling metropolis like Shanghai, Shang Xia‘s boutique strikes a balance between “human and nature”, a millenary value of Chinese culture that often appears to be lost in the country’s economic rush. Wood and sandstone are combined together with high-tech fiber to create a corner of peace, a unique and harmonious environment.

The Shang Xia brand was founded in 2008 by Chinese designer Jian Qiong Er and Hermès, one of the most well-known western luxury brands in China. Together, they collaborate on a line of furniture, decorative objects, jewelry and high-fashion garments entirely produced in China and characterized by excellent craftsmanship and understated simplicity.

As the name Shang Xia implies—it translates to “up and down” in English—style is a state of harmony achieved by a dynamic flow of energy from the past, present and future. It’s a dialogue between tradition and contemporary taste, which aims to create a 21st-century lifestyle founded on the finest of Chinese design traditions.

Among Shang Xia’s most beautiful crafts are the jewelry collections “Garden” and “Shan Shui”. In the former, the Taihu rock—an ancient symbol of wisdom and immortality—is combined with red sandalwood, jade, agate, gold and silver through a carving process that can take up to 300 hours.

For “Shan Shui”, agate and jade are carved and polished in the shape of an ancient Chinese coin. The process requires abut 480 hours of craftsmanship by a single artisan who cuts and polishes the agate on a spinning wheel. It is an almost spiritual exercise that recalls samsara, the Sanskrit word for the ever-turning wheel of life.

Shang Xia

1F, South Tower, Hong Kong Plaza

283 Huaihai Middle Rd, Shanghai