Okay, perhaps a bit off the usual path. This is a picture book of female fashion of Shanghai in the 1930’s. The books is packed with both color and black white period photos of Shanghai. Included are not just many pictures of the qi pao (pinyin) or ‘cheongsam’ (from Cantonese pronunciation), but also advertising, and movie posters. 1930’s Shanghai was a unique mix of Chinese and Western culture, and this books does an admirable job documenting one aspect of the cultural history during this unique point in Chinese history. If you want to get a sense of life among the well off and middle class living in China at the time, this is a good visual guide.
