On February 17, the first day of the world-renowned London Fashion Week, all kinds of fashion shows were staged. One of them was held at a very special venue, the Chinese Embassy. The ballroom of the Embassy, surrounded by heavy curtains and equipped with stage, lighting and acoustic devices, was just like a professional venue for fashion shows. Here, the original Chinese fashion brands "EVE" and "EXCEPTION" were about to present the "Mountain · Water Chinese Fashion Show". This was the first debut of the Chinese garments at the London Fashion Week and the first event of this kind held by the Chinese Embassy. At the invitation of Ambassador Liu Xiaoming and Madame Hu Pinghua, over 200 guests, including Lord Howell, FCO Minister of State, Mr. Martin Davidson, Chief Executive of the British Council, Mr. Harold Tillman, Chairman of the British Fashion Council, as well as the British people from all walks of life and the fashion professionals around the world, gathered at the Embassy with great interest.

Ambassador Liu Xiaoming delivers a speech

Ambassador Liu Xiaoming delivered a speech before the Fashion Show. He said that fashion carries much geographic symbolism. It's a good showcase of the cultural identity and artistic appeal of a nation. These attributes have given fashion a unique value as a bridge for cross-cultural exchange. Two millennia ago, the Silk Road acted as a bridge between China and Europe. It began with the overland 'silk routes' and then the maritime 'silk routes'. Trade was the driver but the exchange of ideas that traveled along profoundly changed the world. Fashion also bears the hallmark of its time. Today, the monotonous dressing before the reform and opening up in China has become a thing of the past. Dressing style is more of a personal choice. It's diverse and fashionable. Also China has established itself as the world's number one garment producer and consumer. In turn, more of Chinese designers and fashion brands have established their presence on the world fashion arena. In the 'spotlight' today are 'EVE' and 'EXCEPTION'. These are two of the better known brands in China's fashion industry. Their show tonight provides a wonderful presentation of the Chinese fashion and artistic standards. The Ambassador sincerely hoped that all the guests would feel the beauty that comes through these designer collections.

Mr. Martin Davidson delivers a speech

Mr. Martin Davidson, Chief Executive of the British Council, said in his speech that China has a civilization of 5,000 years. If this is combined with the modern creativity and technology, the Chinese fashion will have infinite charm. He welcomed more Chinese fashion brands to attend the London Fashion Week and hoped that the Chinese fashion designers would make more contributions to the development of the world's fashion industry.

Immediately after the Fashion Show began, the unique Chinese elements attracted the attention of all the audience. The exhibition's theme "Mountain · Water" is derived from the landscape painting in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), which featured water and ink outlines of the landscape with few gorgeous colours. All the garments at the Fashion Show inherited this style. The simple and elegant cut, monochrome as main colour, together with the natural texture, expressed a simple, clear and elegant attitude to life and a natural and content sense embodied in the oriental aesthetics. "EVE" as a representative brand of men's wear in China is like "Mountain" and "EXCEPTION" as a domestic Chinese brand of women's wear is like "water". The harmonious relation between mountain and water was fully interpreted in the Fashion Show. While the "mountain" is free and graceful but introverted and solemn, the "water" is flexible and elegantly gentle. The natural fusion between the classical charm and modern fashion of the Chinese garments and the excellent performance of both international supermodels and Chinese models deeply impressed the guests present. The audience was so engrossed in the show that they followed the steps of the models with their eyes to savour the uniqueness of each dress. The media professionals constantly snapped their shutters, in the fear of missing any moment of beauty. The 45-minute show seemed to end so quickly that the audience was still absorbed in it. They were silent for a while before bursting in a long, thunderous applause.

After the Fashion Show, the guests enthusiastically shared their feeling at the following reception. Many British guests believed that this event subverted their understanding of the innovation and design of the Chinese garments. FCO Minister of State Lord Howell said that during his first visit to China in 1970s, he saw all the Chinese wearing similar clothes, and that the great change reflected in today's fashion show impressed him. Mr. Martin Davidson, Chief Executive of the British Council, said that the fashion industry in China is increasingly competitive in recent years. In the past people often talked about the export of British high-end fashion to China, but it now appears that China can also export high-end apparel to the UK. Mr. Harold Tillman, Chairman of the British Fashion Council, expressed his congratulations to Ambassador Liu. He said that the Fashion Show was at world class no matter in terms of creativity, design or stage performance. He was willing to arrange more opportunities for the two brands to present themselves during Fashion Week. The famous financier, Bruno Schroeder said that although he was already in his eighties, he only watched two fashion shows. Today's Chinese clothing show impressed him. It was really wonderful. Some professionals said that the performance was very successful and refreshing and that it showed the exciting prospects of China in the field of fashion design. The over-70-year-old British Chinese writer Bamboo Hirst said with feeling that seeing the beauty of the Chinese fashion displayed at the Chinese Embassy, she could not hold back her tears. It made her feel as if she had returned to her badly missed hometown.

CCTV, People's Daily, Phoenix TV, Sing Tao Daily and many other media attended the Fashion Show for live interviews. Ambassador Liu said in an interview with Phoenix TV that this event was one of a series of activities to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the full diplomatic relations between China and the UK and an attempt to promote cultural exchanges between the two countries. The Chinese Embassy in London would continue to hold these high level and high quality activities to showcase the diverse development in China and actively promote the constantly deepening cooperation between China and the UK.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

London Fashion Week is one of the Big 4 international fashion weeks together with the Fashion Weeks in Milan, Paris and New York. It is held twice a year. This year the embassies of 19 countries including China in the UK accepted the invitation and organized their own fashion brands to participate in the International Fashion Showcase at London Fashion Week.

Ambassador Liu and Madame Hu with Chinese fashion entrepreneurs, designers and models