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The Historic Shanghai Gift Guide

Looking for a unique Shanghai gift? Here’s our definitive guide to the best presents that celebrate Shanghai’s history. And we make it easy, too, with one stop shopping: all of these items are available either on the Shanghai Art Deco website or at Madame Mao’s Dowry, 207 Fumin Lu/Julu Lu.

HISTORIC SHANGHAI MEMBERSHIP

2017 05 18 MembershipThe gift that keeps on giving! For just RMB 500 (single membership), RMB 900 (family), your recipient get’s a whole year’s worth of events, discounts, and special member events. 2018 is Historic Shanghai’s 20th anniversary, so expect even more amazing walks, talks, trips, and events!

If you’re buying Historic Shanghai membership as a gift, we’ll send you the recipient’s membership card with a welcome note, so you can surprise them!

How To Buy

To purchase membership, click here.  

All of the items below are available at Madame Mao’s Dowry, 207 Fumin Lu ~ your one stop shop for historic Shanghai shopping. 

SHANGHAI ART DECO HOLIDAY CARDS

Holiday cards, inspired by Shanghai’s Art Deco, for Christmas and Hanukkah.

Christmas Cards

  • 5 designs, 10 cards per pack.
  • Greeting: “Happy Holidays! / 圣诞节快乐“

RMB 100

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  • Shanghai Art Deco Door Motifs (red background + green background)
  • “Cavendish Apartments Reindeer Doors”
  • Shanghai Art Deco Lamp Tree
  • 1930s Qipaos

How to Buy:

Hanukkah Cards

  • 3 designs, 6 cards per pack
  • Greeting: “Happy Hanukkah!”

RMB 60 per pack

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  • Shanghai Art Deco Door Motifs
  • Shanghai Art Deco Lamp
  • Art Deco Qipaos

How to Buy:

“DEAR SHANGHAI” NOTEPAPER

DearShanghai_wPen

Paper Tiger’s exquisite “Dear Shanghai” notepaper features Art Deco designs found in Shanghai architecture, on gorgeous paper. Perfect for thank you notes, love notes, and old school letter writers. For the full experience, write your notes with a vintage Chinese pen … (read on!)

How To Buy:

VINTAGE CHINESE FOUNTAIN PENS

pens

Madame Mao’s carries a full range of beautiful fountain pens, but our favorites are the 1970s Wing Sungs, new old stock (meaning they’re new, never used, but original old stock). And in addition to looking good, they write like a dream. Three delightful colors. Best paired with some fun inks …

CHINESE INKS

We love this Penbbs range of inks, especially when they’re named for people like silent screen star Ruan Lingyu (in the photo) and pioneering female architect Lin Huiyin.

How To Buy:

MADAME MAO’S REVOLUTIONARY ORNAMENTS

Ornaments

Every year, we eagerly anticipate Madame Mao’s new collection of Revolutionary Ornaments, featuring characters from the propaganda posters that Madame Mao specializes in. Four original ornaments, each sold separately, from left:

  • Shanghai Skyline (no, that one’s not on a propaganda poster!)
  • Exercise!
  • Young Mao
  • Hero series: Liu Hulan, the young Communist martyr.

How To Buy:

THE SHANGHAI ART DECO UMBRELLA

 WoCo umbrella top

Just a few of these left! Inspired by the imperial Chinese cloud design pattern found in Chinese and Western Art Deco, and a classic Cathay Hotel lamp. Perfect protection against the plum rains and for cheering up grey sky days. “13th World Congress on Art Deco Shanghai 2015” in English and Chinese.

How To Buy:

SHANGHAI ARCHITECTURE COLORING BOOK

Coloring book

Our favorite coloring book: pages and pages of images featuring Shanghai historic architecture, all ready to be colored in!

How To Buy:

ENAMELLED MODERN PROPAGANDA PLATES

Plates 

Using propaganda images from the Revolutionary period, these enamel plates depict scenes, and sentiments, from modern Shanghai. Clockwise from the top: the modern Shanghai skyline, a bullet train with the words, “Pudong!” and a worker, peasant, and soldier, gazing at a flag that says, “Raise Vigilance and Protect the Stock Market”.

How To Buy:

PROPAGANDA POSTERS

Madame Mao’s Dowry specializes in original Mao-era propaganda posters, and a poster from their fine collection makes an excellent gift. Each poster comes with a translation and a guarantee of authenticity.

How To Buy:

PAPER TIGER WRAPPING PAPER

Building Wrapping Paper

So now you’ve got the perfect gift. Wrap it up in Paper Tiger’s gorgeous wrapping paper – there are lots of lovely designs, but our two favorites are inspired by Shanghai’s architecture. Above, “Shanghai Skyline”: the Art Deco buildings of Shanghai on one side, and the skyscrapers on the other. Below, “Shanghai Savings Society”, an Art Deco motif of ancient coins from the doors of the Shanghai Savings Society building.

PaperTigerSH_savingssocietyribbon

How To Buy:

 

 



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