Constructing a heightened personal aura through purchasing pricey baubles just got that much easier: "China, already the world's second-largest luxury goods market, will soon slash import duties on opulent items to encourage wealthy local shoppers to buy more pricey cosmetics, watches and liquor, Chinese media said on Monday. Citing unidentified sources, the paper said China's finance ministry may unveil a revamped tax system before the National Day holiday in October so that Chinese consumers can buy luxury brands such as Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton at home over the Christmas and New Year holidays. With the new taxes, duties on imported cosmetics, milk powder, watches, clothes, suitcases and shoes are expected to be reduced or even scrapped entirely, it said. Owing to hefty import taxes, prices of 20 luxury brands of watches, suitcases, clothes, liquor and consumer electronics in the Chinese mainland are 45 percent higher than those in Hong Kong, 51 percent higher than US prices, and 72 percent higher than French prices, a study by China's commerce ministry showed." [China Daily] more ›

Shanghai's edition of the Converse Block Party on Saturday was simply brand perpetuation at its finest. At least until the police became adamant about keeping it real, closing the event down due to overcrowding. With a street section next to M50 Creative Garden cordoned off for the festivities, Converse came through and provided the very with-it crowd an awesome opportunity to chill out. more ›

And another huge retailer bows down to the Chinese market...this time it's Nike - they're putting out a limited edition pair of Zoom Kobe VI kicks especially for China. While the American version comes in either black-and-yellow or black-and-green, the China edition is gray-and-purple and was inspired by traditional Chinese blue and white porcelain. It also includes a number of Chinese elements such as the special lace buckle featuring Kobe Bryant's team number 24 and a Reishi mushroom to symbolize good luck and happiness. If you're hoping to grab a pair, it goes for 1299 RMB and hits store February 2nd. more ›

Sportswear brand Li Ning has been making several in roads in the U.S., opening up a flagship store in Portland and signing on several big name sports stars to promote their brand. But where they seem to excel best is, surprisingly, in commercials. more ›

Late last week at a conference in Dalian, a shoe was thrown at real estate mogul Ren Zhiqiang (任志强), chairman of Beijing's Huayuan Property and member of Beijing's CPPCC by an irate member of the audience. The outspoken tycoon shot to the forefront of attention late last year when he suggested that young people should not be able to afford houses and that people who aren't able to afford houses should return to their village (买不起房就该回农村). In 2009, Ren Zhiqiang took the top spot in CEO salaries in a ranking of 258 listed companies which disclosed their annual reports. more ›

Martin Jahnke, the man who threw a shoe at Chinese premier Wen Jiabao has now been cleared of any offense. Prosecutors had tried to get Jahnke charged for "using words and behavior likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress," and presented evidence from three Chinese students at the lecture (probably fenqing), police and the security staff. But the court found what was presented insufficient and declared Jahnke not guilty. While we didn't really buy that it was a "legitimate protest," as Jahnke had stated - honestly, yelling stuff and throwing a shoe? Please. - we're glad the courts were sensible in this decision. The judge warned Jahnke that the verdict should not be viewed as the court condoning his misbehavior and told him to conduct himself better in the future. Source: Telegraph UK more ›

More photos on the Shanghaiist Contribute page. To see your photos on our Contribute page, use Flickr and tag your photos “shanghaiist”. Or you can email your photos to photos@shanghaiist.com and they will automatically appear on our site (and here). more ›

Hu Ge, the Shanghai unknown who shot to fame after parodying Chen Kaige's The Promise with a story about a steamed bun, seems to have settled in pretty well to his new role as parodyist for hire. Besides coming out with his own 30 minute spoofy action work, he's gotten some commercial requests on the side. more ›

Any Brits walking past the huge Marks & Spencer store on Nanjing Xi Lu (near Wujiang Lu) have spent the last few weeks dreaming of the clothes, accessories and food (but not weather) that they miss from back home. more ›

The Wall Street Journal reports that 4.3 million copies of "an etiquette book outlining rules on good manners and foreign customs, including rules about what not to wear" have been distributed to Beijing residents for use during the Olympics. A snippet: "No matter what, never wear too many colors...especially during formal occasions. When you wear [formal shoes], be sure to wear socks in good condition...socks should be a dark color -- never match black leather shoes with white socks. Older women should choose shoes with heels that aren't too high." Let that be a warning to you. more ›

More photos on the Shanghaiist Contribute page. To see your photos on our Contribute page, use Flickr and tag your photos “shanghaiist”. Or you can email your photos to photos@shanghaiist.com and they will automatically appear on our site (and here). more ›