NMiC in the SCMP!

août 31st, 2010 Posted in PRESS

août, 31 2010

: NMiC on the front page of The South China Morning Post business section on August 30th.

: The front page of The South China Morning Post -Hong Kong main English newspaper- carries a story about Nicely Made in China on its August 30th 2010 issue on its front page.

Dear readers

Nicely Made in China was Monday morning on the front page of the South China Morning Post business section with an article signed by Keith Wallis!

In the week following that article nearly 5000 visitors came to the site to discover what NMiC has to offer.

Readers who are interested can also become fans of NMiC on our Facebook page:<http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nicely-Made-in-China/134454679901330> and follow us on our Twitter page @NclyMdinChina

NMiC wishes you all a nice week!

press

NORLHA SHAWLS

août 27th, 2010 Posted in CITIES, CRAFTS, FASHION, HANDMADE

août, 27 2010

No Comments »

: Nicely Made in China: a Norlha shawl

: Yak in a spring pasture. Only the hair of the two year old is used to make shawls.

: The Norlha workshops opened in November 2007 in Ritoma in Gansu province.

: A local woman works on a wood loom in a workshop to produce a Nicely Made in China shawl.

: Two women with different patterned shawls that Norlha did for a French fashion house.

: Every Norlha shawl is hand made. The project allowed many local people to stay and work in their home province.

: The high plateau of Gansu province.

At an altitude of 3200m in Gansu province, the company Norlha produces the most exquisite shawls. These shawls, made mainly of yak wool (khullu), have become much sought after in shops from Paris to Shanghai. Nicely Made in China spoke to the owner, Kim Sciaky-Yeshi, to find out what makes them so special and successful.

Kim, when and how did you start this adventure?

I’ve always loved beautifully woven things and had once worked with someone who was making products out of camel’s wool. In my opinion the 3 most beautiful types of wool are that of goats, yaks and camels. I had heard that yak wool was a rare and noble material but nowadays almost forgotten. So in 2005 I decided to send my daughter Dechen and her brother Genam to Gannan Prefecture in Gansu to see what could be done there with yak wool. They bought over a ton of the raw fiber, which they had cleaned and sent by truck to Katmandu, via Lhasa. There, in my friend Christopher Giercke’s workshop, we had it spun and woven, to test the quality. It turned out that we had a wonderful product. Norlha was started in 2007.

Read the rest of this entry »

beijing, fashion, handmade, HANGZHOU

DOCTORS BECK & STONE / VETERINARY SERVICES

août 21st, 2010 Posted in BEIJING, CITIES, SERVICES

août, 21 2010

No Comments »

: Dr Stone and his dog Stella in the recently opened Shunyi clinic in Beijing.

: Dr Céline Clément and Dr Stone examin a patient.

: Dr Stone examining a patient in the VIP room.

: The nurses of the newly opened Stone & Beck clinic in Shunyi, Beijing.

: Grooming is a new service offered at the Stone & Beck Shunyi clinic.

: Dr Stone and his team of veterinaries Dr Ye Wei and Dr Clément with the team of nurses and the grooming team.

: The brand new Shunyi clinic in Beijing.

: Dr Anthony Beck, one of the two founders of Beijing-based Stone&Beck veterinary clinic.

This week Nicely Made in China takes a look at one particular sector of the service industry. With roughly 150 million dogs in China and at least as many cats the need for veterinary services has never been so great. « Doctors Beck & Stone« started by an Anglo-Chinese team has opened a couple of clinics in Beijing, including a brand new one in Shunyi. NMiC talked to Dr Stone and Dr Anthony Beck about pets and pet lovers in China.

Read the rest of this entry »

beijing, SERVICES

NMiC IS IN THAT’S SHANGHAI!

août 17th, 2010 Posted in PRESS, SHANGHAI

août, 17 2010

No Comments »

: Adam Healy of Benpat International on Shek-O beach in Hong Kong.

: David Winter at Red Dragon Yacht Building in Xiamen, Fujian province.

: Safi and Alia Malik of Shangrila Farms.

: Nicolas Favard the goldsmith and silversmith in his recently opened store next to Sanlitun Village North in Beijing

: Luthier Gao Zhenmin in front of one his latest folding double-bass.

: Beijing-based Marianne Friese of Malilian soft furniture design.

: Carole Beaucour, Shanghai Trio North China general manager in the new store in Sanlitun Village North.

: Elisabeth Koch the milliner in her Beijing home wearing one of her creation.

: Ceramist Hai Chen of Blue Shanghai White photographed in Beijing.

: Liu Yang, le fromager de Pékin or the Beijing cheese maker in front of his North Beijing shop.

: Dominic Johnson-Hill of Plastered8 T-shirts in his Nan Luo Gu Xiang shop, Beijing.

: Valérie Nomain of Chocolate an industrial design agency based in Shenzhen.

: Lisa Minder-Wu owner of The Orchard with her team of carpenters in He Ge Zhuang village.

: Hong Kong based Pierre-Arnaud Le Magnan with his carbon fiber mountain Chiru bike.

: Cao Wei, Sarah Keenlyside and Tom Pattinson of Bespoke-Beijing Travel Services in Baofang hutong, Beijing.

: Fashion designer Huang Yue based in Sanlitun, Beijing.

Dear readers

Nicely Made in China is That’s Shanghai magazine editor’s choice to be website of the month. You can read the article on their website urbanatomy.com!

A nice reward for all the people who’ve accepted to be featured: Adam Healy at Ark Surfboards, Liu Hongyan and David Winter at Red Dragon Yacht Building, Alia and Safi Malik at Shangrila Farms, Nicolas Favard the goldsmith, the double-bass maker Gao Zhenmin, Marianne Friese and her company Malilian, Virginie Fournier, Carole Beaucour and Shanghai Trio, Elisabeth Koch the milliner, the jewellery designers Ariel Welby-Everard and Wang Lei, Hai Chen at Blue Shanghai White, the cheese maker Liu Yang, Dominic Johnson-Hill of Plastered 8, Valérie Nomain at Chocolate Design, Lisa Minder-Wu at The Orchard, Pierre-Olivier Le Magnan at Chiru Bikes, Sarah Keenlyside and Tom Pattinson at Bespoke-Beijing, the fashion designer Huang Yue, and every one at Time Machine Image Center.

A big thank you to the 7300 readers who’ve visited the website since the start of Nicely Made in China!

I also would like to particularly thank all the people who have supported Nicely Made in China and who have been generous with their time, efforts and ideas.

press, Shanghai

ARK SURFBOARDS

août 10th, 2010 Posted in CITIES, HANDMADE, HONG KONG, SPORT

août, 10 2010

1 Comment »

: Adam Healy on Shek-O beach in Hong Kong with an Ark surfboard.

: Adam Healy with a Nicely Made in China standup paddle board.

: Adam Healy in the Benpat International showroom with skateboards, another type of boards made by Benpat International.

: Two different types of Ark boards made by Benpat International.

: Surfboards blanks in the factory just before being fiber glassed.

: Any type of logo or pattern can be applied on surfboards.

: A nipper board -board for children- another type of board made by Benpat International.

After the coast of Fujian, Nicely Made in China takes you to the South China Sea to meet Adam Healy one of the two owners of Benpat International. Based in Shek-O on the South-East coast of Hong Kong Island, Benpat makes quality surfboards -as well as kiteboards, skateboards, nipper boards and stand-up paddle boards- all made in China and sells them all over the world. Adam, 26, is Australian and was raised in Hong Kong. He sat with NMiC and explained how surfboards are made.

Adam, can you give us some information about your company?

Benpat International was created in 1990 by John Patkin and I came onboard in 2008. Most of our production is for exports, mainly to Australia, the UK and the US.

Read the rest of this entry »

hong kong, outdoor

XIAMEN RED DRAGON YACHT BUILDING

août 6th, 2010 Posted in CITIES, SPORT, TRAVEL, XIAMEN

août, 06 2010

No Comments »

: David Winter the founder of Red Dragon whose advice is still very much sought after.

: The Scandinavian dory 18 built for Scandinavian cruisers.

: Ms Liu Hongyan has an eye for details. « Quality has always been our primary concern » says Ms Liu.

: Fiberglass tooling are made by Red Dragon fiberglass fabricators who’ve been with the company since the beginning.

: The D5.9 succeeded the D5.8, the first Red Dragon creation with Xiamen cityscape in the background.

: Red Dragon employees add the finishing touch to the Scandinavian Cruiser 20, a very Nicely Made in China boat.

: Most parts of a boat are made on site. « Our carpenters are the best you can find » says Ms Liu.

: The 20ft family power boat with a 140hp Suzuki engine by Red Dragon Yacht Building.

It’s summer, and to get away from the heat in Beijing, Nicely Made in China felt like dipping a toe in the sea. That’s how NMiC landed in Xiamen, Fujian province, to interview Ms Liu Hongyan, Red Dragon Yacht Building general manager, to discuss sails, carbon fiber rudders and the new Chinese consumers who are boosting the recreational marine economy.

Ms Liu, when was the company created?

The company was created in 2003 by Mr David Winter who had long experience in the marine industry working for Taiwanese shipyards. When he arrived in Xiamen in 2001 he was surprised to see no recreational boats at all. That’s why he decided to build a small sailing boat for the Chinese market. A few months later the D5.8 – a reference to the boat’s length – was born. He found a shipyard to build it and when that shipyard did not want to build it anymore, David decided to make it himself, creating Red Dragon Yacht Building. We are today what is called a contract builder or an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer). Clients from all over the world, like Scandinavian Cruisers, come to us with their design and we build the boats.

Read the rest of this entry »

outdoor, XIAMEN