Patek Philippe - hugheswho

In March 2016, I travelled to WanAn in Anhui Province to research a feature about the shrouded and esoteric history of FengShui compass making going back to the Tang Dynasty and particularly to interview Mr ZhaoGuang Wu 吴兆光 for a feature article in the Patek Philippe International Vol.IV No.2 p.10–15 “Divining the Path to Harmony”

ZhaoGuang’s family has been involved in the manufacture of precision instruments for Feng Shui practice for nearly 300 years. Although it is associated with interior design in the West, ZhaoGuang’s clients are far more likely to be concerned with the fundamental issues of space and architectural design than where to put a vase or screen. The practice of FengShui was refined in this area during the prosperous Song Dynasty when it would have been used to inform the siting of buildings, positions of doors and windows, location of tombs, even town planning.

No one image captures the spirit and mood of Shanghai quite like that of the Bund. While the outlandish skyscrapers on the opposite bank of the HuangPu river proclaim the aspirations of Modern China, the sweep of neo-classical and art-deco buildings situated on the western shoreline tell a more complex story of the city’s fluctuating fortunes over the last 150 years. Once attacked for its representation of bourgeois foreign influence, this area is treasured once more following a transformation into the city’s most smart and fashionable district. At the far end, at the mouth of the Souzhou creek, lies a compound that was created in the earliest days of the settlement. Largely inaccessible from the outset and almost forgotten since the 1960’s, it was once the administrative and legislative heart of the Bund and surrounding area. This secluded gem is now the new home of Patek Phillipe in China.

This feature piece explores the history of the Former British Consul’s Residence and it’s transformation into Maison Patek Shanghai. Published in Patek Philippe Magazine Volume III Number 8, November 2012.

Tag: Patek Philippe

Patek Philippe Feature: Wu Lu Heng Compass Factory, Anhui

Maison Patek Philippe: Feature Story