Event

Jehanne de Biolley has cut deep roads in China, in fashion, interior design and cultural exchange. When she first left her house as a young girl, she dreamt of learning about Asian cultures. Her adventures brought her to China in 1991 and soon after, in 1997, she settled in the now bustling Nanluoguxiang in Beijing, where she established her first workshop. Her passion for discovering and incorporating the richness of ancient traditions into her ‘temple lifestyle’ and her work inspired her, in 2001, to restore Nianhua Si, the largest Zen Buddhist temple in Beijing, and her home for the last 15 years.

Jehanne relies on sheer hard work and intuition to guide her to well-hidden corners of the city and remote regions of the country where she collects unique craftwork and immerses herself in local legends and beliefs. In describing her work as fashion and interior designer, she will refer to the incredible change she has witnessed, including some of the most daunting challenges she has faced, throughout the span of her life in China.

Her talk will be followed by the screening of a documentary about Jehanne, relating how she is creating a fashion collection for the Beijing catwalk alongside Miao minority embroiderers in Guizhou. Her ongoing projects honour and preserve the traditions, extraordinary aesthetics and mesmerising handicrafts practised by Miao women in rural communities, whilst at the same time supporting their economic wellbeing.

 

About the documentary

The documentary is a 2021 production by CCTV, filmed in the mountainous Shibing county of Guizhou, a Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, and in Beijing.

 

We would like to remind you that it is necessary to register before each event by writing to info [at] beijinginternationalsociety.com

Registration will be closed when we reach the venue’s maximum capacity.

The very latest registration is midday (12.00 pm) on Tuesday 22 March 2022. We cannot accept RSVPs after this time.

BIS events are open to foreign passport holders only, please remember to bring your passport.

Reservations are valid only upon receipt of a confirmation email from BIS.

All BIS events are off-the-record. Photography, filming and recording are not permitted.

We would like to remind you that the annual membership is no longer available due to the uncertainty of these times. Hence, we welcome for a single lecture fee of RMB 100; students with valid ID RMB 50. 

Registration desk will open at 18:30 for 19:00 lecture.