Plaid, the fashion in British blood.

Photo caption 1: Princess Kate’s style in plaid dress.
Photo caption 2: The late Princess Diana dressed in plaid.
Special correspondent of this newspaper Chen Jiacun
Recently, members of the British royal family "wore" the same plaid scarf in public activities. The designer of the scarf was Charles III, who hoped to show the "soft power" of the British royal family. When it comes to British clothes, many people will see a variety of plaid patterns, such as Scottish plaid with unique national characteristics, iconic plaid of luxury brand Burberry, and plaid of thousands of birds necessary for fashionistas … British people like to wear all kinds of plaid patterns on their bodies, which are traditional, trendy, elegant or everyday. It can be said that plaid patterns have become an important representative element of British fashion.
Scottish tartan is full of historical charm.
Perhaps the most distinctive plaid dress in Britain is the Scottish tartan skirt. Wearing a traditional Scottish knee-length plaid skirt, long wool socks, matching a vest and shawl of the same color, hanging a small pocket with exquisite workmanship on the waist, and then picking up an organ, the piano bag is relaxed and the piano sounds melodious …
In people’s impression, plaid is a crisscross of different color lines on wool fabric. These lines are divided into multiple rectangular patterns to form a multi-color plaid combination, showing the aesthetic feeling of interwoven color blocks. It is reported that the earliest tartan in Scotland appeared around the 3rd century AD, and was woven from two different types of wool.
With the development of the times, the plaid pattern on wool fabric becomes more and more complicated. According to statistics, at present, there are as many as 7,000 kinds of plaid patterns registered in Scotland, and more than 500 kinds can be woven. Each plaid has its own name, fixed color scheme and pattern combination, and some of them have interesting stories behind them.
According to records, Celts are good at dyeing and knitting wool. Historically, Celts have demonstrated a person’s status through the number of stripes on clothes. For example, a king’s clothes can have seven stripes, while farmers can only wear one stripe. Later, tartan was once introduced as the symbol of various families in Scotland. During the war, tartan on the battlefield was regarded as a symbol of unity, used to distinguish between the enemy and ourselves, and also used to convey the determination to defend their homes. Scottish tartan tells the development, history and culture of Scottish textile technology. No wonder some people call it "a British history".
British royal family, with fire plaid fashion
In thousands of years, tartan patterns have also been inextricably linked with the British royal family. The plaid patterns in Britain are mainly divided into general patterns and non-general patterns. The general patterns can be worn by anyone, but the production and use of non-general patterns need to be approved by the designer. For example, Barmor Lear Plaid, which came out in the 19th century, can only be worn on the body with the explicit permission of the British monarch for a long time. This plaid pattern was designed by Queen Victoria’s husband, and it is in three colors: gray, black and red. Almost all British monarchs after Queen Victoria have passed through the Barmor Lear plaid. At that time, the only non-royal member who was allowed to wear Barmor’s Lear Plaid was a bagpiper who served the British monarch.
Some tartan patterns have changed from strictly restricted non-universal to universal, such as Royal Stewart tartan. This pattern is Queen Elizabeth II’s "exclusive plaid". Apart from the Queen, many other members of the royal family have also appeared and taken photos in clothes with this pattern, making it one of the most famous plaid patterns in the world. Royal Stewart plaid patterns include red, blue, green and black, and there are many variations, representing different clan branches. Charles III also has his own plaid style.
The British royal family also carries many plaids, such as the famous Prince of Wales plaid. People often think that this plaid will be more elegant in suits. Charles III, Princess Diana, Princess Kate and even Beatles have worn clothes with Prince of Wales plaid. Prince of Wales Plaid is also called Glen Plaid, and its name is inspired by a manor in Scotland. This plaid is composed of three colors of black, white and gray, and the pattern is somewhat complicated-small plaids are intertwined with large plaids. King Edward VII of England first fell in love with this pattern of fabric, and Edward VIII completely brought it into the fashion circle. This pattern is suitable for outdoor scenes, can be paired with jeans, casual and chic, and is also suitable for more important occasions, and can be slightly decorated like a king.
Another plaid style favored by the royal family is the houndstooth plaid, which originated from Glenge, also known as the dog’s tooth plaid-two colors of "canine teeth" are interlaced and diagonally woven together, and the queen, princess, duchess and so on have all worn houndstooth plaid coats to attend public activities.
Living in England, plaid is everywhere.
The British people are still full of love for plaid. Apart from the Scottish plaid skirt worn by the guards of honor at the festival ceremony, plaid also goes deep into all aspects of British life, such as shirts, windbreakers, scarves, hats, gloves, sweaters, cloaks, slippers and handbags … Global Times reporters live in London and find that English or traditional or modern plaid can be found in almost all textiles, even to home decoration, floors and ceilings.
In order to better protect and count the traditional Scottish tartan patterns, in 2009, the Scottish tartan registry was officially put into operation, which was responsible for registering the information of existing tartan patterns and providing registration services for new patterns. Its database is constantly expanding. According to the website information of the registry, at the end of 2023, a newly registered plaid pattern was named "Light of Prism" to pay tribute to Newton and his book "Optics". The designer said that this work is not only a pattern, but also a story about light and discovery.
From classical to avant-garde, from tradition to trend, the love of plaid in British blood has flowed from the past to the present, and the inspiration from different cultures and eras has blended and gathered, allowing the British to wear more tolerance and diversity. ▲
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Starting the real estate debt basket and accurately serving the real estate financing needs Zheshang Bank increased its support for real estate.

Chao News Client Reporter Wu Enhui
Recently, the State Financial Supervision and Administration said that real estate is closely related to the lives of the broad masses of the people, and the financial industry is duty-bound and must be strongly supported. On January 26th, the General Administration of Financial Supervision held a meeting to deploy and promote the implementation of the coordination mechanism of urban real estate financing. The meeting stressed that it is necessary to thoroughly implement the spirit of the Central Financial Work Conference, accelerate the implementation of the coordination mechanism for urban real estate financing, more accurately support the reasonable financing needs of real estate projects, and promote the stable and healthy development of the real estate market.
Zheshang Bank actively responded to the national policy call, implemented the relevant requirements of the General Administration of Financial Supervision, took the lead in the interbank market, officially launched the real estate debt basket on January 25, 2024, and independently underwritten and issued the first asset-backed debt financing tool for real estate enterprises.
Through a series of innovative measures, the bank’s real estate bonds provide market liquidity, accurately support real estate enterprises, boost the market confidence of real estate enterprises and help their financing needs while meeting the trading needs of investment institutions.
Initial real estate corporate bond basket
Bond basket is an innovative product launched by China Foreign Exchange Trading Center for institutional investors. Market institutions can achieve strategic trading or index tracking by trading a basket of bond portfolios, aiming at enriching market-making means and improving trading efficiency.
The real estate bond basket (basket code: BBX026002) launched by Zheshang Bank this time has a trading unit of 30 million yuan, and the portfolio includes three real estate corporate bonds, each of which is 10 million yuan. All of them select high-quality real estate bonds with a remaining maturity of less than 5 years, which have both allocation value and market liquidity. The bonds in the portfolio will be adjusted according to the actual market situation.
According to reports, this basket is the only one in the whole market that provides bilateral quotations for real estate bonds. Zheshang Bank prefers real estate corporate bonds to provide effective click quotations for market investment institutions to help realize the batch trading of real estate bonds.
The relevant person in charge of the fund operation center of Zheshang Bank said that the launch of this basket is a brand-new attempt of Zheshang Bank in the financial services real estate industry, and it has also fulfilled the obligations of market makers and has been widely supported by market institutions. On the first day of the listing of this basket, banks, brokers, funds and other institutions actively inquired about this basket, and on the same day, funds clicked on the quotation to realize the first landing transaction.
Independently underwriting asset-backed debt financing instruments of real estate enterprises.
While launching the real estate debt basket, Zheshang Bank also innovatively launched the asset-backed debt financing tool for real estate enterprises.
On January 25th, Zheshang Bank independently underwritten and issued the asset-backed debt financing instrument (CB) of Huayuan Real Estate Co., Ltd., with a total scale of 290 million yuan and a term of 2 years.
As one of the earliest listed real estate enterprises engaged in real estate development in China, Huayuan Real Estate takes Beijing as the core and radiates Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, western China, central China and southern China. While doing the main business of excellent residential development, enterprises are constantly forging ahead, actively seeking change and testing new development models and industrial formats.
The asset-backed debt financing tool issued this time, with its unique asset guarantee model, has revitalized the assets of enterprises in Beijing, Changsha and Guangzhou and realized the effective dispersion of risks. All the funds raised are used for the construction of residential real estate projects, which plays a key role in completing the task of "guaranteeing the delivery of buildings". At the same time, it optimizes the capital structure of the enterprise and lays a solid foundation for the sustainable development and strategic transformation of the enterprise.
The relevant person in charge of Huayuan Real Estate Finance Department said that Zheshang Bank fully recognized the enterprise transformation and development strategy, accurately supported the financing needs of the enterprise at this stage, and with the professional financial team and rich industry experience, this innovative financing tool was tailored for the enterprise. With the joint efforts of all parties, it was successfully launched, demonstrating the professional level of the bank in financial innovation and service.
It is worth mentioning that this business is the innovative practice of Zheshang Bank to accurately support real estate enterprises through the investment banking toolbox, and it is the first asset-backed debt financing tool for real estate enterprises in China, which is expected to provide new financing ideas for the real estate industry.
It is understood that Zheshang Bank will continue to give full play to its professional advantages, actively respond to the call of the state, make good use of the policy toolbox, provide enterprises with more diversified and personalized financing services, more accurately support the reasonable financing needs of real estate enterprises, and further improve the liquidity of real estate bonds, promote the accurate docking between real estate enterprises and financial institutions, and contribute financial strength to the stable development and transformation of the real estate industry.
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Wang Chen: My heart is still China’s heart.


  "The change of a paper’s nationality will never change the strong flavor of Beijing in me, or the fact that I was cultivated by China. My heart is still China’s. The Beijing Olympics is the pride of Chinese people all over the world. I wish Beijing well and cheer for the Olympics. " -Wang Chen


  BEIJING, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) According to the American Overseas Chinese Weekly, the American Olympic Committee recently announced a list of events to participate in the Beijing Olympic Games. In the list, five Chinese athletes were selected, including China-born table tennis player Wang Chen, which attracted the attention of many table tennis fans and people familiar with Wang Chen.


  Anyone familiar with table tennis knows Wang Chen’s position in China’s national women’s table tennis team in the last few years of the last century. Wang Chen has won nearly 30 women’s singles titles in her career, including professional tour, Asian Cup and World Table Tennis Championships. Among them, in 1997, Wang Chen won the women’s team championship for three consecutive times in cooperation with Deng Yaping, Wang Nan, Li Ju and Yang Ying at the 44th World Table Tennis Championships held in Manchester, England. Wang Chen, who became famous in the early 1990s, was once regarded as the most potential newcomer of China team after Deng Yaping and Qiao Hong. She is one of the few tall players in the China team. She has defeated all the first-team players such as Deng Yaping and Qiao Hong, and has maintained a technical advantage over the younger generation of players Wang Nan, Li Ju and Yang Ying for a long time.


  Now, as a Chinese athlete, a former world champion, a former main member of China’s national table tennis team and now a main member of the American women’s table tennis team, Wang Chen has been selected as the American Olympic delegation and will soon participate in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.


  At present, Wang Chen runs a table tennis club named after himself in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, new york. I have obtained the qualification to represent the United States in the Olympic Games held in Beijing. Wang Chen said indifferently that he was lucky to realize his Olympic dream at the age of 34. For the 34-year-old Wang Chen, this will be her last fight in the international table tennis competition, and it will also be a perfect curtain call for her personal career. With many questions about the former national player’s naturalization in the United States and curiosity about the eight-year struggle history of the United States and the story of Beijing’s Olympic dream, the reporter came to the table tennis club in Wang Chen as promised.


  At 1 o’clock in the afternoon, it was the time for lunch and lunch break, and he came to a small office of the table tennis club named after him. At this time, Wang Chen was being interviewed by local news media in new york. After our interview was delayed for about 15 minutes, Wang Chen appeared in the reporter’s field of vision.


  Olympic dream of Beijing


  Talking about the Beijing Olympic Games, Wang Chen seemed very excited and excited. "It is a rare opportunity for every athlete to get tickets for the Olympic Games, and this Olympic Games is held in Beijing, so I will take part in whatever I say," Wang Chen told reporters with a smile.


  In order to compete for the Olympic qualification, Wang Chen traveled around the world nonstop to participate in various tournaments to collect points. According to the regulations of ITTF, the top 20 athletes in the world will automatically get seats in the Olympic Games. Wang Chen is currently ranked 29th in the world, but Wang Chen can be ranked 14th because of the rule that only two players can be submitted by one country. From this, Wang Chen automatically won the seat of the Olympic Games.


  Regarding getting a seat in the Olympic Games, Wang Chen said that he has been an athlete for most of his life and has never let go of his love for table tennis. It is his first time to participate in the Olympic Games and he is really excited to return to his hometown. At the same time, Wang Chen also feels lucky.


  During Wang Chen’s eight years in the United States, Wang Chen not only didn’t give up table tennis, but also worked harder than before. She changed her raw rubber playing method to two-sided anti-rubber attack to give full play to her height and arm length. Tactics have obviously become more flexible than before, and the murderous look has also increased. She has won the women’s singles championship in the North American Championship for the United States many times.


  From 1993, 19-year-old Wang Chen made a blockbuster in the women’s singles final at the Seventh National Games, competing with Deng Yaping, who was in full swing at that time, to now representing the United States in the Beijing Olympic Games. After 15 years of table tennis career, Wang Chen finally realized his life wish and participated in the Olympic Games this summer.


  My heart is still China’s heart


  When it comes to the "Overseas Corps", which is controversial by Chinese people, as one of them, Wang Chen didn’t feel embarrassed. Wang Chen said that it was only his love of table tennis that kept him going. At present, the women’s team in China has particularly advanced technology, so it can’t pose a threat to the women’s team in China in the Olympic Games to switch to other national teams after retiring from China. In fact, in recent years, the "Overseas Corps" has never posed a direct threat to the China table tennis team’s gold medal, and the Chinese people have lost a lot of criticism.


  What will happen when the reporter puts forward the assumption that he will meet China athletes at the Beijing Olympic Games? Wang Chen said that table tennis has already transcended national boundaries, and in recent years, he has returned to China from time to time to compete, learn from each other and practice with China team members. Everyone has a deep friendship with each other. Ask again, if you meet China athletes during the Olympic Games, will your heart change? She said, "After all, this year’s Olympic Games will be held in Beijing, and the atmosphere will naturally be very warm. However, every time I meet a player from China, my hands are tight and I am easily influenced and distracted by the audience. It is possible that my heart is still because of China’s heart. "


  When it comes to the prospect of Olympic achievements, Wang Chen seems very calm. Wang Chen said that in the United States, unlike China, there is systematic training and preparation for war, and it can only be self-reliant. She now represents the Dutch club in the European League and warms up for the Olympics through the competition. Speaking of the event, Wang Chen said that the Olympic women’s table tennis singles competition is a strong dialogue, without high expectations, and it is a fight. As for the women’s team, the US team is still promising to compete for medals. After all, there are two people, Gao Jun and me. Except for China, no team can guarantee to win both of us.


  Wang Chen is very excited about returning to Beijing. She said that Beijing now is very different from Beijing where she used to live, and every time she returns to Beijing, she is very novel and excited. The change of my own nationality will never change the strong smell of Beijing in me, or the fact that I was cultivated by China. My heart is still China’s. Beijing Olympic Games is the pride of Chinese people all over the world. Bless Beijing and cheer for the Olympic Games.


  Sweet and sour, eight-year trip to America


  In 1999, Wang Chen, who was only 25 years old, chose to retire because there was no more room for promotion and development in the women’s table tennis team in China. In the year after retiring, she has not found a suitable way out for various reasons. At that time, my sister was running a fur business in New Jersey, USA. With her sister’s help, she applied for special talents to immigrate to the United States. Now Wang Chen’s sister has returned to China to settle down, while Wang Chen has stayed in the United States to develop. 


  Wang Chen said frankly that when he first came to the United States, he wanted to give up the cause of table tennis completely, engage in a brand-new job and create a new future. Later, it was found that there are many die-hard fans and fans of table tennis in the United States, many of whom are Americans and many immigrants. One of the die-hard fans is Jerry, the owner of her current club? Jerry Wartski. Jerry also completely changed the fate of Wang Chen.


  Jerry, 77, is a big fan of table tennis. Engaged in real estate work in new york in his early years. In 2002, when Wang Chen began to teach Jerry, Jerry already owned a table tennis club on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, new york, and later named it after Wang Chen.


  Knowing Jerry can be said to be a turning point in Wang Chen’s life in America. When I first arrived in new york, Wang Chen once offered to work as a temporary worker for Jerry, with an income. Jerry sternly refused. He said, "No, you are a China champion, an American champion or a world champion. I can’t let you be a temporary worker. You must stay in the arena." To this, Wang Chen is very emotional. She said that Jerry gave me a platform to continue my favorite table tennis career in the United States.


  Through several years’ hard work, Wang Chen Table Tennis Club has become more and more famous in Manhattan, and many celebrities include Keanu, the hero of The Matrix. Reeves and mcenroe, the "bad boy" in tennis, are frequent visitors to Wang Chen Table Tennis Club. For the present results, Wang Chen did not show pride. She said that I have learned a lot from eight years of living in the United States, which is my greatest gain.


  Love in the swimming pool


  Zhou Yue, Wang Chen’s husband, is a native of Xi ‘an. He studied in Xi ‘an Institute of Architecture and Engineering, and now he is studying for a master’s degree in environmental engineering at Columbia University, and has passed the examination of a professional certified real estate appraiser in the United States.


  She met her husband Zhou Yue in the swimming pool of Columbia University. At that time, I often went to Columbia swimming pool to practice because I couldn’t swim. One day, I felt that I could never teach myself. I had to ask someone else. I found a man who was very proud of breaking waves in the water. I thought, why don’t you ask him? So I swam over, and the first thing I asked him was, "Do you speak Mandarin?" He stood in the water and said, "I’m from mainland China and Xi ‘an. I also taught myself from teaching CDs." Then we started talking. Slowly, our contact will be more, and the circle of Columbia University is very small, so we will get familiar with each other when we get together frequently.


  In July, 2004, at the US Open, Zhou Yue rushed to watch the game in Wang Chen, and Wang Chen lived up to expectations and won the women’s doubles championship with Liu Jia, the former sister of the Beijing team. A few months later, Zhou Yue took out a carefully selected Tiffany diamond ring worth more than 6,000 US dollars and formally proposed to Wang Chen. Both parents were quite satisfied with the background and personality of the two young people. Soon after, Wang Chen and Zhou Yue registered to get married in new york.


  After eight years of ups and downs, Wang Chen has gone through years with great difficulties. Besides Wang Chen’s own hard work. In the United States, Wang Chen is lucky. With table tennis as a link, she has been helped by good people from different classes. (Zou Bin)

Editor: Lu Wei