For Chen Gang, the founder of the Shanghai cultural salon, Colormen (from the Chinese word kele meaning class and refinement), the salon represents a group of people discussing the classical tastes and colorful lifestyles that came to define Shanghai during its glorious cultural zenith in the 1920s to 1940s.

From August 2012, the Hotel Equatorial Shanghai has been hosting the Colormen salon once a month, each time under a theme related to the city in some respect. Teas and desserts are served, and the event includes invited guest talks, music performances, and photo and video screenings, among others.

Dialect drama

For Colormen's May salon, the famous Taiwanese writer Pai Hsien-yung (Bai Xianyong, son of General Bai Chongxi) shared his memories of being a child in the city for three years. His novel-adapted Shanghai dialect drama Forever Yin Xueyan, was staged from May 4 to 12 in the city, and is one of many works he has created celebrating his love of Shanghai.

"Colormen showcases the idea of a 'big' Shanghai, and as representing the city's noble traits," Chen told the Global Times. "And the vitality of the city's culture lies in its innovation and creativity."

Chen is famous as the composer of the violin concerto Butterfly Lover, and he is a professor at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

Originating in France, salons were formerly a popular way for social elites to meet. And in the early 20th century, Shanghai salons were started by the former Belarussian nobility in the city, who brought with them their French-influenced culture, aesthetic tastes and lifestyles.

"Salons remain an important channel to promote culture," Chen said. However, such salons were curtailed during the Cultural Revolution (1966-76).

Low taste

"Shanghai was the cultural center of China in the 1930s, but it no longer is. Today, the mass media promotes low-taste and fast-food culture which misrepresents Shanghai's real culture. As a Shanghai artist, I believe it's my responsibility to talk about Shanghai's glorious culture," Chen added.

Each of Colormen's salons now sees about 100 attendees. The first private salon took place last year at the Moller Villa on Shaanxi Road South.

"We chat about many interesting topics concerning Shanghai. And I found a lot of inspiration and ideas came about during the talks," added Chen.

The salons are facilitated by Ji Dongming, the then general manager of Moller Villa who has since moved to the Hotel Equatorial Shanghai. The change of venue has enabled a larger capacity, which inspired Chen to formulate a theme for each monthly salon. The three core members of the salon since it was formed are Chen, Ji and Yan Hua, the SMG television presenter.

"The themes are usually determined during our conversations. We have already covered a number of interesting topics such as qipao, Shanghai films, Shanghai-style Peking Opera, poetry and the harmonica," Yan told the Global Times. Yan is the compere of the salon and hosts the talks with invited guests.

"People living in Shanghai deserve a colorful, refined and elegant life. The real old 'kele' (defined as Western-educated Chinese men who came to prominence in the 1930s) are now few and far between and what we are doing is to document their memories in an artistic way and look deeper into that era in which a certain culture really thrived. We try to attract artists from various genres to share in this task," she added.

Most of the salon participants attend by invitation, and entry is free. And the list of guest speakers and performers has included people connected with famous names from the past.

Duirng the old kele-themed salon of August 2012, Zhou Xiaoxuan, the granddaughter of the famous 1940s "golden voice" singer and film star Zhou Xuan, played renditions of Zhou's songs on the piano. For the qipao-themed salon of November 2012, a 95-year-old tailor, surnamed Chu, shared stories about how to make the famous dress. He once made qipao for the Soong sisters.

Interesting tales

At the Shanghai-style Peking Opera-themed salon in December 2012, Hu Sihua, son of the former owner of the Shanghai Grand Cinema, had plenty of interesting tales to recall. During the May salon, 88-year-old Yu Minzhao, the last surviving pianist of the original Paramount jazz band, played a musical piece for guests.

The April salon remembered the late Shanghai artist Chen Yifei who passed away in April 2005. The late painter and filmmaker's younger brother Chen Yiming shared little-known stories with the audience.

"When choosing a theme, I try to invite people who have some history or experience of this subject," said Chen. "For example, how many of us knew that you have to measure the body in 30 places in order to create a custom-made qipao?"

According to Chen, the upcoming salon will be held on June 3, under the theme of "younger kele." Shanghai-based, award-winning musicians Song Siheng and Huang Mengla will be the main attraction. "I want to dig out more about the impact of Shanghai and the city's music education on these young gentlemen," Chen said. "The principle of Colormen is not only to take a retrospective look at the city during its peak of cultural prosperity. It is also to make the younger generation aware of these achievements. To reiterate the message that we got from Pai Hsien-yung's salon: 'Shanghai will never grow old.'"