Vivian Chow receives so many party invites she can't possibly attend them all. If she does appear at a function, you can bet it's first class all the way. An expert on the dos-and-don'ts of party fashion, it's easy to mistake the high-society prima donna as a snob on first impression.

The truth is she is friendly and personable, yet opinionated - a nice mix for a party guest.

While preparing invitation cards for friends and clients to a jewelry show, she laments the lack of events happening across town. "Because of SARS, there aren't so many parties or promotion cocktails around the city," sighs Chow, from her 9th floor Belvedere office. "Not many will be invited to this, only about 10. Too many people will increase the risk of getting the disease."

Although in her 60s, Chow looks younger. Indeed, she is blessed with good genes. The Shanghai native is the youngest daughter of late Peking Opera master Zhou Xinfang, who enjoys the highest place in the pantheon of Chinese opera greats along with Mei Lanfang. Her third eldest sister Chow Tsai-chin, trained at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and appeared in a number of roles in European and British films, including Christopher Lee's kung fu flicks.

While her sister stands out for her onscreen performances, Vivian Chow, has made a name for herself in the public relations business. At the insistence of her mother, she studied in Macao and Hong Kong at an early age. Yue-Sai Kan, a famous business woman in the cosmetics industry, was her classmate. Later she went to London and worked for the advertising department of The Sun newspaper. After returning to Hong Kong, she became the controller of publicity, promotions and publications for Rediffusion Television. There she launched the acting and singing career of the late Hong Kong megastar Leslie Cheung while promoting the Asian Singing Contest.

In the 1980s and into the 1990s, Chow resided in both Shanghai and Hong Kong each year, but has made Shanghai her full time home since the mid-1990s.

As the city shakes off its backward, straitjacket-like image to be one of the most dynamic cities in Asia, Chow feels as though there is good business potential.

"Shanghai is becoming a place where high-class living and fine culture are an accepted part of life," says Chow, the mother of three daughters and one son. "Each year it reinvents itself as something entirely new."

Busy preparing for the jewelry show she is organizing for the famous Italian brand Christobelle, Chow believes the delicate gems and precious metals are an area Shanghainese people could use some good tips on what's appropriate. "I've attended a lot of local functions," she smiles, her face revealing a gentle rosebud sweetness. "One problem is that people are mostly overdressed but lack good jewelry. The city should nurture a good taste in jewelry."

For women, youth passes quickly. But Chow's chic sense grows more confident with each passing year. This confidence has lead to strong opinions on the subject of taste in party wear. She's not afraid to share either.

"For women, it's outrageous to wear a hat at an evening banquet," she says. "It's okay to wear headgear at outdoor luncheons and barely acceptable at cocktail receptions. And it's shocking to see men parading around in a Chinese jacket ("duan gua") at functions. I don't know if they're aware of it, but a Chinese jacket equals underwear in traditional dress. Although you can wear it at your home when hosting guests."

After witnessing too many etiquette violations in China, Chow harbors a desire to open a modern Chinese finishing school: a real etiquette school to train Chinese people to read French menus and pronounce foreign names properly.

"To understand proper manners, one needs education from an early age and exposure to the outside world," she says.

There is no school dedicated to teaching social manners in Shanghai. However, in Switzerland, Japan and India, such schools are popular. At finishing schools in Switzerland, a one-year course costs more than US$51,200. At present, Chow doesn't see a large demand for such a school. But she plans to open one with a complete etiquette course one day.

Champagne-flowing parties and charity events for the nouveaux riche will return to the city - at some point. However, Chow says it doesn't mean Shanghai has its own high society.

"There appears to be a high society," she says. "But it's fake. The people on the party circuit mostly aren't Shanghainese. They're expats or from Hong Kong."

For a city to possess a real social life, it needs a strong economic base, frequent charity and social events, as well as a stable, large middle-class.

In Hong Kong there are many celebrity-studded charity functions. The amount raised at a single event can reach HK$30 million to HK$40 million. These funds are acquired through donations, and those who chair these funds usually have high social status. Chow used to be president of the Zonta Club of the New Territories in Hong Kong. The club pledges to serve the community in a wide spectrum of social services.

Shanghai, of course, has a rich tradition of high society life. In the 1920s and 1930s, social events hit their peak. They were, however, all suspended by the social movement.

Now all signs show the possibility of reviving local high society.

"Within three years, there will be real social events in Shanghai," Chow predicts.

She figures the younger generation, in their 20s and 30s, will become the mainstay of social events in the future. Without the heavy burden of history, Shanghai's youth will naturally pick up high society life.

Just remember to wear your Sunday best though, especially if Vivian Chow is planning on attending.

(eastday.com June 5, 2003)