CHINA: Shanghai brings the aristocratic traditions of the International Debutante Ball to the social scene for China's rich and famous

Record ID: 859335

  • Title: CHINA: Shanghai brings the aristocratic traditions of the International Debutante Ball to the social scene for China's rich and famous
  • Date: 9th January 2012
  • Summary: DEBUTANTES STARTING THEIR DANCE WITH THEIR DANCE PARTNERS DEBUTANTES DANCING DEBUTANTES DANCING AS CROWD LOOKS ON GUESTS LOOKING ON
  • Embargoed: 24th January 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China, China
  • City:
  • Country: China
  • Topics: People,Lifestyle
  • Reuters ID: LVAVPP3LCVWBK0T2N10WDN20FXV
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: Shanghai played host to China's first International Debutante Ball on Saturday (January 7) as thirteen girls from across the globe charmed audiences at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel next to the city's historic Bund area.
    Decked out in white gowns and tiaras, the girls made their social debuts on the Shanghai scene as event organisers trumpeted the glitzy event for the city's rich and famous.
    The International Debutante Ball is a traditionally an event where the well-bred daughters of elite British families, royalties or celebrities make their first appearance on the social scene.
    It started in 1780 as the Queen Charlotte's Ball after King George III used the event to raise funds for a new maternity hospital to be named after his queen.
    Since then the concept has been transplanted to cities across the globe, including New York and Paris, as an annual social gathering for the wealthy elite.
    The organiser for China's first International Debutante Ball said it was less about social class and more about an event for girls to be the princesses they want to be.
    "I think girls will be girls, and they want to be princesses. Debutante ball is about looking like a princess or pretending to be a princess for a day, for some girls. And it's not just a classist thing, debutante balls are being held for instance in Australia or New Zealand in high schools," said Vivian Chow Wong, execeutive director of the Shanghai International Debutante Ball.
    Organisers described the thirteen girls as coming from good family backgrounds and aspiring to develop their confidence, people and networking skills from the event.
    17-year-old British girl, Larissa Scotting, was crowned the "Debutante of the Year" at the event.
    And she said she was thrilled to be bestowed the honour in Shanghai.
    "I feel very honoured. It's so wonderful to have been chosen and I am very excited and very happy. I am thrilled to be given this award here in Shanghai. So it's been great. It's been a really wonderful experience," she said.
    Scotting added that after the event, she was looking forward to starting her university life in studying English at King's College.
    The thirteen debutants included two Chinese girls, one from Hong Kong and one from Taiwan.
    Despite the lack of a representative from mainland China, organisers were undaunted in their task of promoting the event as a mainstay for Shanghai's social scene.
    "The first thing is that we have arrived in China. The reason why our International Debutante Ball had no participants from mainland China is not that we did not include them, but it's just that we have not yet found someone suitable," said Vivian Chow Wong.
    The girls had arrived in Shanghai earlier this week and organisers said they have been busy training them on the strict traditions and etiquettes of the ball's 230-year-old history.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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