Hongbang tailor was the name given to garment makers specializing in Western-style suits during Shanghai's most infamous period back in the 1920s and 30s. Because Western-style suits were first introduced to the city by foreigners, many of whom had red hair and blue eyes at that time, people used the Chinese characters - "hong," meaning red in Chinese, and "bang," meaning group - to describe the needlework craftsmen.

Most of the hongbang tailors came from Ningbo and were renowned for their skill with a needle and thread. They founded the first garment school in modern China and eventually spread their skills worldwide.

Today, however, there are fewer than 100 descendants of hongbang tailors left in the city they once monopolized. Most of the remaining tailors are old and weak, leaving many in the trade to worry hongbang tradition and skills will soon become extinct.

"Though the modern garment industry has adopted mass production by machines and computers in the factory, traditional techniques are still necessary," said Xie Chunyi, secretary-general of the Shanghai Garment Association. "In some well-known domestic suits factories, like Yongor and Firs, experienced hongbang tailors are still teaching workers how to make better suits."

In the early years of the last century, it was widely acknowledged that if you wanted a high-quality suit in Shanghai, you had to visit a hongbang tailor, who would follow a series of strict procedures to create a design, cut cloth and sew the final garment.

"At that time, the craftwork was so fastidious that a set of made-to-order suits were supposed to have fitting twice by the particular customer before they were made," Hong said. "It would take at least one week, sometimes even a month, to finish a suit."

"So most of our customers were rich people, including foreigners and financiers," Hong said. "In the busiest period before the New Year, we often had to work all night."

Rising to the position of hongbang tailor took time, patience and skill, as apprentices often spent three to four years studying under a master. As well as watching the master work and helping with small tasks in the shop, apprentices would also take care of master's children, helped cook meals and do other housework.

"It was really a hard time. You had to study carefully by yourself because the master would hold back a trick or two to prevent his apprentice surpassing him," Hong said. "For our generation, we teach everything we know to our apprentice, but regrettably few young people want to learn the skills."

Hong said most youngsters these days don't have the patience to learn the craft and aren't enticed by the meager wages tailors make. While many foreigners like to have suits tailor made in the city, most locals prefer to buy brand name clothes from big department stores.

(eastday.com May 30, 2003)