Guo Pei’s Book List
Ever since my childhood, I have loved reading books. Reading even just one book makes me feel as if I have been on a journey of a thousand miles.
When I was growing up in China in the 1980s, however, books were really scarce. There were very few titles available on the market and books from abroad were unheard of. Low living standards also meant that published material was mostly unaffordable for the masses. Some publications were even priced as high as $100-200!
I have continued to buy books ever since I saw my first book nearly 30 years ago. Just recently, for example, my husband and I returned to China with around 220 pounds of books from Europe! We have whole rooms dedicated to books in both our house and at my studio, and I often buy more than one copy of the same book in order to share my collection with others.
Books have also played a vital role in shaping my career as a fashion designer. When I was studying, I did not learn much from my teachers: there was no support for design education back then. I can say with confidence that most things I have learned have come from books.
郭培的书单
我从小就爱读书,读一本书,胜过行千里路。
我念书的那会儿是80年代,那时候书在中国是稀缺商品,不仅数量非常有限,外文书更是听都没听说过。那个年代收入很低,大多数出版物对普通大众来说,都是遥不可及的。有些书的标价甚至高达100到200美元!
从我三十年前看到自己的第一本书,就再也没法停下买书。比如,最近我和丈夫从欧洲归来,随行带回了220磅重的书!我们家有一间书房,我的工作室也有一间,我还经常同一本书多买几册,好与他人分享。
书对我的时装设计工作有不可或缺的影响。我还是一个学生的时候,从老师那里学到的不多,因为那时的设计教育非常落后,缺乏支持。我可以自信地说,我的大部分知识都是从书中得来的。
Chinese translation by Lynn Zhang.
Nonfiction, Product/Industrial Design
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Now is Better
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Published: October 2023
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Die Fläche: Design and Lettering of the Vienna Secession, 1902–1911 (Facsimile Edition) by Diane V. Silverthorne, Dan Reynolds, and Megan Brandow-Faller
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