Yue-Sai Kan (born 1949)

Yue-Sai Kan (Chinese: 靳羽西; pinyin: Jìn Yǔxī) is a television host and producer, successful entrepreneur, fashion icon, bestselling author and humanitarian. People magazine called her "the most famous woman in China" and Time magazine proclaimed her "the Queen of the Middle Kingdom."

Early life[edit]

Yue-Sai was born in Guilin, China and grew up in Hong Kong. Her father Kan Wing-Lin was a revered traditional Chinese painter and calligrapher. In 1968, while studying as a piano major at Brigham Young University in Hawaii, Yue-Sai entered the Narcissus Flower Beauty Pageant sponsored by the local Chinese Chamber of Commerce. She became the second runner-up, and as part of her duties traveled around the world. The life-changing experience marked the beginning of her career in fashion, beauty, communication and cultural exchange.

Work in Television[edit]

Kan with her production crew were filming One World in Beijing

In 1972, Kan moved to New York City. Soon after she formed Yue-Sai Kan Productions and created her first major TV production, a weekly series called "Looking East". The program was the first of its kind to introduce Asian cultures and customs to a growing and receptive American audience. It garnered critical acclaim and won dozens of awards. As described by the New York Times: "Few people are able to bridge the East and West, but Yue-Sai Kan can, and does it with beauty, intelligence and grace." The series stayed on the air for 12 years, the last 2 years on the Discovery Channel. Based on this and other work Kan is credited as the first TV journalist to connect the East and West.

In 1984, PBS invited Kan to host the first live broadcast from China on the occasion of the 35th Anniversary of the People's Republic of China. The inaugural US-China joint telecast opened the door for many collaborations between the two countries' television industries. Two years later the bilingual television series "One World" produced and hosted by Kan aired on China's national television network CCTV, with a weekly viewership of 300 million, giving many Chinese their first glimpse of the outside world. Her broadcast captivated the entire nation and made her a household name in China. It inspired millions of young people to learn English and travel abroad. At that time with broadcasts in both China and the US, Kan was the most watched woman in the world. The bilingual scripts and videos of "One World" were used as teaching materials in schools across China and her easy hosting style influenced a generation of TV journalists in China.

Kan's other US TV credits include narrating the ABC documentary "China: Walls and Bridges", which received a Daytime Emmy Award.^[1] "Journey through a Changing China" was syndicated across the country and was so powerful that it was publicly lauded in the US Congressional Record, which called Kan a "citizen ambassador". The popular series "Mini Dragons" and "Doing Business in Asia", which Kan produced and hosted, were broadcast on PBS, fed the West's growing hunger for information of the East. A corporate version of the series was created and thousands of copies were sold to corporations and university business schools throughout the world for many years. Kan has continued to produce a variety of television shows aimed at raising the Chinese consciousness about the latest international lifestyle trends, including segments for the popular CCTV program "Half of the Sky" and more recently "Yue-Sai's World" and "Yue-Sai's Expo". Kan has filmed in more than 25 countries, created thousands of programs, and been viewed all over the globe.

Entrepreneur[edit]

Kan designed and produced a line of Asian female dolls, known as the Yue-Sai WaWa ("doll" in Chinese).

In 1992, Kan successfully transformed herself from a TV personality to an entrepreneur by creating the Yue-Sai cosmetics brand which became China's leading cosmetics company, eventually selling products in more than 800 outlets through 23 regional companies in China's major markets. The company encouraged Chinese women to be proud of their image, and was an early entrant to the cosmetics industry in China. More than 90% of the Chinese population today recognizes the brand, which was purchased by L'Oréal in 2004. Forbes reported that Kan "is changing the face of the Middle Kingdom, one lipstick at a time". Kanstayed on as the Honorary Vice Chairman of L'Oreal China.

In 2008, Kan created a new East-meets-West lifestyle retail brand, the House of Yue-Sai, selling a variety of fine home furnishings, bedding, tableware, lighting, decorative accessories and unique gifts, and jewelry. Kan has also designed and produced a line of Asian female dolls, known as the Yue-Sai WaWa ("doll" in Chinese). Seeing that dolls sold in China had blue eyes and blond hair, Kan created dolls with distinctive Asian features, accessories and educational facts to help Asian children develop confidence, knowledge and pride in their heritage as well as educate children of all heritages about Asian cultures.

Books[edit]

Kan has written nine best-selling books in China, dispensing advice about television production, beauty and etiquette to the modern Chinese. Her first publication Yue-Sai's Guide to Asian Beauty which teaches basic makeup and personal styling techniques, instantly became a must-have handbook for Chinese women. Encouraged by the Chinese Ministry of Culture, Kan introduced international social standards to China with her book Etiquette for the Modern Chinese. The subsequent rewrites The Chinese Gentleman and The Complete Chinese Woman served as virtual training manuals for volunteers at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. In 2009, Kan published Exquisite Spaces, 25 Top Interior Designers of the World, a coffee table book featuring design philosophies and tips from world-class designers, and their works. It was the first time that an interior design book of such magnitude was made available in China. Life is a Competition and 99 Ways to Live a Charmed Life were published in 2013 and 2014 respectively, targeting young Chinese looking for advice in career, relationships and all-round development. Currently, Kan is working on her tenth book.

Humanitarian work and cultural ambassador[edit]

Throughout her life, Kan has been deeply involved in charity. Her philanthropic initiatives include a donation of nearly $200,000 to the United Nations World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995 when Yue-Sai Cosmetics was barely 3 years in operation, and a scholarship program set up in 1997 at the prestigious Peking University for outstanding female students. Over the years, Kan built schools and libraries in underprivileged regions of China. In 2002, UNICEF named her, alongside other international leaders and celebrities, as its first and only Global Chinese "Say Yes for Children" ambassador. By chairing one of China's biggest charitable organizations the Shanghai Soong Ching LingFoundation's 2010 annual gala, Kan helped raise over $1.5 million to support 12 hospitals in remote regions of China. To acknowledge her tremendous contribution, the Shanghai Soong Qing Ling Foundation sanctioned the establishment of the China Beauty Charity Fund (CBCF) and appointed Kan as Ambassador and Chairman. The CBCF with its sister entity in the US is dedicated to the betterment and advancement of women and children through education, health and cultural programs worldwide. Currently, Kan is a member of the Committee of 100 which is composed of outstanding Chinese Americans. She sits on the board of the Ellis Island Honors Society and Prince Albert of Monaco's Philanthropy Round Table. She is a member of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's International Council. In early 2018, Kan became co-chair of China Institute in America, a century old non-profit organization dedicated to fostering a deeper understanding of China through programs in education, culture, art, and business. She shares the chairmanship with Chien Chung Pei, son of architect I. M. Pei.

In 2006, Kan started serving as Chairman of the Invitation Committee of the Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF), the largest film festival in Asia. Her title changed to SIFF International Ambassador in 2015. Kan secured the attendance of nearly 50 international A-list filmmakers, including Oliver Stone, Daniel Boyle, Tom Hooper, Jean-Jacques Annaud, Quincy Jones, Halle Berry, Catherine Deneuve, Susan Sarandon, Adrien Brody, Claire Danes, Hugh Grant, Meg Ryan, Sophie Marceau.

Since 2011, Kan has been serving as the National Director of Miss Universe China. Kan stated that the three aims of the Pageant during her administration are supporting education and charity, and creating a positive image of Chinese women. She mentored seven Miss China titleholders, all of whom represented China well at the Miss Universe Final Pageant. Additionally, Kan turned the Miss Universe China Final Pageant into the most glamorous charity ball gathering the who's who in Shanghai each year. Proceeds are used to support orphanages, sponsor cleft lip and palate correction surgeries and fund scholarships for students in China's best music, TV and film schools. Kan also champions Chinese creativity via her annual China Fashion Gala in New York. The Gala boosted the international standing of Chinese photographers Chen Man and Sun Jun as well as designers Lan Yu, Grace Chen and fashion designer Jason Wu. Renowned Chinese couture designer Guo Pei has Kan to thank for when her creations were picked up by the Metropolitan Museum of Art following her debut at the China Fashion Gala.

Honors[edit]

Kan is the first and only living American featured on a government-issued Chinese postage stamp which was issued in 2002. In 2005, a new version was published to keep up with her new hairdo. Her long list of awards and accolades includes the Magnolia Award from the Shanghai Municipal Government for her contribution to the economic and social development of Shanghai, "20 Most Influential Women Around the Globe" by Xinhua News Agency and the permanent establishment of a "Yue-Sai Day" in Hawaii which falls on October 6 every year.

Kan received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor as an outstanding Chinese American immigrant and the Ban Ki-moon Award from Asia Initiatives.

In 2016, Kan received the Women's Entrepreneurship Day Pioneer Award^[2] in recognition for her achievements in the business world.^[3]

References[edit]

^ "Daytime Emmy Awards(1989)". IMDB.
^ Wojcik, Natalia (2016-11-22). "Women's Entrepreneurship Day at the United Nations". CNBC. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
^ "Yue-Sai Kan (Business Pioneer Award)". Women's Entrepreneurship Day. Retrieved 2019-06-26.

External links[edit]

2010 World's Fair in Shanghai

https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Shanghai-Expo-2010.pdf

2010-usa-state-dept-copy-shanghai-expo-for-usa.pdf

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19iqf2aMXq2TgF4ESLhie4AwytoKHeq-7/view?usp=sharing

Yue-sai Kan's Real-Estate Empire

https://www.wsj.com/articles/yuesai-kan8217s-realestate-empire-1383871307

2013-11-07-wall-street-journal-yuesai-kan8217s-realestate-empire-1383871307.pdf

The former television personality has homes in Shanghai, Beijing and New York

By Mina Choi

Nov. 7, 2013 7:43 pm ET

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Owning multiple homes across several continents might be a challenge for many. Yue-sai Kan sees it as a necessity.

PORTFOLIO: SEE THE HOMES

Known in China as a bridge between the East and the West, Ms. Kan is a former television personality and a businesswoman who founded Yue-sai Cosmetics in China, now part of L'Oréal. As the owner of the Miss Universe China franchise, a popular contest, Ms. Kan is often in the spotlight, and she entertains her guests and friends frequently at home—whether it's the one in Shanghai, Beijing or New York. She also has an apartment on Copacabana beach in Rio; one in Brisbane, Australia; one in Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province, and one she co-owns with her sister in Rome, near the Spanish Steps.

Ms. Kan, 64 and divorced, finds herself most frequently in her 8,072-square-foot Shanghai apartment, which almost spans the entire floor of a high-rise luxury building in the fashionable Jing'an District. "When I saw this place, I realized it was mine. It was huge. It had my name written all over it," says Ms. Kan, perfectly turned out in haute-couture clothes and television-ready hair. She purchased the apartment in 2004 and became the first owner to move in.

Using the parlance of most mainland Chinese, Ms. Kan talks about her real-estate holdings in China in cost per square meter. The purchase price for the unit was nearly 30,000 yuan a square meter—or $3.7 million total—although Ms. Kan now estimates that it is worth at least several times what she paid for it.

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Highly contemporary, the Shanghai apartment has been designed for entertainment on a large scale. Two elevators open directly onto her floor. An entry alcove has a mosaic of Ms. Kan's portrait, while peony motifs are laid on the mosaic floor. Once inside, an open-plan layout accommodates a large reception area, sitting area and a massive dining room.

Many aspects of the décor—Burmese sculptures, Indonesian fossil table, French candelabras—reflect Ms. Kan's careful balancing of her Chinese heritage with international sensibilities. Many of the objects in her multiple homes come from an eclectic private collection she has accumulated over decades of travel, and others come from her previous business venture, the House of Yue-sai—a luxury lifestyle store that launched in 2008 and closed its doors a few years later. Some of her favorite objects are stored in a 7,500-square-foot warehouse 25 minutes from the city center.

Ms. Kan likes to decorate her homes herself, with the occasional help of a young designer, Luke Van Duyn. "I redecorate almost every year, continuously," she says, noting she just changed the colors of her Shanghai living room to soft beige and blue from aqua and yellow. "Life changes, so my décor needs to change, too."

On the same floor of the same building, Ms. Kan also keeps a 2,152-square-foot two-bedroom, two-bathroom guest unit with a separate entrance. Ms. Kan says it's important that she entertain her visitors properly. "They can be close by, but they can still have a lot of privacy." Ms. Kan says.

Both the Shanghai and Beijing apartments have an outdoor balcony so chain-smoking Chinese guests have a place to puff away. There is always a large round dining table that seats up to 20 to accommodate the vagaries of Chinese guests. Ms. Kan notes, "Entertaining in China is difficult. People often cancel at the last minute or bring another guest or more. So to have a proper seated dinner isn't easy. A round table gives me the flexibility of accommodating more or fewer guests."

And then there are things that she insists doing Western-style, regardless whether she is: "I don't ask my guests to take shoes off. In fact, I insist that they keep them on." She notes that shoes are a part of a woman's "overall look." Plus, she says she doesn't have the space to hold shoes for 50 people.

The most important quality of all homes Ms. Kan owns is that they can be used for work, entertaining and even for live taping. The Shanghai apartment has five sets of professional studio television lights installed in the sitting area for any impromptu interviews or for her latest book launch.

When she feels the need to consort with the power players and the government elite, Ms. Kan takes the five-hour high-speed train ride to her Beijing home. To get the place ready, Ms. Kan sends her two housekeepers from Shanghai two days earlier to prepare it for her arrival. The location was the determining factor for the 3,983-square-foot three bedroom, four bath apartment that Ms. Kan purchased at the beginning of 2012. "In Beijing, traffic is a disaster, so central location is a must," Ms. Kan says.

Smaller than her other homes, the Beijing apartment—which Ms. Kan calls her pied-à-terre—has more of a Southeast Asian flavor. Bone-laid cabinet pieces and silver furniture pieces purchased in India offer different accents, while a large dining table, nearly 10 feet in diameter, anchors the apartment.

Having multiple homes also means that some places don't get lived in as much as she'd like; Ms. Kan says she has only spent less than 10 nights in the Beijing apartment since the purchase and renovation.

The home she has owned for the longest is her Manhattan townhouse in Sutton Square. She has owned the five-story 6,735-square-foot townhouse overlooking the East River since the early 1990s. She declines to say what she paid for the home.

Built in the 1920s, the Manhattan townhouse has a more classical European feel. It has a private, shared 1-acre garden. Yet a round mahogany dining table hints at Ms. Kan's Chinese heritage and allows her to serve a proper Chinese meal to her New York guests.

As part of her spontaneous personality, Ms. Kan is currently renovating the New York City townhouse, saying the project will cost a few million dollars.

While she remains acutely aware of the investment value of her real estate, treating a home solely as an investment is something Ms. Kan holds in contempt. Ms. Kan states, "If I didn't love it, why would I buy it? I could always stay in a hotel."