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Thursday, June 30, 2011
White Clouds Coffee Table
It?s impossible to suppress a smile thinking about the Clouds Coffee Table set by Mark Hark. Three individual planes of varying height can be arranged and layered into an ever-evolving [...]
Search Party
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Graphic portrait of Charles II's mistress comes to light
17th-century actress Nell Gywn depicted in composition laden with lewd symbolism
She is one of history's most famous mistresses, but few of the many paintings labelled as Charles II's lover Nell Gwyn are actually of her. Now a saucy portrait with lewd and lurid symbolism that would have been instantly recognisable to 17th-century eyes has come to light for the first time.
The painting has never before been seen in public. It depicts Gwyn bare-breasted and stuffing sausages, a composition laden with titillating symbolism. She is dressed in white, a satirical pun on virginal purity, while a black manservant standing by her may allude to the black-haired king known as "the black man".
Measuring only 9 by 7 inches, it depicts Gwyn, who was a leading comic actress and coquettish cockney and inspired the playwright Dryden to give her saucy parts and the diarist Samuel Pepys to describe her as "pretty witty Nell".
She captivated the king, becoming his mistress for some 16 years until his death in 1685. Indeed, on his deathbed, he is said to have uttered: "Let not poor Nelly starve". She had two sons by him, the elder of whom became the Duke of St Albans.
A nephew of the 12th Duke has decided to sell the portrait to Philip Mould, a leading specialist in British portraiture, to raise money for the family's next generation.
Mould told The Guardian yesterday: "It's come from her descendents. So it's the Holy Grail Nell Gwyn. She's not as commonly portrayed as a lot of other mistresses, for example the Duchess of Portsmouth ? Every year we're offered portraits of Nell Gwyn that actually aren't her. Her identification gravitates towards any sexy-looking image from the 17th century."
Mould, currently presenting a BBC series Fake or Fortune?, added: "It's the most graphic contemporary portrayal of her sexual qualifications that we have found. What makes it so distinctive is that this is not a smutty doodle, but exquisitely-crafted. One can only assume that it may have had an intimate purpose in the court circle."
The portrait is by an anonymous 17th-century hand, in a genre of Anglo-Dutch character portrayals of the time. Mould claims that Gwyn's gently tilting head is linked to a lost miniature by Samuel Cooper, Charles II's miniature painter.
Although the subject matter of such a private commission was too subversive to be recorded in official inventories, the composition is recorded in a contemporary engraving. The National Portrait Gallery is believed to be in discussion over the possibility of acquiring the picture.
Mould will this week show the Gwyn portrait at Masterpiece, an art fair at the Royal Chelsea hospital. Tradition has it that Gywn persuaded the king to set up the hospital, a reflection of her famed compassion for the common people.
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What can designers Hendzel and Hunt do in 24 hours?
The fabulous Hendzel and Hunt strike again showcasing their latest desirable objects at the So Far, The Future Gallery. The duo who are famed for their Made In Peckham approach to design are showcasing their pieces from their first 24 hour design challenge, (which took place earlier this year back in May).�The task in hand [...]
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Shopper's Diary: School of Life in London
Located in Bloomsbury, the School of Life is an intellectual concept store established by Alain de Botton and a group of collaborators where "geek meets chic," in the words of Giles Hattersley of the London Times. On offer: a range of programs that "explore questions of fulfillment and how to lead a better life," a shop space offering books, cards, quirky and inspiring objects, plus packages for weekend adventures (including Reading Retreats with Living Architecture)." Go to The School of Life for more information.
Above: The School of Life is located on Marchmont Street in the history-rich Bloomsbury area of London.
Above: The shop's graphics and interiors were designed by Susanna Edwards.
Above: The interior features reclaimed wood floors.
Above: A display shelf at the School of Life's retail shop.
Above L: The School of Life developed the Minibar for the Mind for Morgans Hotel. Above R: A can of All Purpose Inspiration.
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New Stuff
Seletti�s birchwood cutlery, a rugged grill, and more new stuff in New York stores.Natural Awakenings Eco-friendly packaging Green communities Power saver appliances Recycle paper towel
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Report From Dwell on Design 2011 (10 photos)
Walking through the expo at the Dwell on Design conference in Los Angeles June 24, I found many ideas for improving modern living spaces I wanted to share with you. Here are some of my favorite finds, from outdoor living innovations and new kitchen and bath design options to a light that floats like...
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Be Colour Inspired by Summer?s Fresh Bouquets 3: Mediterranean Cascading Geraniums
Geraniums are a really nice species of flower that are used to decorate many homes around the UK. Mediterranean cascading geraniums are characteristic of their overflowing bouquets of bright red contrasted and against pretty pinks and stunning whites. There are numerous different species to take your colour inspiration from and a mix-and-match of many of [...]
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Birthday Buttons!
My lovely friend Cata (aka The Smudge), recently bought me a great retro button brooch from Marie Finlay for my birthday. I've been checking out her website this evening and I have to say there is some really cute stuff on there which would make ideal Christmas pressies! My birthday is on remembrance day and I always buy a poppy, but as I'm a bit scatty, I've usually lost it by the end of the day. Now I have found a solution - buy a Marie Finlay Poppy brooch, and �1.00 of proceeds go towards the Poppy appeal fund, and I can put some money in the tin each year too!
Pargy
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Elliot - A disaster rescue vehicle with integrated first aid station
Asmita Prasad: The world has recently been hit with many natural disasters and the sad part is that we can never be totally prepared for the ones that areheaded for us in the future. Though the governments around the world and their various agencies routinely perform dr
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Fame Slept Here
Andy Warhol moved up here from Murray Hill in 1960 and stayed for fourteen years, creating some of his most enduring pieces in the house.Green Home Eco-friendly Roof Recycle Paper Ikea pattern design Conceptual interior
Sink Pipes Worth Seeing (7 photos)
P-traps: essentially all plumbing fixtures (sinks, tubs and toilets) require them, either internally or externally to retain a small amount of water that creates a seal, which works to keep sewer gas from coming back into a building. This is all good stuff, but they have the potential to complicate your...
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Design crew
Got a problem? Need some help? Just standing there shaking your head? Don't know what to do? You're not alone. Send us a link to photos of your design quandary and let the Desire to Inspire design crew help you .... that's you lot ... the readers!
Jesse emailed "I'm a big fan of the blog, and wanted to reach out & ask for a bit of advice. I've recently moved into a new apartment & am trying to make it a home. I'm a rustic minimalist but an eclectic at heart." Jesse wanted feedback. Then Jesse sent photos. After I picked myself up off the floor I thought Jesse wants advice? Jesse wants to take it to the next level? OMG the bones are fabulous. There is so much that is wonderful about her new space.
"I guess I was just looking for some general feedback than specific what-to-dos. I would love to hear back from readers in a Design Crew post, I'm just looking for others opinions." This is were all of you come in. Your feedback? The next step? She has motivated me to walk away from the computer and head back to my still unfinished "quick" kitchen redo. Can't wait to see what you guys have to say.
There's even more after the jump.
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Mary Portas meets Tesco boss to discuss Britain's struggling high street
Shops pull down shutters in a perfect storm of retail woes as families feel a substantial squeeze on their income
Mary "Queen of Shops" Portas will sit down with Tesco's UK boss Richard Brasher to discuss the state of the British high street. It will be a different conversation to the one Portas had in mind when she accepted David Cameron's invitation to conduct an independent review of the state of the UK's shopping centres last month.
In the intervening six weeks retailer after retailer has reported a plunge in sales as already-fragile consumer confidence has taken a fresh dive. The past week has been the worst of the lot, with some of the best-known names on the high street about to pull down the shutters for the final time. The jobs of thousands of retail employees are on the line, most of them women, many of them in part-time positions which allow families to maintain a decent standard of living rather than barely scrape by. More than 10% of Britain's workforce is employed in the retail sector.
The current spate of closures is linked to last week's "quarter day", when shop rents became due. Stores which had been struggling to survive were forced to pay up, or throw in the towel.
But the crisis has been building for months, as nervous families have reined back their spending in the face of rising food and fuel prices, fear of unemployment, a moribund housing market and concerns about when interest rates will rise.
Consumer spending makes up two-thirds of GDP, and a third of that goes through shops. Even the mighty Tesco is feeling the pinch, and Marks & Spencer yesterday started its summer sale two weeks early in a bid to shift stock.
The squeeze on families is substantial. The latest Asda income tracker survey, which tracks the amount of cash households have left after paying for necessities such as mortgage or rent, gas and electricity, food and transport, is at its lowest point since the survey started in 2007. Average families are now �60 worse off a month than they were 12 months ago and have just �165 a week to cover all the other costs of living, from fillings to furnishings.
The cost of some staples, such as pasta and bread, is up more than 25% on a year ago. The cost of transport is up 8%, air fares 14% and petrol 13%, all the result of higher oil prices.
The real killer is that inflation is running at twice the rate of earnings growth, with families being forced to cut back by buying cheaper food. It is not just those in fear of their jobs who are cutting back. Low interest rates mean those who rely on their savings, such as pensioners, are also feeling the squeeze.
Some shoppers are finding it difficult to get credit, while many are determined to pay down household debt and spend only what they have. The proportion of shop transactions on credit cards has fallen 13% on last year, while debit card usage is up 16%.
As if the squeeze on consumers is not a big enough problem for retailers, many are also being squeezed by internet rivals with lower costs. And high street operators face the same hikes in transport and utility costs as shoppers, which squeezes profit margins even further.
What's the outlook? Not good. Last week the Bank of England's monetary policy committee admitted that "current weakness of demand growth is likely to persist longer than previously expected", while Ernst & Young's highly regarded Item Club economic forecasters reckonsUK retailers face 10 years of poor sales.
One in seven shops on UK high streets is already empty. Portas has a massive job on.
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Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Katrin Moye Ceramics
Katrin Moye and her team of "decorating assistants" create beautiful greeny-blue hued domestic ceramics that have great style, but also a nice homely feel. The cake stands are especially awesome; I think they would add a bit of retro style to any kitchen or dining room table! Liberty of London stock various pieces from the Christa and Dotted Stripe range, plus Katrin also has a few fabric based deisgns on the ever brilliant Clothkits Website.
Tiny Hoops and Dandelions
Dotted Stripe Collection
Christa Collection
Ingrid Collection Pargy
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How Premier League lads win back their Wags
For England footballers caught playing away, there's nothing like an Arabian holiday paradise to ease a man's marital woes. But is a fortnight in the sun all it takes to persuade a wronged girl to kiss and make up for the paparazzi? Our culture critic looks at what the pictures really say?
Football ought to be synonymous with churned mud, not baked sand; with woolly socks and cleated boots, not Speedos. So how come John Terry, his colleagues and their attendant Wags are spending so much time on the beach?
In Terry's case ? as the snaps from his break in Abu Dhabi with his wife, Toni, earlier this month testify ? a holiday is PR, an exercise in exposure. Terry and his kind are celebrities, which means that their private lives belong to their gossiping fans just as their professional activity is owned by the barracking supporters in the stadium. The is beach where footballers go to act out the little marital dramas that keep them visible in between matches or after the season ends, and their antics while sunning themselves are today's equivalent to the binges of randy Olympia gods in classical myth, re-enacted so opulently in the Renaissance when Titian painted Bacchus ravishing Ariadne or Botticelli showed an unsated Venus impatiently waiting for Mars to wake up from his post-coital snooze.
Last year, Toni learned that Terry had allegedly been cheating on her with Vanessa Perroncel, a French lingerie model. Cosily enough, Vanessa happened to be Toni's friend, as well as the former girlfriend of Terry's England team-mate Wayne Bridge. Ah, how short a distance it is from the matey scrum of the dressing room to a wife-swapping party in the suburbs! Toni ? describing herself as "gutted", her glottal stops vouching for her choked grief ? did what any humiliated wife would do when her husband has erred: she scooped up her twins and flew (or "jetted") to Dubai.
Those with broken hearts or shady pasts used to flee to the desert, like Marlene Dietrich in The Garden of Allah and Morocco, so the sun could dry their tears or cauterise their wounds. Dubai, however, is an Arab Vegas, where the desert has been replanted as a golf course or paved over by swanky hotels and shopping malls, and Toni's therapy consisted of spending Terry's money and burnishing her tan to a brighter shade of orange.
Her chastened husband soon followed her to Dubai, and they staged a show of reconciliation in the grounds of Le Royal M�ridien resort, which does its best to keep its guests ignorant of where they are by serving them Mexican and Italian food, or pampering them in a spa named after the Caracalla baths in imperial Rome. Who knows whether Terry and Toni enjoyed the M�ridien's fusion cuisine, or submitted to the spa's tri-enzyme resurfacing facials? They spent little time indoors, preferring to canoodle beside the pool or take their kids for bumpy camel rides on the beach, all the while ? according to onlookers who hurriedly transmitted a report to the Mirror ? "exchanging kisses, gazing into each other's eyes and giggling like children".
The public display of affection began beside a swimming pool when Terry shucked his T-shirt. The rest of him ? notably the "endowment" that so impressed another of his "gobsmacked" (or gob-challenged) girlfriends, "36DD glamour girl" Jayne Connery, with whom Toni reportedly caught him cheating before their marriage ? remained modestly under wraps in baggy trunks.
Terry's body is branded by the products he endorses, so his removal of the T-shirt signified that, for the moment, he was not the logoed personification of Umbro and Samsung, Nationwide and King of Shaves, but simply a contrite husband who craved forgiveness. Toni, costumed for the rite in a turquoise-sequined bikini, anointed him by smearing suncream on his back. Her touch, apparently, was "tender". They semaphored renewal by gazing at each other's wedding rings, like characters emoting in a silent movie. In other photographs, Terry begged for Toni's sympathy by pointing to the grazes on his knees and legs ? the stigmata of the footballer, playground scratches and scrapes that entitle him to pretend that his sport is as existential as bullfighting or skydiving.
Earlier this month, Terry and Toni were back in the Gulf, this time in Abu Dhabi, where ? despite the official primness of the Emirates, which has criminal penalties for French kissing and outlaws the flagrant display of flesh ? they worked through a series of clinches that might have been used to illustrate the Kama Sutra. As the cameras clicked, they embraced by one of those waterfalls that in more euphemistic days served as a shorthand for a sexual climax in Hollywood films.
Every so often they retired to change their clothes. Terry tried out some pink trunks, and Toni alternated between bikinis that would have caused her to be lashed or decapitated had she been outside the precincts of the resort, as well as a garment that the Daily Mail ? briefed about her briefs by whichever designer tied the skimpy threads together ? described as "a one-piece consisting of a split-front tie halter top and string thong". This she accessorised with a vault's worth of bling, including chunks of precious rock to catch the sun and a snakey bronze bracelet. In one bit of strenuous choreography, Toni gripped Terry's waist with her knees and dug her heels into his buttocks to anchor herself. People might copulate this way in movies, but I fear for Terry's lumbar region and I worry about the thong's abrasion of Toni's privates. Perhaps because the fans at home were preoccupied by the gallivanting of Ryan Giggs, online commentary was unkind to this display of slippery acrobatics. "Yuck!!" said Victoria from Kent, while Eileen from Ireland spluttered "Pass me the puke bucket!!"
Do these contrived tableaux look familiar? They ought to, because this is a path well trodden by footballing philanderers. Last October, Peter Crouch stayed at Le Royal M�ridien, Dubai, with Abbey Clancy, the model (yes, of lingerie) who was then pregnant with his child. The purpose was expiation, because just after the 2010 World Cup, Crouch had allegedly hired an Algerian prostitute called Monica Mint, in Madrid. Abbey, "devastated" of course, cantered off to an "upmarket equestrian centre", and was papped as Terry's Toni, another horse fancier, consoled her in the stables: polo may be the sport of princes, but dressage is the pastime of Wags.
Abbey's fanbase goaded her to dump the love rat, but there were other considerations. Though we think of trophy wives as male possessions, the wives and girlfriends also accumulate trophies, and in their glitzy economy there is probably a fixed price ? like indulgences that the Catholic church used to sell ? for the remission of sins committed with hookers. Abbey forgave Crouch, who took her to Dubai to advertise the fact for the cameras. When they paraded their togetherness on the compulsory beach walk, the striker's attenuated physique introduced some variants to the Terry-and-Toni formula. On a building site behind them, in the humid murk, skyscrapers with growth hormones mixed into their concrete seemed to vainly attempt to outgrow Crouch; while the Terry brood rode on camels, Crouch and Clancy merely photographed other trippers doing so, since if a camel carrying Crouch had got up from its knees his feet would still be trailing through the sand.
The Rooneys were also in Dubai last October, at the Burj Al Arab, a resort whose seven stars reduce Le Royal M�ridien to a B&B. Rooney wasn't making amends to Coleen for his reported romps with whores during her pregnancy; his purpose was to hold Manchester United to ransom during contract negotiations. Nevertheless, when they posed in the pool for some supposedly candid photographs, their postures summed up the balance of connubial power. Hydrating herself with some pink fizz at noon ("one glass of wine is �40", reported The Mirror), Coleen lolls on the poolside above him, perhaps punishing Rooney with a foot that is invisible under the water, while he bobs about like a suppliant castaway who pleads to be allowed on board.
Things look more tense between the Coles, holidaying on the Costa del Sol in 2008. The tabloids had documented Ashley's alleged adulterous forays with seven women, and followers who were dismayed by Cheryl's clemency (or her venality) nicknamed him Cashley Cole, pointing out that he'd bought a pardon from his wife with a trip to Spain, a bargain-basement destination. This undercut the market in penitence, since the usual requirement is a long-haul flight. All the same, the photograph makes Ashley look like a whipped cur, and Cheryl, advertising her supremacy with a straw cowboy hat, mimes shoving his head below water-level with her hand while her foot gets ready to kick him in the kidneys.
In this company of shameless or shoddily remorseful adulterers there is a single exception: the unwed Cristiano Ronaldo. He, too, uses Algarve beaches or swimming pools in Los Angeles and Las Vegas to indulge in what the journalist Mark Simpson calls "sporno", which is sport redefined as soft porn. Like a mahogany odalisque, Ronaldo arranges himself on a recliner and allows the sun to lap him all over, except for the narrow band covered by his ever more abbreviated shorts; unlike Terry, pinioned by Toni's tenacious legs, he can do without a female accomplice.
Of course Ronaldo needed a member of the opposite sex to help him reproduce a smaller version of himself, but ? like the Holy Spirit renting a virgin womb ? he assigned the biological chore to a surrogate mother, an American waitress whom he recruited with a chat-up line a bit cruder than that used by the angel who announced Mary's good fortune: "Me, you, let's fuck," he is alleged to have said. When his son was born last summer, Ronaldo handed the child over to his own mother, buying the waitress's agreement to his "exclusive guardianship". His current girlfriend, the Russian model Irina Shayk ? who, like Vanessa Perroncel and Abbey Clancy, is paid to clamber in and out of underwear ? knew better than to interfere with this experiment in cloning.
No dramas of irate betrayal and smoochy forgiveness will ever vex Ronaldo. When he's on holiday, perched beside a pool and boyishly dangling his legs in the water, an adoring fan may at best be allowed to approach so she can photograph a fantasy. But narcissism is a solitary business: how could any woman ever compete with his infatuated self-love?
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TV review: Babies Behind Bars
Is prison no place for babies ? or might keeping them behind bars help cut crime?
I'm not sure about putting Babies Behind Bars (ITV1), to be honest. I suppose it depends what they've done; it doesn't seem entirely right to me, though you could argue prison is like a big cot. Toddlers maybe, but even then I think incarceration should be used only as a last resort, after the naughty step has failed, say, three times. Yes, three steps and you're out, or rather in, that could work as a deterrent. But babies! I know they can do some pretty horrendous things, but I'm not sure they can be expected to fully understand the law or even if they can be held responsible for their own actions.
Oh, I see, it's about babies who are born in prison, and a fascinating scheme in a US jail that allows some women to keep them. Normally they're taken away, after 24 hours. Ouch. But the Indiana Women's Prison has a new nursery wing called Wee Ones which allows a few babies to remain with their mothers. Behind bars.
It's not without controversy of course. Critics say that prison is no place for babies, and that the scheme punishes the babies, who haven't done anything wrong, and rewards the mothers, who have. Then there are the problems of keeping the babies safe. There are some dangerous ladies in Indiana Women's Prison. Donna, 20, who's pregnant and trying to get on to the scheme herself, tells of one inmate who put her baby in the microwave because she was jealous of the attention her husband was giving it when he got home from work. "And then there's another lady that cut her baby up, put it in stew, cooked it and fed it to her husband." I'm not sure these stories are totally true but you'd still need to be extra careful when choosing a nanny round here. Mmmm, b�b� bourguignon.
Donna doesn't make it on to the scheme initially. Nor does Heather, a former prostitute, who's pregnant with her eighth child. As well as the anger and jealousy that failing to get a place on Wee Ones causes, there are the problems of what to do with the baby after its 24 hours' bonding with its mother are up. Heather's boyfriend's daughter will take care of it, but only if it turns out black. If it's not black, she's not interested. The (probable) father, who's not the boyfriend, is in jail for life so he's no use. What about Heather's mum, could she help out? Heather calls her and she says she will, but then later changes her mind because her doctor says it would be too stressful (though Heather doesn't believe this).
In the end the authorities sort out foster care for the child ? with an Amish family! Poor little thing. One minute it was looking like it could have been born into Bad Girls; in the end it's going to get Witness and a life of barn-raising.
Bobbi, a drug user with previous convictions and previous babies, is luckier and secures a place on the scheme. The date of inducement is kept from her to minimise the risk of escape, but they do take her leg irons off to facilitate the birth. Well, she's had an epidural (hard labour is a thing of the past), so she's numb from the waist down. "She's not going anywhere at the moment," says Officer Cook, a lady prison guard, coolly.
I'd like to have been told more about what the situation is in this country, but our prison system isn't as cooperative with the media as the Americans are. They may lock up more people than anywhere else, but they also let in more camera crews. That openness should be applauded and must lead to a better understanding of what actually goes on in these places.
There's evidence that the rate of reoffending is lower for women who go on the Wee Ones scheme than those who don't. Anyone who thinks prison has something to do with rehabilitation and turning people into better citizens, as well as punishment, will see it as a good idea. The governor thinks that it might lead to lower crime rates for the children too, but they'll have to wait and see about that ? not too long, they seem to start pretty young around here.
There are no losers then (except for the taxpayer perhaps). It's even nice for the screws, having babies about the place, and a big bunch of keys makes an excellent rattle. I would keep an eye on that Officer Cook though, what with her name, and all of Donna's stories . . .
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Guest Picks: Fourth of July Market Picks (20 photos)
With the Fourth of July holiday a little over a week away, I thought it would be useful to scour the market for the best tabletop and party decor pieces to make this year's holiday your most stylish yet. Whether you like to go all-out patriotic, or prefer to celebrate with a more understated look, there's...
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AquaVita
The AquaVita, or 'life of the sea', a chair inspired by the sexual movements of sea creatures and the interesting shapes they produce. Made from birch..
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Experience zero-gravity in your living space!
Jaspreet Walia: Do you want to experience zero-gravity, but the cost that comes tagged with it is beyond your reach? Or, how would it feel like if your house rotated on its own axis like the earth? Well, architects at Bureau Spectacular have designed an anti-gravity hous
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The Greatest Building Ever Sold?
This is no stunt: Morgan Spurlock is shopping for a house in Park Slope.Bar Tower Sophisticated style Queen’s Park Arena Urban designer and architect Urban planning
First Look: The Serving Trays Are the Stars
Pinch Food Design is a newly launched catering company co-owned by a chef, Bob Spiegel, and a designer, TJ Girard.
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Monday, June 27, 2011
David Cameron to meet China's Wen Jiabao for business summit
Centrepiece will be multi-million pound gasification deal, although PM says he will raise human rights issues in private
David Cameron and the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will meet for an Anglo-Chinese summit at Downing Street designed to seal �1bn worth of bilateral contracts, including a raft of deals aimed at greening the industrial revolution transforming the Chinese economy at an unprecedented rate.
Premier Wen is in the UK for three days. He started his tour in the Midlands on Sunday.
One of the centrepieces of the Downing Street summit will be a multi-million pound commercial underground coal gasification deal secured by Seamwell International, a British company specialising in new clean coal technology.
The technology could release 280bn tonnes of coal in inner Mongolia, at a 20% reduction on the CO2 emissions of a traditional coal fired power station and 50% if carbon capture and storage technology is also utilised.
The two leaders will meet against a backdrop of heavily policed protests at the state of human rights in China and Tibet.
Downing Street has promised Cameron will raise issues such as Tibet firmly in private, but he is expected to tread gingerly, aware that he does not want to jeopardise UK business access to the fastest expanding export market in the world.
During the summit, the UK and China are expected to sign an agreement that will boost British businesses' ability to branch out beyond Beijing and Shanghai, into other fast growing regional cities in China.
The GDP of these regional cities has more than doubled between in just three years.
At the beginning of the year, UK imports to China were only 1% of Chinese exports to the UK.
Number 10 has said that Britain is progressing well on its target of $100bn of bilateral trade by 2015, with British exports to China up by more than a fifth since David Cameron took a large business delegation to Beijing in November.
In a bid to show the Anglo-Chinese relationship is not entirely commercial, Cameron will also point to the development of "a longer term strategic cultural dialogue" between the two countries.
A dialogue on broad ranging cultural issues will be agreed with annual ministerial meetings held alternately in the UK and China. Jeremy Hunt, the culture secretary, will lead on the British side.
Hunt said: "What this visit is about is saying that it's not just about jobs, it's also about a broader cultural relationship that is the best possible way to make sure we understand each other and avoid the kind of misunderstanding that so can bedevil relationships, as has happened in the past."
On the eve of his visit to Europe, Wen ordered the release of two prominent human rights activists.
Prominent artist and activist Ai Weiwei was released three days ago. At the weekend another prominent dissident, Hu Jia was reunited with his family after serving three-and-a-half-years in jail on subversion charges. It is not clear if the releases are directly linked to the visit to Europe.
In a statement urging the Chinese to go further on human rights, Number 10 said: "Our support for freedom of expression, development of independent civil society and our conviction that the transparent and consistent application of human rights under the rule of law, are essential prerequisites for China's long term prosperity and stability."
On the first day of his three day tour of the UK, Wen visited the Chinese co-owned MG plant in Birmingham, as well as William Shakespeare's birthplace in Stratford-on-Avon. Wen toured the MG motor car factory in Longbridge where the new MG6 is assembled. The premier said "The model can be summed up as designed in the UK, manufactured in China and assembled in the UK, thereby making the most of China's capital and markets, as well as the UK's technology and managerial expertise."
Stephen Green, Britain's minister for trade and investment, said the partnership was a "pioneer for Chinese investors in the UK".
At the weekend, Wen reassured the markets that China would not offload its substantial holdings of European assets but would remain a long-term investor in European sovereign debt. Beijing is thinking of investing in the high speed line from London to Birmingham.
The Free Tibet director Stephanie Brigden urged Cameron to take a strong public position on human rights.
She said: "Wen Jiabao himself speaks of reform when he is outside China, and will be conscious that in 2012 he will be passing on his legacy to the next generation of Chinese Communist Party leaders and to the world's history books.
"As things stand, Chinese concerns over internal security are fuelling an increasingly vicious cycle of repression and protest in Tibet and China.
"Analysts argue that the human rights situation is at its worst since the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989. Premier Wen should heed the prime minister's words following his visit to Tahrir Square that 'denying people their basic rights does not preserve stability ? rather, the reverse'."
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By Bill Johnston, Toronto Real Estate Board Greater Toronto Realtors reported interesting results this past April. Deals were completed on 9,041 homes, representing a 17% decline compared to April 2010 when sales spiked to a new record. When April 2011 sales are looked at from a longer-term perspective, we find that the level of transactions ...
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