Going Under Cover

A La Perla boutique in Beijing selling lingerie that have become hot in  China

What do basements and lingerie have in common?

They are the new must-haves in China's "new normal".

With Chinese President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption drive continuing with no end in sight, people are spending their dollars literally underground -- as inconspicuously as possible.

The word these days is that rich businessmen and officials are digging basements in their homes, or if they already have one, to renovate it to become their new playroom or dining area to host guests.

An illegal basement caused neighbouring homes to collapse

That's because there's a new campaign encouraging regular folk to take pictures of those who seem to be dining beyond their means in the hopes of identifying and tracking them down. But with a basement, the uber rich can still have their abalone and shark's fin without prying eyes condemning them for their lavish tastes.

Come to think of it, former Hong Kong chief executive contender Henry Tang Ying-yen was probably onto something when he -- oops we mean his wife -- designed a massive basement under their Kowloon Tong home to include a wine-tasting room, cinema, changing room and a gym...

That led to the beginning of the end of Tang's chances to become Hong Kong's top dog. He can comiserate with a Chinese businessman and city legislator in Beijing who got into trouble late last month when he was building an illegal basement 18 metres deep that caused his neighbours' houses to collapse.

Henry Tang and his wife Lisa Kuo faced scrutiny

Major boo-boo.

Not only did the construction workers not have a permit, but also no project supervisor or even architectural plans. The neighbours are now homeless.

Meanwhile the anti-corruption campaign has also resulted in consumers shunning luxury brand outerwear and instead focusing on what they're wearing underneath.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting strong sales for $300 bras and other underwear. Previously people would not shell out for items others would not be able to see, but now lingerie is a hot commodity. High-end brand La Perla saw a 42 percent jump in sales last year in its stores in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and recently the brand opened a shop for men selling $200 silk boxers and $3,000 silk robes.

Expensive lingerie is the new bling...

Young women who have worked for a few years don't mind splashing out for expensive underwear -- perhaps finding it sexy to wear something luxurious underneath that no one else knows about?

Looks like everyone's going underground or underneath to hide their wealth -- above board or ill-gotten.

Perhaps we'll soon be seeing bras studded with diamonds, or boxers in gold thread soon?

Tang Basement Saga Ends

Henry Tang's wife Lisa Kuo is fined for the illegal basement in their home

The verdict is in -- Lisa Kuo Yu-chin, the wife of former Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen was rapped on the wrist with a HK$110,000 ($14,189) fine for building an illegal basement in their Kowloon Tong home.

She pleaded guilty to starting construction of the basement without planning approval during her trial at Kowloon City Court, and three other defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.

Originally Kuo faced two charges, but when she pleaded guilty to one of the charges, prosecutors decided not to pursue the other, deciding that one was enough to demonstrate her guilt.

This brings to an end the fiasco over the basement at their home on York Road that was dubbed an "underground palace", reportedly 2,400 square feet and featured such luxurious facilities as a wine cellar, home theatre, gym and a Japanese bath.

At the time Tang was running for Chief Executive and quickly blamed his wife, saying the property was under her name and that "it was my wife's idea and I knew they were illegal. Since we were experiencing a low ebb in our marriage, I did not handle the matter swiftly. I take full responsibility for the incident".

However, many saw through his explanation and criticized the politician for blaming his wife, and eventually was punished by losing the Chief Executive position to Leung Chun-ying because of the basement and his admission of infidelity.

Speaking of which rumours of children born out of wedlock have yet to be confirmed...

In any event, Kuo could have gone to jail for the charges laid, but perhaps the court saw it really wasn't her fault.

Now that the trial is over, perhaps Tang can focus on more important things, like making amends with his wife or drinking his massive wine collection than standing on a soapbox whenever Leung makes a mistake.

We already have many critics jumping on the Chief Executive wherever he goes.