Cheongsam
The cheongsam ( Chinese 長衫 / 长衫 , Pinyin chángshān - "long dress") or Qipao ( Chinese 旗袍 , Pinyin qípáo , W.-G. ch'i-p'ao ) is a popular Chinese women's garment, especially in that 20th century with typical features:
- high collar,
- Ankle length,
- Buttons or loop fasteners on the shoulder
- and slits on the sides.
It can be made from fine fabrics such as silk or satin with little material consumption. However, the cheongsam is - even in China - not everyday clothing, but an item of clothing for special occasions.
Origins
The English name " Cheongsam " ( 長衫 ), which means long dress , comes from Cantonese ( Jyutping : coeng 4 saam 1 ). In other parts of China it is also called "Qipao" ( 旗袍 ). This name comes from the Manchu period of the Qing Dynasty . The Manchu divided the population into banners ( 旗 , qí ) and called themselves “banner people” ( 旗人 , qírén ). The dress commonly worn by Manchu women was now called the "banner dress" (qipao). While male Han Chinese gradually adopted the Changshan from the Manchu, Han Chinese women continued to wear the traditional two-piece clothing consisting of jacket and trousers. After the 1911 Revolution that ended the Manchu Dynasty, the original qipao evolved into a new dress that became very popular with Chinese women.
The modern qipao
The original qipao, as worn before the revolution, was long and loose in cut. The modern shape, which emerged in Shanghai in the 1920s, is tight-fitting and emphasizes the figure. It combines the traditional elements of the Manchu dress with the shape of a one-piece western dress. However, the first versions of modern qipao were cut relatively loosely and were reminiscent of Changshan.
The time of origin is explained by the fact that the 2000-year-old feudal system ended and China first came into contact with modern foreign culture. Before the revolution, long one-piece Changshan had been reserved for men only. In the early years of the Republic of China , there was increasing demand for the emancipation of women, such as the movement for a new culture . Young female students wore the qipao as a symbol of equality. Author Eileen Chang remarked, "First women started wearing this garment because they wanted to look like men." Eminent personalities such as Song Qingling and Song Meiling wore qipao.
The government of the Republic of China made the qipao one of two official items of clothing for women in their dress code in 1929.
The heyday of qipao was the 1930s. Later forms differ mainly in length and fabric pattern. After the communists took power in China in 1949 , many tailors left Shanghai and settled in Hong Kong . The qipao remained very popular there as everyday clothing until the 1950s.
To this day, the Qipao is a popular item of clothing on official occasions. For example, it is worn as one of several dresses at weddings. The Qipao is also widely used as representative work clothing for female restaurant or hotel employees.
The qipao in art
The director Wong Kar-Wai created a monument to the qipao in his film In the Mood for Love . The main actress Maggie Cheung wears a different dress in almost every scene. A total of 46 dresses were made for the film. But not all of them can be seen in the film.
literature
Yang, Chui Chu: The meanings of qipao as traditional dress: Chinese and Taiwanese perspectives , Paper 15604, Iowa State University 2007, OCLC 298354463.
