Cheongsam is a kind of women's dress with ethnic customs in China, which evolved from the robes of Manchu women. Because Manchu is called "Qiren", it is called "Qipao".
The style of cheongsam in the late Qing Dynasty mainly comes from the flag dress in Manchu women's clothing. The main characteristics of Manchu cheongsam are wide, straight and full-length, mostly made of silk and satin. The clothes are embroidered with patterns, and the collar, clothes, front and hem are rolled with wide lace. From the late Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China to the 1930s, there were different changes in the sleeves and hem of cheongsam in different periods: the sleeves were from wide to narrow and from long to short; The hem changes from long to short, and then from short to long, completely with the changes of the times.
19 1 1 The sudden outbreak of the Revolution of 1911 overthrew the last feudal dynasty in China's history, cleared the political obstacles for the popularization of western-style clothing in China, and at the same time abandoned the traditional harsh concepts of ethics and ethics, and lifted all kinds of oranges with strict hierarchy in the clothing system. During this period, women's wear was the most popular, including shirts, jackets and vests. The styles included double lapels, pipa lapels, straight lapels and oblique lapels. Collars, sleeves, lapels and pendants are inlaid with rolled lace or embroidery patterns, and clothes are square, round, wide, thin and long. The free transformation of clothing to civilians and internationalization has come naturally, and cheongsam has thus unloaded the heavy burden of tradition. Due to the demise of the Manchu ruling regime, cheongsam was rarely worn at this time. Western-style Hanfu is bustling and complicated. The old cheongsam was abandoned, and the new cheongsam began to take shape in troubled times. Clothing decoration swept away the posturing of the Qing Dynasty, tended to be simple and elegant in color, emphasizing the natural beauty of women.
Cheongsam originally appeared in the form of vest, which grew to the instep and was added to the jacket. Later, the long vest was changed into sleeveless style, which became the prototype of the new cheongsam. It is said that Shanghai female students who are fashion first are the initiators of the popularity of cheongsam. At that time, female students, as representatives of intellectual women, became the ideal image of society. They are symbols of civilization and pioneers of fashion, and even celebrities, prostitutes and other fashion figures dress up as female students.
At the beginning of the 20th century, "Qipao vest" prevailed. That is, a short jacket with wide flared sleeves inside and a sleeveless vest with the jacket swinging back and forth to the ground. 1926, short coat and long vest were combined into one, which became the original style of modern cheongsam. In the next two years, the hem, sleeves, lapels and collars of cheongsam were all changed, and the changes were complicated with the addition of decoration. However, it still maintains the straight and wide style of the old cheongsam vest, and adopts the traditional straight cutting method to show the graceful figure of women. But soon, the cuffs gradually narrowed and the piping was not as wide as before. By the end of the 1920s, influenced by European and American clothing, cheongsam was "competitive" in terms of length, width, split height, short sleeves and low collar. The style of cheongsam has changed obviously, such as shortening the length and tightening the waist. 1929 After April, with strict regulations, cheongsam was designated as formal dress. In important celebrations, festivals and ceremonial occasions, women in China must wear cheongsam. For example, when raising the national flag, female students must wear cheongsam on important occasions such as opening ceremony and graduation ceremony.