The historical evolution of cheongsam

The historical evolution of the cheongsam

The cheongsam is one of women’s clothing. It is a fashion with Chinese characteristics, reflecting Western aesthetics, and using Western tailoring. It is a concrete blend of Eastern and Western cultures. . In the eyes of some Westerners, cheongsam has a symbolic meaning in Chinese women's clothing culture.

At the beginning of the 20th century, it was popular to wear short jackets with bell-shaped wide sleeves, and long sleeveless vests with front and back hems that reached the floor. Since then, some changes have been made to the sides, sleeves, lapels, collars, etc. of the cheongsam, decorations have been added, and complex changes have occurred. However, it still maintains the straight and wide style of the old-style cheongsam vest, and adopts the traditional straight-line tailoring method, which does not reveal the slim figure of women.

In the late 1920s and 1930s, the cheongsam changed repeatedly in terms of length, width, slits, long sleeves, short sleeves, high collar and low collar. In 1929, influenced by European and American short skirts, the original moderate-length cheongsam began to become shorter, with the hem shortened to the knees and the cuffs shortened and smaller. Later, there were school uniform-style cheongsams with the hem reduced to 1 inch above the knees and Western-style sleeves. This change was criticized, and after 1931, cheongsam began to become longer and the hem sagging. In the mid-1930s, it reached its peak, with the bottom of the robe falling to the floor to cover the feet, which was called "floor-sweeping cheongsam". The sleeves of the cheongsam, which originally covered the wrists, were shortened to the elbows. Later, the sleeve length became shorter and shorter, shrinking to two inches below the shoulder, and after 1936, it was almost sleeveless.

The cheongsam of the Qing Dynasty did not have slits. When the sleeves were shortened, the cheongsam also had low slits on the left side. Later, the panties opened higher and higher, gradually reaching the knees and reaching the thighs. Due to some objections, the robe was once lowered to below the knees. However, as soon as the pressure of public opinion decreased, the number of cheongsams with slits quickly increased. After 1933, cheongsam with large slits became popular.

The traditional cheongsam is a straight line from top to bottom, plus a high stiff collar. In the early 1930s, the waistline of the robe began to shrink over time, and after 1934, the curves of the female figure were finally revealed. The high collars that reached the ears also gradually became shorter, and later some became collarless cheongsams.

The origin of the traditional Manchu cheongsam

During the Shunzhi period (1644 AD)

The founder of the Qing Dynasty entered the customs, made Beijing the capital, and then unified the country. With the initial stabilization of the political power, uniform reform began to be enforced. So far, almost all traditional clothing Hanfu has been banned. According to legend, the shape of Hanfu with a top and a lower skirt that has been passed down for thousands of years is only retained in the attire of Han women at home. Both men and women must wear robes on celebration occasions. There are many types of robes, including court robes, dragon robes, python robes, and casual robes. From the literal meaning, cheongsam generally refers to the robes worn by bannermen (both men and women). However, only the robes worn by the Eight Banners women on a daily basis are closely related to the cheongsam of later generations. The court robes, python robes and other customary attires used as formal attires no longer exist. For the category of "cheongsam". From the bans promulgated many times during the Shunzhi and Jiaqing years, the trend of Manchu women imitating Han women's clothing became more and more popular. By the late Qing Dynasty, some Han women also imitated the Manchu costumes. The fusion of Manchu and Han women's clothing styles gradually reduced the differences between the two sides' clothing, which became a prelude to the popularity of cheongsam across the country.

Late Qing Dynasty

The robes worn by flag girls have a wider body, straight and strong lines, and reach to the ankles. "Yuanbao collar" is very commonly used. The collar is high and covers the cheeks and touches the ears. The body of the robe is often embroidered with various patterns. The collar, sleeves, placket and waistband all have multiple wide piping. During the Xianfeng and Tongzhi years, embroidery reached its peak, and some even had entire garments inlaid with lace, making it almost difficult to identify the original fabric. The decoration of the flag women's robes was so complicated that it almost reached its peak. At this time, the Qing Dynasty was in danger of saving itself. The Westernization faction of the Qing court put forward the national salvation strategy of "Chinese learning as the body and Western learning as the application" and sent a large number of foreign students to study abroad. Western-style student uniforms and hats first appeared among Chinese students. The introduction of Western-style clothing provided another frame of reference for judging beauty and directly affected changes in social clothing concepts. In the future, cheongsam evolved into a new style that combined Chinese and Western styles. It can be said that the changes influenced by the West began here.

Cheongsam during the Republic of China

In 1911, the Revolution of 1911 broke out, overthrowing the last feudal dynasty in Chinese history, clearing political obstacles for the popularization of Western-style clothing in China, and at the same time also The traditional and harsh concepts of etiquette and customs were thrown aside, and all the strict hierarchical restrictions on uniforms were lifted. The free transformation of clothing towards civilianization and internationalization has come naturally, and the cheongsam has thus relieved the heavy burden of tradition. The old-style cheongsam robe was abandoned, and the new cheongsam began to be formed in the chaotic times.

At this time, the fashion center had already moved from Su and Yang to Shanghai. Shanghai is also an important city for women seeking liberation. Missionaries, businessmen, and revolutionaries competed to establish women's schools, setting off a wave of women's rights movements. The social climate seeking liberation cleaned up the stereotypes in clothing and makeup, tending to be simple, elegant in color, and emphasizing the natural beauty of women. . The cheongsam originally appeared in the form of a vest, which was as long as the instep and was added to a short coat. Later, the long vest was changed into a style with sleeves, which became the prototype of the new cheongsam. It is said that the Shanghai female students who pioneered the popularity of cheongsam are the originators of the popularity of cheongsam.

At that time, female students, as representatives of intellectual women, became the ideal image of society. They were symbols of civilization and pioneers of fashion. Even celebrities and fashionable figures in society all dressed up as female students.

The cheongsam was at its peak in the 1930s and 1940s. The improved cheongsam that emerged at this time incorporated Western tailoring methods into its structure, making the cheongsam more fitted. Although the cheongsam was born out of the Qing Dynasty flag women's robes, it has become different from the old system and has become the standard clothing for modern Chinese women that combines Chinese and Western clothing characteristics. The cheongsam originated from the robe worn by the bannermen, and Beijing is where the largest number of bannermen live. Therefore, until the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, the cheongsam belonged to the Beijing culture. The robes worn by bannermen in the Qing Dynasty included men's robes and women's robes. However, since cheongsam is women's clothing, it can also be said that cheongsam originated from the robe worn by bannerwomen. In the early Qing Dynasty, the robe of the flag girl, which was relatively thin, tight, narrow, and simple with small sleeves, had become wide and complicated by the late Qing Dynasty. After the Revolution of 1911, most bannermen abandoned their robes and wore coats and trousers. Therefore, in the 10s of the 20th century, there were very few people wearing cheongsam, and there was a slight recovery in the 1920s. The cheongsam has undergone qualitative changes after the Ding Revolution, and the main place where this change occurred was Shanghai.

There are three main differences between the cheongsam of the flag girl in the late Qing Dynasty and the cheongsam of the Republic of China:

1. The robe of the flag girl is wide and straight, not revealing the figure; the cheongsam of the Republic of China has darts and narrows the waist to express Body shape or female curves.

2. The flag girl wears trousers under her robe, with embroidered trouser legs visible at the slits; the Republic of China cheongsam wears underwear and stockings inside, and the legs are exposed at the slits.

3. Most of the fabrics of flag girls' robes are heavy brocade or other jacquard fabrics, and the decoration is complicated; the fabrics of the cheongsam of the Republic of China are lighter and thinner, there are more printed fabrics, and the decoration is simpler.

It is these three differences that have caused a qualitative change in cheongsam - from a traditional robe to a new variety comparable to Western skirts. Robes are outerwear, a type of clothing that emphasizes functions (cold protection, body covering, status expression, etc.), and its aesthetic meaning is traditional and subtle. Skirts, robe in French or one-piece dress in English, have a history similar to Chinese robes and a tradition of emphasizing functionality, but expressing the female body curve is also one of its long traditions; and modern skirts This feature is strengthened, changing from implicit, idealized, and partial expression to exposure, sexy, and full-body expression. For all the subtle changes in the female body that modern Western skirts can do, the Republican cheongsam is unparalleled. After the founding of New China, the number of women wearing cheongsam in mainland China decreased sharply.

A famous person once said with regret: "For women with better figures, not being able to wear cheongsam is really a big loss!" ;