What’s the most traditional costume in China? Undoubtedly, it’s the qipao. This enduring fashion is a form-fitting Chinese woman’s dress. Chinese female movie stars often wear qipaos as a perfect evening dress for social functions. Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li are among them. They’re really attractive and unique on the international stage. It is said the Qipao is the most form-fitting Chinese woman’s dress. Chinese brides also wear them as wedding dresses.

With a high neck and a slit skirt, the qipao was originally the costume worn by the Manchus, a nomadic minority from northern China. The majority Han ethnicity referred to the Manchus as Qiren in the past, so the garment Manchu women wore was called qipao.

In the early 1920’s, the qipao became popular among both Manchu and Han women. Influenced by western designs in the late 20th century, the qipao became shorter in length and its waistline was redesigned to be more figure- hugging. The dress perfectly captures the elegance and serenity of Oriental beauty.

Movie stars and upper-class ladies helped qipaos reach extreme popularity. It became the daily wear for Chinese women for decades. Women of all ages used to wear it for all occasions.

Since the 1950’s, the qipao has gradually exited Chinese women’s daily lives. It was regarded as representing an outdated ideology. This lasted nearly half a century before this Chinese fashion almost vanished into history.

In the past decades, Chinese women’s fashion has become so westernized that western-style clothing is mainstream for their work and daily life. Qipaos are rarely seen on the streets anymore.

However, in recent years, Chinese women, especially younger ones, are coming back to the qipao. There seems to be a comeback for this traditional Chinese dress. The qipao market is thriving in China with the nostalgic trend. Though ready-to-wear qipaos can be found everywhere, women still tend to have handmade qipaos because they believe these dresses stand not only for tradition, but also fashion.

Beijing, as the political and cultural center of northern China, was also a center for qipao-making in the old days. Many famous tailors worked here more than half a century ago, but most of them left the industry as time passed. Fortunately, Cao Senlin still makes qipaos using methods he learned 60 years ago.

If you ask a Chinese where the origin of the qipao is, they will inevitably say Shanghai, the fashion capital of China. The word Shanghai always reminds people of actresses in black and white movies and models in cigarette commercial posters. These ladies almost exclusively wear qipaos, making them look delicate and elegant.

A movie called “In the Mood for Love” featured a middle-class woman from Shanghai. It provided a perfect stage for the charm of the qipao. The heroine’s gorgeous qipaos were also made by Shanghai tailors. Hong Kong movie star Maggie Cheung had the chance to enjoy wearing more than 20 beautiful and fashionable qipaos in the movie. The publicity for the film in Beijing and Guangzhou was also accompanied by a qipao fashion show.

Now, women in Shasnghai can always follow the world’s latest fashion trend. However, as Chinese people become more aware of traditional culture, they choose to wear traditional dress in the form of the qipao to demonstrate their oriental and mystical beauty.

“Worn by movie stars and schoolgirls, adopted as a symbol of Chinese identity and of international savvy, favored by conservative dowagers and fashion mavens, no other dress has been as versatile nor had such a complex, fascinating history as the cheongsam.”

Qipao can display women’s modesty, softness and beauty.In either case, the Cheongsam creates the impression of simple and quiet charm, elegance and neatness depending on the

different occasions. The Cheongsam has two big slits at either side of the hem for convenient movement and display of the slender legs of women. ” All of which combine to set off the beauty of the female shape. Second, the special design on the material expresses women’s femininity. However, the Chinese Cheongsam (Qipao) provides designers with vast, creative space: some short, some long, with low, high or even no collars at all. Chinese Cheongsam (Qipao) has become most popular in China and the world with its dramatic history, colorful design, and womanly style. This is why you can find Nicole Kidman wear Qipao in red carpet show.