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Qipao， or cheong-sam in Cantonese， is one of the most typical， traditional and female body-hugging dress with distinctive Chinese features for Chinese women. As a wonderful flower in Chinese colorful fashion scene， different kinds of Qipao can reflect Chinese women’s social roles.
In the early 17th century in North China， Nurhachi， a great political， unified the various Nuzhen tribes and set up the Eight Banner System. Later he led his troops into Beijing and overthrow Ming Dynasty. Over the years， a collarless tube-shaped gown was developed， which was the embryo of the Qipao. It became popular among the royal palace of the Qing Dynasty and the mansions of the Manchu nobility. Usually it was made of silk， and embroidered， with broad laces trimmed at the collar， sleeves and edges. This dress was regarded as the indication of aristocracy and the highest standard for Chinese women.
During the late of Qing Dynasty， wearing Qipao hadn’t been the privilege of the Manchu noble women， and it also became very prevailing among Han people. However， due to their lower social status and their poor financial situation， the materials of their Qipao were quite ordinary and cheap， such as cotton or wool， with rough tailoring and plain colors.
At the beginning of 20th century， there was an important revolution in Chinese Qipao. Unlike the complex of Qipao in Qing Dynasty， this included the Qipao itself and many other adornments， such as jewelry， socks and shoes， Qipao tended to be more simplificative， quietly elegant and nature. This kind of Qipao was called Civilized New Costume. It was a representation of feminists， civilized woman teachers and students， especially in Shanghai.
Between 1930s and 1940s， Qipao got its golden period. Almost every woman from all wails of life wore Qipao and each style had its own features. For example， a woman， with elegant and elaborately-trimmed Qipao and well-behaved manners， might be a lady in the upper class or a famous movie star. A woman， wearing pretty tight-fitting Qipao without sleeves， any decoration in order to show her breast， and over-high slits， might be a mistress of some vizier or even a prostitute.
Unfortunately， during the Culture Revolution， women who wore Qipao or even colorful clothes were punished severely as capitalists or degenerates. Thus， no one dared to wear Qipao any more， which was indeed a tremendous disaster for Chinese culture.
After the opening-up and reform， although some women resumed wearing Qipao， most of them were waitresses in restaurants and hotels or salesgirls. Therefore， their Qipao were almost the same style， rough-tailored， high-slited， vulgar-colored and shoddy.
With the development of our economy and society， chineses women have changed their attitudes towards fashion and also the Qipao. Chinese Qipao become more popular， many-faceted and internationalized. Nowadays， women can wear various styles of Qipao on many kinds of occasions， such as business meetings， birthday parties， wedding ceremonies and even the Oscar Academy Awards.
In conclusion， Chinese Qipao is the typical symbol of the change of Chinese women’s costume culture and their social status. Qipao can not only display Chinese women’s elegance， but also their spirits， aspirations toward beauty and living standard.
作者简介：王新然 1983年9月，女，四川广元人，硕士学历，西华师范大学外国语学院讲师，方向：英语教育。
In the early 17th century in North China， Nurhachi， a great political， unified the various Nuzhen tribes and set up the Eight Banner System. Later he led his troops into Beijing and overthrow Ming Dynasty. Over the years， a collarless tube-shaped gown was developed， which was the embryo of the Qipao. It became popular among the royal palace of the Qing Dynasty and the mansions of the Manchu nobility. Usually it was made of silk， and embroidered， with broad laces trimmed at the collar， sleeves and edges. This dress was regarded as the indication of aristocracy and the highest standard for Chinese women.
During the late of Qing Dynasty， wearing Qipao hadn’t been the privilege of the Manchu noble women， and it also became very prevailing among Han people. However， due to their lower social status and their poor financial situation， the materials of their Qipao were quite ordinary and cheap， such as cotton or wool， with rough tailoring and plain colors.
At the beginning of 20th century， there was an important revolution in Chinese Qipao. Unlike the complex of Qipao in Qing Dynasty， this included the Qipao itself and many other adornments， such as jewelry， socks and shoes， Qipao tended to be more simplificative， quietly elegant and nature. This kind of Qipao was called Civilized New Costume. It was a representation of feminists， civilized woman teachers and students， especially in Shanghai.
Between 1930s and 1940s， Qipao got its golden period. Almost every woman from all wails of life wore Qipao and each style had its own features. For example， a woman， with elegant and elaborately-trimmed Qipao and well-behaved manners， might be a lady in the upper class or a famous movie star. A woman， wearing pretty tight-fitting Qipao without sleeves， any decoration in order to show her breast， and over-high slits， might be a mistress of some vizier or even a prostitute.
Unfortunately， during the Culture Revolution， women who wore Qipao or even colorful clothes were punished severely as capitalists or degenerates. Thus， no one dared to wear Qipao any more， which was indeed a tremendous disaster for Chinese culture.
After the opening-up and reform， although some women resumed wearing Qipao， most of them were waitresses in restaurants and hotels or salesgirls. Therefore， their Qipao were almost the same style， rough-tailored， high-slited， vulgar-colored and shoddy.
With the development of our economy and society， chineses women have changed their attitudes towards fashion and also the Qipao. Chinese Qipao become more popular， many-faceted and internationalized. Nowadays， women can wear various styles of Qipao on many kinds of occasions， such as business meetings， birthday parties， wedding ceremonies and even the Oscar Academy Awards.
In conclusion， Chinese Qipao is the typical symbol of the change of Chinese women’s costume culture and their social status. Qipao can not only display Chinese women’s elegance， but also their spirits， aspirations toward beauty and living standard.
作者简介：王新然 1983年9月，女，四川广元人，硕士学历，西华师范大学外国语学院讲师，方向：英语教育。