Fashioning Womanhood in Modern China: The Qipao or Cheongsam (PART I)

In this episode, we unravel the origins of the qipao or cheongsam. This garment is inextricably linked to the formation of modern China and has origins going back to at least the Qing Dynasty. Join us as we explore its role as a symbol of elegance and empowerment. If you have any requests, questions, or simply feel like saying hello (we're friendly and Mr. B won't bite), drop us a line at [email protected]. You can also find us on social media: Instagram: @history_unhemmed Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/people/History-Unhemmed/100084597553601/ We are also on Patreon at: Patreon.com/historyunhemmed THANK YOU! RESOURCES: Finnane, Antonia. Changing Clothes in China: Fashion, History, Nation. New York: Columbia University Press, 2008. Lee, Chor Lin and Chung May Khuen. In the Mood for Cheongsam: A Social History, 1920s-Present. Singapore: Editions Didier Millet, 2012. Ling, Wessie and S Segre Reinach (eds). Fashion in Multiple Chinas: Chinese Styles in the Transglobal Landscape. London/Oxford: I.B. Tauris/Bloomsbury, 2018. Ling, Wessie. Fusionable Cheongsam. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Arts Centre, 2007. Sim, Cheryl. Wearing the Cheongsam: Dress and Culture in a Chinese Diaspora. London & New York: Bloomsbury, 2019. Steel, Valerie and John S. Major. China Chic: East Meets West. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999.