The Evolution of the Cheongsam

｜The Changshan with Distinctive Cantonese Characteristics

The term "qipao" (cheongsam) refers specifically to a type of traditional Chinese women's robe that became popular after the 1920s. In Hong Kong, where the majority of the population is Cantonese, the same category of attire was more commonly referred to as "changshan" (long robe) during the 1970s and 1980s, a term that encompasses Chinese-style long robes for both men and women.

According to a Shanghainese tailor master who has practiced his craft in Hong Kong for over half a century, the terms changshan and qipao frequently used within the trade are refined, elegant expressions reserved for written language or when addressing customers. Although the word changshan is gender-neutral in Chinese, its English translation, "cheongsam," refers exclusively to the female long robe. This translation has a long history of usage in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia and was officially incorporated into The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) back in the 1950s. In contrast, qipao, the Hanyu Pinyin romanization for the garment, was only recently added to its online edition.

The English-Chinese Dictionary published in 1993 defines cheongsam as: "Qipao; a transliteration of changshan, used as a general or blended term for qipao." Despite the term qipao being more prevalent today, the "blended term" changshan still exudes a profound and unique sense of local cultural heritage, carrying a deeply intimate and nostalgic resonance for the older generation of Hong Kongers.

｜Myths about the Cheongsam

Today, people take it for granted to call this traditional Chinese women's garment "qipao," believing that it evolved from the "robes worn by the Banner people" (Qiren). The "Banner people" refers to the privileged Manchu bannermen among the rulers of the Qing Dynasty. However, this claim remains highly debatable: although Qing Dynasty historical records document an immense variety of apparel names, the specific term "qipao" is nowhere to be found. Why did the term "qipao" only surface more than a decade after the collapse of the Qing Dynasty? And why would Han Chinese women adopt the robes of Manchu women as a mainstream fashion? These are the enduring myths surrounding the "qipao".

Following the mid-Qing Dynasty, Manchu women abandoned their rigid dress codes of tight fits and narrow sleeves, not only adopting the loose garments and wide sleeves of the Han Chinese, but also embracing decorative techniques and motif themes that reflected the absolute essence of traditional Han culture. Concurrently, the narrow and elongated "under-robes" (chenyi) worn by late Qing Manchu women were influenced by late 19th-century Western fashion trends that accentuated female bodily curves.

Evidently, the strict boundary between Han and Manchu women's clothing had already dissolved by the late Qing Dynasty. Thus, labeling these robes simply as "robes worn by the Banner people" may lack accuracy, and whether the name "qipao" originated directly from Manchu robes remains inconclusive. Looking across the mainland, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, while Hong Kong uses the terms "changshan" and "qipao" interchangeably, all other regions uniformly utilize the latter. Throughout history, different cultures have constantly intersected, blended, and transformed. Given that Chinese culture is inherently a synthesis of diverse multi-ethnic traditions, the character "qi" (Banner) in "qipao" might, in fact, beautifully epitomize this highly inclusive cultural worldview.

Although whether the name "qipao" stemmed from Manchu apparel remains open to debate, Hong Kong stands alone as the only region that simultaneously preserves both terms—"changshan" and "qipao"—whereas other regions exclusively employ the latter. The historical trajectory of Hong Kong's female changshan culture may not span an endless river of time, yet it is by no means shallow. Chronicling its historical progression, the evolution can be neatly categorized into five distinct stages: the Budding Period, the Transitional Period, the Golden Age, the Low Tide Period, and the Post-Handover Recovery Period.