What did Chinese fashion look like from the 1420s to the 1920? In this presentation given on Vasi Birchwood’s YouTube channel, I give a brief overview of how fashions changed in this 500-year period.
The Qipao, or Cheongsam, is an iconic dress, used to represent Chinese culture all over the world. However, its history is actually relatively short, and its emergence to prominence in the 1920s is an interesting blend of Han Chinese, Manchu, and Western culture and style.
Talk given on 18 Sep 2023 at the Making Historical Dress Network, on the subject: The Bilingual Project: Challenges and Rewards of Presenting Reconstruction of Chinese Dress to an English-Speaking Audience
My talk starts at 1:23:02 and ends at 1:38:00.