Functions and representation of qipao

Displays the elegance of female body

• Qipao, the classic dress for Chinese women, combines the elaborate elegance of Chinese tradition with unique elements of style. It creates the impression of simple and quiet charm, elegance and neatness. It can display Chinese women's modesty, softness and beauty. Like Chinese women's temperament, Qipaos are elegant and gentle. The beauty of qipao makes it gain its popularity. The high-necked, closed-collar qipao, with a loose chest, fitting waist, and the attractive slits, is one of the most versatile costumes in the world. The modernized version is especially noted for accentuating the figures of women, and as such is highly popular as a dress for high society. As Western fashions changed, the basic cheongsam design changed too, introducing high-necked sleeveless dresses, bell-like sleeves, and the black lace frothing at the hem of a ball gown. By the 1940s, cheongsam came in transparent black, beaded bodices, matching capes, and even velvet.

It embodies a revolutionary act and a quest for beauty

• Qipao is different from the traditional dress which is loose and baggy. The change in the style and tailoring of qipao reflects a change in the mind of the people. Under the influence of western dress style, qipao undergoes a radical change in terms of its length, cutting and style. The Qipao became standard female attire until the 1960s. Following Western fashion, the tailors raised the hem, even to above the knee, so that the "long" was long no longer. In the West, during the sexual revolution of the 1960s the style was deemed something oppressive, like the Victorian bodice. It was a revolution in the Chinese society when women began to show their arms and legs when they wore Qipaos. In the past, they were even forbidden to expose their feet. Old-fashioned people were furious about the change. However, it didn’t stop women from pursuing fashion. Movie stars and upper-class ladies helped it reach extreme popularity. It became the Chinese women’s daily dress for decades. Women of all ages used to wear it for all occasions.

A representation of national identity and the gendered representation of the nation

• Qipao represents the national identity and signifies the idea of gendered representation of the nation. People in the West particularly identify qipao as the national dress of Chinese. They are fascinated by it. In the current force of globalization, we have seen the increasing presence of ethnic dress going across borders, whether through the flow of people or media, especially in the direction from non-Western countries to Western countries. Cheongsam, the Chinese national dress, has revived since the 1990s on both in China and in Western societies. This trend is evidenced in American popular media. In two Hollywood movies, Spider Man I (2002) and 50 First Dates (2004), Caucasian American women wear qipao in the movies. Unlike American movies engaging in Chinese issues or Chinese produced nostalgic and martial arts/gangster movies in which cheongsam naturally appears, the stories of these two movies have nothing to do with Chinese. Some people may argue that this actually helps to reinforce the idea of orientalism---how the East is seen and represented in the eyes of the West.