Cheongsam in Shanghai

Cheongsam in Shanghai

The cheongsam is a body-hugging (modified in Shanghai ) one-piece Chinese dress for women. It is known in Chinese as the qípáo, qípáor and is also known in English as a mandarin gown. The modern cheongsam is a modernized version of the qipao of the Manchurians who ruled China in the 17-19th cengrayry (Qing Dynasty). The English loanword cheongsam comes from chèuhngsàam, the Cantonese pronunciation of the Shanghainese term zǎnze or zansae (long shirt/dress'), by which the original tight-fitting form was first known. The Shanghainese name was somewhat at odds with usage in Mandarin and other Chinese dialects, where chángshān refers to an exclusively male dress and the female version is known as a qipao. In Hong Kong, where many Shanghai tailors moved to after 1949, the word chèuhngsàam may refer to either male or female garments. The word keipo (qipao) is either a more formal term for the female chèuhngsàam, or is used for the two-piece cheongsam variant that is popular in China. Western countries mostly follow the original Shanghainese usage and apply the name cheongsam to a garment worn by women. D 　　 Dun Lin Add:237 Changle Rd. Tel:+86 21 54037120   H 　　 Han Yi Garments Add:217-221 Changle Rd. Tel:+86 21 54042303   Hangzhou Zhujun Add:225 Changle Rd. Tel:+86 21 54042839   L 　　 Li Gu Long Add:205 Changle Rd. Tel:+86 21 54031515