Summary: The Cultural Traits of the Hong Kong Cheongsam

Qipao, literally ‘Manchu robe’, refers to a particular type of traditional Chinese dress that first came into vogue in the 1920s. In Hong Kong, the same type of dress was more commonly known as the changshan, or ‘long dress’, a term that was habitually used in the Guangdong region to designate the long robe worn by Chinese men. In the 1920s, the English loanword cheongsam was derived from changshan, with the meaning extended to include women’s long robes, and this name was subsequently adopted by the general populace and the tailors who made this type of dress in Hong Kong.

The cheongsam tradition in Hong Kong originated in the changing fashion in mainland China. It has its roots in the May Fourth Movement in 1919, when female students began wearing men’s long robes, a trend that was further reinforced by the regulations promulgated by the Nationalist government in 1929 designating the cheongsam as formal wear. Conveniently called changshan or cheongsam, these dresses resembled a longer version of the shan (blouse or dress) commonly worn by Guangdong women. As a result of its initial association with the men’s robe, cheongsam is therefore a more suggestive term than qipao in indicating the origin of the tradition. It is loaded with deep cultural connotations.

While these dresses are known only by the name qipao in mainland China and Taiwan, cheongsam and qipao are still used interchangeably in Hong Kong. The name cheongsam carries a distinct Hong Kong flavour.