Steps (1)

Bamboo tailor's ruler with Cantonese scale
1910s to 1950s
Hong Kong Museum of History collection
The making of cheongsam starts with taking the customer's measurements. Due to the deep-rooted belief that men and women should keep a respectable distance, cheongsam tailors continued to use hard rulers for measurement until after the Second World War. Given the distance between the ruler and the customer's body, the tailor's visual judgment and experience were crucial for producing cheongsam that met customer expectations.
Shanghai tailors who came to Hong Kong initially used Shanghai rulers, but later switched to Cantonese rulers. One Shanghai foot equals 13.59 inches, whereas one Cantonese foot is equivalent to 14.67 inches. The rulers were made of bamboo, wood, iron or copper. Bamboo tailor's ruler with Cantonese scale
1910s to 1950s
Hong Kong Museum of History collection
The making of cheongsam starts with taking the customer's measurements. Due to the deep-rooted belief that men and women should keep a respectable distance, cheongsam tailors continued to use hard rulers for measurement until after the Second World War. Given the distance between the ruler and the customer's body, the tailor's visual judgment and experience were crucial for producing cheongsam that met customer expectations.
Shanghai tailors who came to Hong Kong initially used Shanghai rulers, but later switched to Cantonese rulers. One Shanghai foot equals 13.59 inches, whereas one Cantonese foot is equivalent to 14.67 inches. The rulers were made of bamboo, wood, iron or copper. Bamboo tailor's ruler with Cantonese scale
1910s to 1950s
Hong Kong Museum of History collection
The making of cheongsam starts with taking the customer's measurements. Due to the deep-rooted belief that men and women should keep a respectable distance, cheongsam tailors continued to use hard rulers for measurement until after the Second World War. Given the distance between the ruler and the customer's body, the tailor's visual judgment and experience were crucial for producing cheongsam that met customer expectations.
Shanghai tailors who came to Hong Kong initially used Shanghai rulers, but later switched to Cantonese rulers. One Shanghai foot equals 13.59 inches, whereas one Cantonese foot is equivalent to 14.67 inches. The rulers were made of bamboo, wood, iron or copper. Measuring tape with Cantonese scale
1960s to 1970s
Hong Kong Museum of History collection
In the 1950s, cheongsam tailors began to use measuring tapes for more accurate measurements crucial for making body-hugging cheongsam. The two sides of the measuring tapes show different scales: the British inch is represented in red and the Cantonese cun in black. Chalk powder bags
1960s to 1970s
Hong Kong Museum of History collection
The chalk powder bag is a small leather or fabric pouch holding coloured chalk powder with both ends fastened by a thread. A cord consisting of several strands of cotton thread runs through the centre. As the cord is pulled out of the bag, the coloured chalk powder adhering to it casts lines on the fabric, which is then cut along the chalk marks. Tailors usually have several of these bags each containing a different colour powder to be used on fabrics of different colours.

Triangular chalk cakes
1960s to 1970s
Hong Kong Museum of History collection
The chalk cake is a key tool whether the tailor is casting patterns directly onto a fabric or cutting out fabrics according to a paper pattern. Chalk cakes come in different colours and are often pulverised to produce the powder for the chalk powder bags. Tailor's scissors
Mid-20th century
Hong Kong Museum of History collection
To this day the blades of these scissors are still keen and can open smoothly. Tailor's scissors
Mid-20th century
Hong Kong Museum of History collection
To this day the blades of these scissors are still keen and can open smoothly.