Cheongsam tailoring tools: Bamboo tailor's rulers with Cantonese scale (3)

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.