Cheongsam of Lingnan School Painter Dr Leung Kit Wah

A painter of the Lingnan School, Dr Leung Kit Wah is the daughter of the late merchant, Dr Leung Kau Kui. Dr Leung began to develop a fondness for cheongsam in her youth. Her husband, Wong Chack Sang was among the first architects trained by The University of Hong Kong. He later became chairperson of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects and had many social engagements. Between the 1960s and 1980s, be it in Hong Kong or abroad, Dr Leung would accompany her husband to functions large and small in cheongsam. Dr Leung used to have two to three new cheongsams tailor-made three to four times a year. The style and fabric were always of her choosing. These cheongsams were mostly made by the tailor Zhang Shuifa from Shanghai. She was Zhang’s loyal customer until he emigrated to Canada in 1974.