Qipao
cctv.com 09-01-2005 10:49
Today we heard about 鏃楄, often just called qipao in English, or sometimes known by the Cantonese word cheongsam. In Mandarin we would say 闀胯～, long gown. This style of dress actually comes from the Manchu nationality. The rulers of the last dynasty, the Qing, were Manchus, so nobility often wore Manchu style clothing. The qipao is a one-piece dress with a high neck. It is usually fairly tight fitting, with a slit up one or both sides. Of course, there are many variations, but this is a very elegant, feminine gown.
Another style we heard today was 鍞愯. This is what I'm wearing now. It's a little like a 涓北瑁, a Chinese tunic suit often referred to in English as a Mao suit. 涓北瑁 refers to Sun Yat-sen, in Chinese 瀛欎腑灞, who founded the Republic of China in 1911. In the west, this suit is perhaps called the Mao suit because it became the most popular form of dress after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. But the 鍞愯 is slightly different. 鍞愯 are usually made with silk and have traditional Chinese patterns. They are much more fancy and stylish than the plain 涓北瑁. Again, there are many variations on this style.
When world leaders came to Shanghai for the APEC summit in 2001, they all had a group photo wearing red and blue 鍞愯. There is a famous photo of US President Bush and Chinese President Jiang Zemin both wearing 鍞愯. Many people see this as evidence that traditional Chinese clothing styles have been making a strong comeback in recent years.
Editor:Liu Source:CCTV.com
