The cheongsam became a national dress of the
Republic of China, It was eventually accepted by the
People's Republic of China as a form of
hanfu, thus becoming transnational and representative of a generic Chinese national identity rather than an ethnic or ancestral identity. The cheongsam can be worn by people of all ages and at any season. It is also used as a style
Traditional Chinese wedding dress among many others. For
overseas Chinese, the cheongsam has often used as a form of emblematic culture.
Roles in Chinese nationalism and women's liberation The Republican period is the golden age of the cheongsam. In exploring the reasons behind its prevalence in
Republic of China, many scholars relate it to the women's liberation movements. After the feudal Qing dynasty was overturned, Chinese feminists called for women's liberation from traditional roles. They led several movements against the Neo-Confucian gender segregation, including the termination of
foot binding for women, cutting off long hair, which was conventionally symbolized as women's "oriental" beauty, and encouraging women to wear men's one-piece clothing,
Changshan or "changpao". "Changpao" was traditionally taken as men's patent throughout the long history from
Han dynasty (202 BC to 220) to
Qing dynasty (1616–1911). During that time, Chinese Han female's clothing gradually developed into two pieces. Women were forbidden to wear robes as men did and instead had to wear tops and bottoms known as "Liang jie yi". After the
Xinhai Revolution of 1911 (which overthrew the Qing dynasty), young Chinese people began to learn Western science and cultures in order to seek a way of saving the nation. Also, the opening of several ports and ceding territories of China to Western powers imported some Western ideas to mainland China. Among all these Western thoughts, the idea of gender equality quickly gained its followers, among whom young female students became its prime advocates. It was the May Thirteenth Movement of 1925, where anti-Westernization demonstrations persisted throughout the country, that served as an important push for the qipao's institutionalization. The Republicans declared the qipao a formal dress in the Clothing Regulations of 1929. The dress was meant to assert the importance of nationalism by rejecting Western forms of dress. That being said, there were still strict rules regulating how the dress needed to be worn, including specifications about length, material, accessories, collar, buttons, and sleeves, but none of these were followed. From the start, there was no unifying style for the dress like the Republicans intended; Chinese women had no respect for the Clothing Regulations of 1929, which tried to control individuality. There were endless variations in style, with adaptations to length, material, hemlines, collars, fabrics, patterns, colors, and pairing accessories. It was worn by everyone from Shanghai socialites to students, housewives, and prostitutes. The style of the qipao was often in tune with fashion cycles and was influenced by Western trends seen through women styling it with matching scarves, fur coats, and leather heels. Magazines such as LingLong also gave women access to dressmaking knowledge and normalized it for women to make their dresses in their style. The base form of the qipao is rather simple to sew, which makes it easily accessible and economical. The style of cheongsam also varied due to Western influence. It changed from a wide and loose style to a more form-fitting and revealing cut, which put more emphasis on women's body lines. The length of the cheongsam was also reduced from the ankle reaching to above the knee. The design of the cheongsam got various inventions like ruffled collars, bell-like sleeves, and black lace frothing. Starting from that, the priority of cheongsam moved from a political expression to an aesthetic and ornamental emphasis.
Intangible cultural heritage Due to its long history dating back to the
Manchu clothing of the early Qing dynasty, the Beijing-style cheongsam-making technique is listed as a city-level intangible cultural heritage. In 2021, the Hong Kong cheongsam making technique was successfully listed on the fifth National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. However, the cheongsam is a type of
Chinese clothing which was developed in the 20th century under the influences of several cultures, including
Western culture,
Manchu culture, and the
Han Chinese culture. In
Suriname, the cheongsam is not only presented as being the quintessential Chinese dress but also as the authentic Chinese ethnic clothing; however, the Chinese ethnic clothing, which should have been used, is the , consisting of a (jacket) and a pair of trousers, as it was the attire which was worn by the
Hakka people who came in Suriname as indentured laborers and chain immigrants.
Appreciation and rejection in overseas Chinese community The cheongsam was introduced in Canada after the early 1930s with the flow of Chinese immigrants. However, the wearing the cheongsam is mixed amongst
Canadians with Chinese heritage. The second opinion holds that the cheongsam inherited some features of the
chángpáo of Banner People in the
Qing dynasty, but the true origin of the cheongsam dates back to a period between the
Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BC) and the pre-Qin era, approximately two millennia before the Qing dynasty. According to Yuan Jieying's () book
Chinese Cheongsam, the modern cheongsam shares many similarities with the narrow-cut straight skirt that women wore in the Western Zhou dynasty. And Chinese Professor Bao Minxin () also pointed out in his book
A Real Record of Modern Chinese Costume that the cheongsam originated from the ancient robe in the
Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD). The robe is a
one-piece upper and lower connected long dress which was quite popular among ladies in Han. The third argument was raised by Bian Xiangyang () in his book
An Analysis on the Origin of Qipao. Bian thinks that the cheongsam originates from neither the robe nor the
chángpáo. It is an adaption of Western-style dress during the
Republic of China era when people were open to the Western cultures. In his opinion, the cheongsam was a hybrid of traditional Chinese costumes and Western costumes such as the waistcoat and one-piece dress. Moreover, according to him, Chinese women traditionally wore trousers under their clothing and the use of silk stockings under the cheongsam or being bare legs is not a Chinese tradition but the result of Western influence. == Similar garments ==